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Just a Thought: The work of Christ on the cross

I believe it is beneficial to frequently contemplate the cross and Christ’s suffering on our behalf. The punishment for sin is not simply death and then going out of existence; sin and unbelief will be punished eternally. Those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus “will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might” (2 Thess. 1:9).

This means that on the cross, Jesus absorbed the wrath of God—the eternal punishment for all sins ever committed by everyone who would ever believe in Him. Isaiah 53:10 says, “But Yahweh was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief”, and “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (v. 11).

It is impossible for us to fully comprehend the heavy burden that Jesus bore on the cross. But we know that His sacrifice was acceptable to God, and was sufficient and complete: “But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12).

After suffering on the cross, Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished!” (John 19:30); the penalty for sin was paid, redemption was accomplished. It is only through the cross that we can be reconciled to God, and we who believe in Him are assured of our salvation because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross. The more we ponder all that Christ has done for us, the more we will be in awe of God and driven to worship Him.


Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.