Alexander Campbell said, “The doctrine of the cross is the great central doctrine of the Bible, the very essence of Christianity–which explains all the peculiarities of the Christian system.” Campbell was right. There is no doctrine more vital and more important than the cross, for to preach the cross is to preach Christ and Him crucified, and nothing is more significant than that. In 1 Corinthians 15:3, Paul said, “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.” The question I want to ask in this article is, what does the cross mean to you? What comes to your mind when you think about the cross on which our Savior was crucified? When I think about the cross, my mind is filled with many thoughts and emotions. Consider the following with me:

The Cross Makes Me Sad

The sadness comes from understanding why Jesus went to the cross. From the standpoint of God’s plan of salvation, God sent Jesus to the cross (Acts 2:23). From the literal standpoint, the Jews and Romans put Jesus on the cross. But, from the standpoint of the necessity of Jesus going to the cross, our own sins sent Him there. Now remember, the only way to be justified apart from the cross, is by perfection (Galatians 3:10; Romans 2:12, 13). The problem, of course, is that we have all sinned; thus, we needed Jesus to pay the price for our transgressions, and on Calvary’s cross He did just that (1 Peter 2:22-24). When I realize how personal the cross is to me, i.e., that Jesus died on that cross for my own sins, it saddens me. There is something else, though, that adds to my sadness. I realize that Jesus was completely innocent. He did not deserve to die. I was the one that deserved death, but Jesus died in my stead (Hebrews 4:15; Isaiah 53:4-6). How can I not be sad when I think about the cross?

The Cross Makes Me Rejoice

Paradoxically, when I think of the cross, my heart is also filled with joy. You see, I rejoice in the fact that redemption has come to me, and all others who would obey the gospel, by and through the cross of Calvary. Without the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, I would still be under the power of sin (Matthew 26:28; Revelation 1:5). Hell would be my destination were it not for Calvary. However, because of the sacrifice of my Savior, I can have victory over Satan and sin. Now heaven, not hell, will be my destination, if I remain faithful to the end (Revelation 2:10). How can I not rejoice when I think about the cross?

The Character of Christ

There are other things that come to my mind when I think about the cross. It causes me to think about the character of Christ. I think of how He was willing to obey God at the expense of His own will (Matthew 26:36). I think of how He was willing to humble Himself, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:6-8), and how He possessed an unselfish love for others (Romans 15:1-3). These are some of the wonderful characteristics of Christ, and if we are to be real Christians, we must try our hardest to emulate these characteristics in our own lives (Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 2:21).

We must never forget the cross of Calvary. We should remember that momentous event every day of our lives. What does the cross mean to you? It should mean everything.