What was it that Jesus accomplished on the cross? Good question! Let’s begin to look into it and see…

24 to preserve you from the evil woman [the temptations of destructive pleasure]…

Christ’s work on the cross is finished. I don’t pretend to know all He accomplished by going to the grave and then coming out three days later, but I do know that whatever He did was a completed work. There is a verse in John 1 that sums up what He did,

¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name,

In John 3:16, it says “that whoever believes in him.” What is it that we are supposed to believe? In John 6:29, Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” He goes on to say in verse 53, “Truly I say to you, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you. But if you do, you have eternal life…” “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (v63).” Later on, in the upper room, He told His disciples to eat the bread, for it is representative of His body, the ministry of His earthly life. In the same way, He told them to drink from the cup, for it represented His blood, which would be poured out at the cross, the price for mankind’s destructive nature.

While on the cross, Jesus prayed for His Father to forgive those who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). Was He talking about just the Roman soldiers, or was He talking about all who had a hand in His crucifixion? Since the soldiers were simply doing their jobs, I believe that He was referring to the religious leaders, the Roman leaders, and everyone who went along with it–basically, the whole world. Since He and the Father are one, I must assume that the Father replied, “Done,” which is actually the end of Psalm 22, which states the completion of Christ’s work on the cross,

³¹ and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, that he has wrought it.

The qualifier is this, that a person believes that Jesus is the Christ:

1. We believe that He is God the Son, Creator of the Universe and our Messiah.
2. We confess Him as Lord and pledge our lives to Him.
3. He commands us to follow Him away from darkness and into His glorious light.
4. We receive Him and His forgiveness, both of which have been freely offered to everyone.

Tomorrow, we will look at how this forgiveness that has been extended to all people and how it played out in the spiritual world as we look at Romans 11:32, 2:1, and 1:18.

Abba, the hugeness of what You accomplished on the cross amazes me. I’ve been a follower of You for 54 years and a minister for 38 of those years, and I am just now beginning to understand the vastness of it all. May You continue to reveal salvation to me and all it entails, O Lord. Amen.