Sacrificial cross of Christ is the secret of Christianity’s survival
Published 2:44 pm Saturday, August 22, 2020
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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Dear Rev. Graham: Other people have died on crosses, why then is the cross normally connected to Jesus and not others? I understand that Jesus suffered death on a cross but what does it mean to call it a sacrificial cross? — C.T.
Dear C.T.: The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very heart of Christianity. The sacrificial cross of Christ is the secret of Christianity’s survival through all the ages and the hope of its victory in the ages to come.
The cross is more than an example. It is more than a system of ethics. It is the mighty act of God’s justice and love. God is saying to the whole world, “I love you. I am willing to forgive your sins.” God is saying to all of those who are filled with guilt today, “Your sins are forgiven because I crucified your sins on the cross.”
Every person reading these words is guilty of sin, and there is no way to remove that stain of guilt except by the sacrifice of Christ; and no one but Jesus is able to do this for the human race.
In Westminster Abbey there is a memorial erected in memory of Major John Andre, with whom Benedict Arnold negotiated for the surrender of the fortress of West Point and who was hanged as a spy on Oct. 2, 1780. It was a case where the man who ought to have been hung escaped and the man who was caught in a strange series of circumstances was hung. Just before his execution, Andre he wrote a poem entitled, “Hail, Sovereign Love.”
He expressed how his own soul was too proud to seek Christ, until he realized that Christ had become the substitution for his sin. He looked to the cross of Jesus and found a glorious and wonderful peace, and this is available to all who will submit to Him as Savior and Lord.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
