Death Brought Life
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ….. And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Ephesians 2:13, 16 (KJV)
The cross was the ultimate altar, and Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. The cross speaks of suffering and pain. It was an execution stake for criminals. Jesus, in whom Pilate found no fault, was nailed to a cross. This altar, the cross, was made for the spotless Lamb of God to shed his blood and give His life (John 1:29). He died to give us His life.
The cross was a place and symbol of judgment and death, yet it speaks of One who loved us more than Himself or His life. Jesus laid His life down to pick us up from death. His blood was the life of God that brings mankind life. When applied to our dead spirits, we are born again.
And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: Colossians 1:20-22 (KJV)
The cross now reminds us of our Savior’s love, His sacrifice, and how much Jesus gave to win us back. Mankind had lost it all, so Jesus gave His all to redeem us, buying us back from sin and satan’s slave market. Because Jesus the Lamb sacrificed Himself on the altar of the cross, we can now be dead to sin and alive to God. The Lamb of God took away the sin of the whole world. What Jesus did empowers us to walk in His steps, living for God and not for ourselves. As we lay our lives down for Christ and others, we find life.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Ephesians 3:18 (New Living Translation, NLT)
The thing that looked like death brought life. That which looked like a loss brought total gain. So, we should let Christ and His cross remind us that we are forever loved, treasured, valued, desired, and pursued by a love so wide, long, high, and deep that nothing can stop it or steal it from us. Jesus’ purchase of us is the proof that, as the Lamb of God, He made the supreme sacrifice on the altar of His cross to win us back. He did it to win our hearts and so we’ll be together with Him, always united in one holy love.
