ON THE CROSS CHRIST MADE HIS SACRIFICE
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Priceless Cross
a) It is the Cross of Christ that demonstrated God’s love. We see that Christ was not conquered by the cross, rather through it he became the Conqueror. When Paul speaks of the cross (Ephesians 2:16) he of course does not refer to the wooden cross as such, but rather to what was done on that cross, namely the killing of the flesh-and-blood body of the Son of God.
Ephesians 2:16
16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
2. On the Cross Christ Made His Sacrifice
a) "...brought near by the blood of Christ... [who] abolished in his flesh the enmity... to reconcile them both in one body to God by the cross" (Ephesians 2:13-16).
b) We all understand that where we (and Paul) have spoken of "the cross", we were using a metonym. We do not literally mean the wooden cross itself, but rather the death Jesus died upon it, and the sacrifice there of his flesh and blood. The cross was the cruel instrument of that death. The death is the significant thing.
c) Paul’s phrase "through the cross" is a figurative equivalent of the other two phrases he uses in the same context. These literal equivalents are: "by the blood" and "in his flesh" (Ephesians 2:13,15,16).
d) So when we say, "The Priceless Cross" we mean of course the priceless sacrifice of Christ's body and blood. Without that, beloved, we would indeed still be "children of wrath... without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:3,12).
The End ...
1. The Priceless Crossa) It is the Cross of Christ that demonstrated God’s love. We see that Christ was not conquered by the cross, rather through it he became the Conqueror. When Paul speaks of the cross (Ephesians 2:16) he of course does not refer to the wooden cross as such, but rather to what was done on that cross, namely the killing of the flesh-and-blood body of the Son of God.
Ephesians 2:16
16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.
2. On the Cross Christ Made His Sacrifice
a) "...brought near by the blood of Christ... [who] abolished in his flesh the enmity... to reconcile them both in one body to God by the cross" (Ephesians 2:13-16).
b) We all understand that where we (and Paul) have spoken of "the cross", we were using a metonym. We do not literally mean the wooden cross itself, but rather the death Jesus died upon it, and the sacrifice there of his flesh and blood. The cross was the cruel instrument of that death. The death is the significant thing.
c) Paul’s phrase "through the cross" is a figurative equivalent of the other two phrases he uses in the same context. These literal equivalents are: "by the blood" and "in his flesh" (Ephesians 2:13,15,16).
d) So when we say, "The Priceless Cross" we mean of course the priceless sacrifice of Christ's body and blood. Without that, beloved, we would indeed still be "children of wrath... without hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:3,12).
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