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The Cross for Sinners & Those Sinned Against

A foundational Doorway of Hope teaching on the forgiveness

Written by Gena Kelley, Copyright 2000

I was at a conference in Canada this summer listening to a speaker talk about the power of the Cross. There I was struck again that it is not only a place to lay my sin down, but to lay down the sin that has been thrust upon me by others.

In my journey of faith I still don’t fully understand the power of the Cross and what Jesus Christ accomplished as he hung on that Tree. In church I enthusiastically sing, "At the Cross, at the Cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away." But I admit to not fully understanding the complete work of the Cross.

Inspired by the speaker, I decided to do a further study. I looked first in Webster’s Dictionary. Here is what I found:

Cross: Noun, 1. A structure consisting of an upright post and a crossbar. 2. A representation of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. 3. A medal with the shape of a cross 4. A mark formed by the intersection of two lines. Verb: 1. To go or pass across. 2. To intersect. 3. To make a line across. 4. To put crosswise. 5. To interfere with: thwart. Adjective: 1. Intersection 2. Opposing: contrary. 3. Ill-tempered: irritable.

It is interesting that as Christians, we use the Cross as a representation of where Jesus was crucified or a reminder of what he did for us. But what caught my eye in this definition is when the word is used as a verb: "To go or pass across." Isn’t that what Jesus did? He went to the cross-to pass across from life to death. He intersected sin once, for all time, for us!

God in all His holiness and righteousness intersected evil and destruction to the fullest measure. My mind cannot comprehend that. I know that my own sin has wreaked havoc in my life. It killed my joy, extinguished my hope, robbed me of my future, and brought me to despair.

Jesus encountered sin-mine included-in its fullest measure on the Cross for all mankind, for all time. Wow! No wonder he called out: "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark15:33 (NIV)

How could I relate to Jesus or even approach him with my sin, since I easily sin and he never did? The Bible in Hebrews 2:17-18 (NASB) gives me the answer. "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [to win or win back the favor of: placate] for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted."

Jesus was God and became fully man with all the feelings, emotions, and temptations that I experience. Yet he was able to stand when tempted. He can and will come to my aid when I turn to him in the middle of temptation. He sympathizes and understands what I am going through.

Further, how could I even name the wounds that have been thrust upon me by others? To admit this would be to admit pain. Naming my wounders would be admitting that my loved ones were and are capable of good and evil.

Jesus also knew about being sinned against. His closest friends betrayed and denied him. He knew abandonment, rejection, mocking, slander, abuse, and being wrongly accused. He knows not only the situation but also what it feels like. He experienced unbelievable abuse on the Cross. The crown of thorns, the nail-pierced hands and feet, and the sword-wounded side demonstrate that he understands suffering intimately. Therefore, I can go to Him who understands my wounds.

There at the Cross, I can receive the ability to forgive.

He was despised and forsaken of men,

     A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

     And like One from whom men hide their face,

     He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely our grief He Himself bore,

     And our sorrows He carried;

     Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

     Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

     He was crushed for our iniquities;

     The chastening for our well being fell upon Him,

     And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

     Each of us has turned to his own way;

     But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all

     To fall on Him.

I am greatly encouraged by these verses in Isaiah 53:3-6 (NASB). Jesus came to set us free and heal us not only of sin, but the wounds we carry by others’ sin against us.

Then there is the definition "to interfere with or thwart." Jesus thwarted and interfered with the power of sin and death. He conquered that power on the Cross and bridged the gap between a Holy God and sinful man. "There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all men." 1Timothy 2:5-6 (NASB)

He conquered my sin and canceled my eternal death on the cross. "And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." Colossians 2:13-14 (NASB)

Then I looked at the word "Cross" when used as an adjective, defined as "opposing or contrary." What a picture, what a contrast. A Holy God that is in opposition to what is evil. Yet the two met at the cross. Is it any wonder that Jesus sweat great drops of blood while praying in the garden when He asked God to take that responsibility from Him?

Jesus knew that he would experience the very thing that was contrary to His Divine nature: sin. I am thankful that He did choose the Father’s will, because now I can be washed clean of the effects of sin and walk boldly to the throne of grace and receive mercy. "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-17 (NASB)

There is a new worship song being sung written by Darrell Evans: "I’m laying my sorrows, I'm laying my pain, I'm laying them down for the Joy of the Lord. Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes, Yes Lord."

It’s a great statement, if you understand what it means and where to "lay them down." For me, "laying them down" means going to the Cross to confess. Sometimes I can do this in my mind’s eye. You know what I mean. "It’s only between God and me." This is usually out of guilt and shame. But God the Father asks me to confess in community and there find wholeness, healing, and restoration. "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed." James 5:16a (NIV)

At other times I need a physical representation of what is happening in the spiritual. In those instances I hold a Cross in my hands. I motion with one hand in a symbolic way to remove from me that burden, wound, or sin and place it on the Cross. Sometimes I speak out what the sin or burden is, and sin’s power is broken by that spoken word. Then I appropriate for myself the forgiveness, joy, peace, patience, kindness, mercy, or whatever I need from the Cross.

Sometimes the burden is too great, and I cannot place it on the Cross. That is when I ask for the Lord’s help and the help of his people. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 12, "When I am weak, He is strong." And Galatians 6:2 (NIV) says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

At other times I am not willing to lay that sin or burden down. It has become too comfortable or that sin/burden has defined who I am. If I lay that thing down, I fear losing my sense of self. This was especially true in my struggle with homosexuality.

I used to allow my behavior, thoughts, and feelings define me by the words: "I am gay.' It is then that I need to begin to look at how God defines me, rather than by my thoughts, feelings, or actions. I look at Psalm 139 and also remember John 1: 12 (NASB), 'But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Since I am a child of God, why do I hold on to an identity that will confuse and destroy me? Again I am drawn to the Cross to lay down my false self, the confusion about who I am, and my false identity. That sets me free to receive the true image of how He created me to be, to let the God of Creation define me.

I want to leave you with the words of the wonderful hymn, Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed by Isaac Watts:

Alas! and did my Savior bleed,

And did my Sovereign die?

Would He devote that sacred head

For such a worm as I?

 

Refrain:

At the Cross, at the Cross where I first saw the light,

And the burden of my heart rolled away,

It was there by faith I received my sight,

And now I am happy all the day!

 

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine,

And bathed in its own blood;

While all exposed to wrath divine,

The glorious Sufferer stood.

 

Was it for crimes that I had done

He groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! Grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

 

Well might the sun in darkness hide,

And shut his glories in,

When Christ, the mighty Maker died,

For man the creature’s sin.

 

Thus might I hide my blushing face,

While His dear Cross appears,

Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,

And melt my eyes to tears.

 

But drops of grief can ne’er repay

The debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give my self away

’Tis all that I can do.