"The Cornerstone of Christianity"

The season of remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the long ago is upon us once again. These great moments have been called, among other things, "the Cornerstone of Christianity,” and indeed they are! It is something that forever remains unparalleled in human history. Response to the results of these intertwined events back then always separate all men and women into one of two distinct spiritual camps – saved or lost.

What happened brought results that are literally eternal and beyond priceless. But some fail to recognize how intense the Savior’s suffering was on the cross. Of course, even the physical aspect is beyond our ability to grasp for the most part. But the greatest agony was unseen even on the bloody surface of His battered body. Instead, it came from somewhere far deeper and in a form that only God’s Son could sense. It was so beyond brutal that part of Him wanted to be relieved of having to face it even while knowing what was at stake – the salvation of the entire race! This was about having all the sin of humanity placed upon His sinless person. The truth of this terrible, but necessary, action is briefly described in 2 Corinthians 5:21. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

In Mark 15, we read of the desperate cry of Christ as He literally felt His Father having to turn from Him as He hung between heaven and earth. The holy God could not, at that point in time, look upon what His beloved Son was forced to become on that wretched cross. The Lord’s spiritual agony peaked and was finally heard in verse 34. “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' – which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" But He stayed the course and paid the price for sin and confirmed it when He later cried out, "It is finished!" He had done exactly what was expected and predicted of Him in John 1:29. "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"

None of us will even begin to grasp what Christ went through to save us. That is impossible. But He has certainly made clear what we must do to be saved though His supreme sacrifice. There are many verses that could be used to explain and confirm what is our part in the redemption process. But one of the single most familiar verses in Scripture does the job better than most. John 3:16 declares, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

We trust that today you know that the heavenly Father loved you so much as to put His beloved, and only, Son through an ordeal that cannot be humanly comprehended. And while that is true, the salvation He purchased can be understood and attained by trusting in Him alone to save you from sin and judgement.

Yes, Christ came to forgive and removed the sins of the entire world, including yours and mine. But to have that be set into motion instantly and forever requires something. In child-like faith, do what is revealed in Romans 10:9 and know what it means to be fully forgiven and a part of God's family forever!

“That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Make Easter truly meaningful this year if it not now is. If you have never personally accepted the Christ of the cross and the Savior of the resurrection, you can do so right this minute!

Bill Breckenridge

Christ not only suffered the agony of the cross, He also endured the indignity of an illegal trial. Click the following link to read our special article on "The Illegal Trial of Christ".