As you search through the Scriptures, God’s character gets revealed. Each page teaches you more about who God is, especially as you see his engagement with humanity. But there is one place and one incident that reveals God’s character perhaps more than any other incident in the entire Bible. That place is the cross.
When we think of the cross, it is right to think of Jesus’ broken body and spilled blood. However, for a moment, I want to turn your focus in a slightly different direction. I want you to think about what the cross reveals about who God is. As you turn your attention in that direction, here are seven things you can learn about God's character from looking at the cross.
1. The Cross Reveals God's Justice
“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you” (Psalm 89:14).
One of the definitions of justice is to administer and uphold the law. When we think about the cross and Jesus dying on the cross, that is exactly what God is doing, he is upholding the law.
From the very beginning, after Adam and Eve sinned, God established a principle that he has upheld since that point. The principle is when there is sin committed, there is blood that must be shed to cover that sin. In the garden after Adam and Eve sinned, God covered them with the skin of an animal. The last time I checked, you can’t remove the skin from an animal without killing it first. There is going to be bloodshed.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. Since one of the definitions of justice is to uphold the law, in Jesus shedding his blood and dying we see God's justice in action as he upheld the requirements of the law.
2. The Cross Reveals God's Goodness
The cross however is not just about God's justice, it also displays God's goodness. It might seem strange to put those two things in the same sentence. How can death and punishment reflect God's goodness? How is this possible?
It's possible for one simple reason. It’s not in the act itself where we see God’s goodness, but in the purpose behind the act. The cross represents God's goodness because he did not leave us in our sinful condition. Instead, he gave us a way to deal with our sinful condition. If he had never done that, then there is absolutely no way you could ever say that God is a good God. However, because he did, then no matter what else happens in life, you can always see in the cross a reminder of God's goodness because it was there that he made a way for us to have eternal fellowship with him.
3. The Cross Reveals God's Provision
Closely related to God’s goodness, the cross also represents God's provision. The truth is we were hopeless according to Romans 8:3. Though the law was present, we could not keep the law because it was weakened by our sinful nature. However, what we could not do, God did. That’s why the cross represents God’s provision.
In the cross, God provided something for us that we could not provide for ourselves. Since we did not have the capacity to meet the requirements of the law, Jesus did. Because he did, Jesus provided a way of salvation that was not possible on our own. In the cross we see God's ability to provide not just a temporary solution to our sin problem, but an eternal one.
4. The Cross Reveals God's Mercy
Another aspect of God’s character we see from the cross is his mercy. The definition of mercy is God not giving to us what we so rightly deserve. Psalms 103:10 says God does not treat us according to our iniquities or as our sins deserve.
This is why the cross points to God’s mercy. God does not give us what we truly deserve, but pours it out on Jesus. The sins that Jesus died for were not his own sins, they were yours and mine. Rightfully, we were the ones who should have been crucified. We should have been punished because they were our sins, but God punished Christ instead. This is a demonstration of God’s mercy towards you. Because of the cross, instead of receiving punishment that we so rightly deserve, we find mercy.
5. The Cross Reveals God's Judgment
In the cross we see God as judge. The Bible simply declares the wages of sin is death. Whenever there is sin, death will be the result. The reason why the cross reveals God's judgment is because he does not leave sin unpunished. He never has and never will.
The question you must ask is who will bear the punishment for your sin? God has already judged sin on the cross, by placing it all on Christ. However, if you don't put your faith in Christ, then God's judgment for sin will be placed all on you. Because he upholds the law, he must judge sin. However, if you are in Christ, your sins have already been accounted for. If you're not in Christ, then you will have to account for your own sins. The cross shows us God as a righteous judge.
6. The Cross Reveals God's Grace
If there is one thing that is clear, it’s that the cross reveals God's grace. The truth of the matter is none of us deserve salvation. That's why Paul says in Ephesians 2 it is by grace you have been saved not of works. And so in the cross, we discover God's grace, providing a salvation for us that none of us are entitled to. It is a salvation we couldn't earn and one we certainly don't deserve. But that’s what makes the cross so wonderful and why it paints such a beautiful picture of the grace of God. God’s great gift of salvation was paid for on the cross and given to underserving people like you and me.
7. The Cross Reveals God's Love
Finally, the one I want to leave you with is that the cross is ultimately a picture of God's love for you. Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated his love for us in that while we were sinners Christ died for us. The amazing thing about God's love and the amazing thing about the cross is when Jesus chose to die for you. He didn't wait until you got your act together or cleaned yourself up to choose to die for you. Instead, when you were far from God, and at your absolute worst, that’s when Jesus died for you. There is no greater demonstration of God's love then the cross of Jesus Christ.
As you go through life, there may be times you want to question if God loves you, especially in the difficult and challenging parts of life. If you ever have a doubt or wonder about God’s love, all you must do is look at the cross. The cross of Jesus Christ will forever stand as an eternal reminder of just how much God truly loves you. For all eternity Jesus will bear in his body the marks of his love for you. The nail scarred hands and feet. When you comprehend that, you will see that ultimately the cross is God’s love for you on full display.
What more can you say about the cross? I think you can say plenty. I shared with you seven things, but there are more things you can discover about God from the cross. For this reason, I encourage you to look at the cross in a new light. Focus on the event and what happened at the cross, but don’t forget to see all of who God is from this wonderful place.
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Photo credit: Unsplash/Alicia Quan
Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.