Similarly, Al Mohler tells the sad story of a seminary professor who angrily rejected any discussion of Christ’s blood being precious, saying, “There will be no more bloody cross religion in this classroom. Is this understood? It is beneath dignity and self-respect to believe in a God who had to kill in order to forgive.”
An alarming trend among some religious leaders to downplay, or even eradicate, the significance of the cross forces us to ask how the early Christians viewed the death of the Lord Jesus Christ? Unsurprisingly, it was not just the focus of the early church but actually the apex of biblical history: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son” (Galatians 4:4 ESV). New Testament writers repeatedly referred to His cross, His death, and His blood, not interchangeably, but rather to emphasise different aspects of a work which will be the theme of heaven’s praise throughout eternity (Revelation 5:12). As we examine these terms it will illustrate why the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus at Calvary is so important.
The Death of Christ
The death of the Lord Jesus Christ addresses the issue of sin’s penalty. From the very beginning, when God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, He warned that disobedience would bring death (Genesis 2:17). As punishment for sin, Adam and all his descendants would face both physical death and a spiritual separation from God, known as the second death (Revelation 20:14). For God’s holiness and righteousness to be upheld, it was necessary for the Lord Jesus to pay the penalty for sin, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV).
However, in death the Lord Jesus was not a mere victim of Roman crucifixion. Scripture tells us that, although His body gasped for breath and pain wracked His limbs, He cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) before voluntarily giving up His spirit. This was no ordinary death. The Lord willingly chose the moment He would die (John 10:18) and, in doing so, He paid the penalty that sin demanded. His death was substitutionary, meaning that He took the place of sinners and suffered the punishment they deserved. This act is referred to as propitiation; the appeasement of God’s wrath, restoring those who believe to a right relationship with God: “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2 ESV).
The Blood of Christ
The blood of Christ also has specific significance. Blood has always been sacred to God, as it symbolises life. Without blood circulating through our veins, our bodies cannot live. That is why, throughout the Old Testament, blood sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sins (Leviticus 17:11). Abel’s blood sacrifice was accepted by God, whereas Cain’s bloodless offering was rejected (Genesis 4:3-5), the precedent having been set (with Adam and Eve) that only through the shedding of blood could atonement be made for sin (Genesis 3:21).
The significance of the blood of Christ lies in the fact that the shedding of it symbolised the giving of His life. It wasn't a mystical substance, nor did it have cleansing powers in and of itself. The potency of Christ’s blood is derived from the fact that it was shed when He died on the cross. His blood serves as a symbol of His life given in sacrifice, a theme seen throughout the Old Testament in animal sacrifices. However, Christ's blood provides the basis of eternal forgiveness for sin from an offended God, offered to anyone who believes in Him, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV).
The Cross of Christ
Thirdly, we come to the cross itself. The cross was more than just an instrument of death; it was symbolic of curse and shame (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Crucifixion was considered the most humiliating and barbaric form of execution. Capital punishment reflected the criminality of the individual, but crucifixion carried the added weight of public disgrace and suffering.
Yet, the biblical writers gloried in the cross, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). For Paul, the cross was not simply a place of death and shame; it was the end of man’s achievements, the death of human pride. The cross signified that nothing we do could ever make us righteous before God. Through the cross, all the consequence of sin (including the curse, the shame and death itself) were dealt with, allowing believers to become something new: righteous and pure through Christ’s death.
In Summary
The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross is far from something to be toned down, dismissed, or sanitised. For the apostles, the death, the blood, and the cross of Christ were central to their faith as the means by which they could have peace with God. Today, many people use the cross as a symbol of Christianity without fully appreciating its meaning. True gospel teaching emphasises all three: the death of Christ, which highlights His substitutionary sacrifice; the blood of Christ, symbolising the forgiveness of sins; and the cross of Christ, which illustrates the shame of sin and the glory of redemption. The gospel, therefore, stands or falls on the significance of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus; without it man would be lost – but, praise God, He is our hope (1 Timothy 1:1).
