Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Text:

I hope to answer two questions. Why was the cross necessary? Why couldn’t God simply forgive our sin?

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience– among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:1-7)

In one sense, the cross itself wasn’t necessary. God didn’t have to save us. He freely chose to do so. God does whatever He wishes. (Ps 115:3) Having chosen to save us, God could have chosen any method of death for Jesus.

But the cross fits what the Old Testaments says about Christ’s death. Crucifixion was an extremely painful and shameful way to die. He would be beaten, whipped, and spit upon (Isaiah 50:6). His hands and feet would be pierced (Ps 22:16-17). He would be mocked by the crowd (Ps 22:7-8). He would be numbered among the transgressors (Isaiah 53:12). All of these prophecies pointed to crucifixion. But when people talk about the necessity of the cross, they’re really talking about the need for Christ to die for us.

Why was the cross necessary in this sense? There are really two reasons.

1) The cross was necessary because we are sinners (v. 1). If Christ had not died on the cross, we would continue to live according to the ways of the world (v. 2) We believe this because we read in the Bible and we hear it at church all the time, but do you really believe that you’re a sinner? Many parents say there are no “bad” children, only bad behaviors. I’ve read many “Christian” books that don’t talk about sin at all, but instead state that people are basically “good-willed.” But this reason only has any weight due to the second reason, which also answers the question, “Why couldn’t God simply forgive our sin?” (v. 3b)

2) The cross was necessary not only because we are sinners, but because God is full of wrath towards sin. God would not simply forgive our sin because sin is utterly disgusting to Him. God could have simply forgiven our sin. He does whatever He wishes. It was the will of God that His Son die on the cross (Isaiah 53:10). God is not only a God of love, but also of wrath.

We might say that a perfect God would be all love and no wrath. But we must not insist that our thoughts about what a perfect God might look like are in fact what a perfect God must look like. Our thoughts are tainted by sin and our experiences.

It is a true, yet incomplete statement to say that God forgives our sin. A more complete statement would be that God forgives our sin because of Christ’s death on the cross, accepting His death as a payment for our sin (v. 5). It’s interesting that we’re more comfortable with the first answer than the second. It’s easier for us to accept the fact that we are sinners than to realize that God hates sin. People say all the time, “Nobody’s perfect.” If we leave it at, “I’m a sinner,” then we can go on believing whatever we want about God. As soon as we say that God hates sin, and will not let it go unpunished, we’ve got a major problem. We must get right with God on His terms.

In light of this picture of God, some may not want to get right with Him. He may sound like a hateful, cruel, heartless Father. But no! He is a God of love and forgiveness. But He’s also righteous and holy, and would not allow sin to go unpunished. So He Himself took the form of a man, and died in place of man, paying the price for our sin.

Though we still sin, God has made us alive in Christ (v. 4-5). But this wasn’t due only to God’s love. He does not simply overlook our sin. It was because of Christ’s death satisfying the wrath of God. The end result is that we have a home in heaven, and have immeasurable blessings both in this life and the life to come (v. 6-7).