THE SECRET OF THE CROSS: HUMANITY CAPTIVATED BY GOD’S LOVE
By Benson AMANYA
Every time I ponder at the message of the Cross, I sense a big debt to pay. But at the same time, I ponder again on this; if am to pay, in what currency should this exchange be made? What would be equivalent to the redemption price?
What could be equivalent to the ransom paid by Christ at the cross for a sinner like me?
To begin with, I love the fact that, the Trinitarian God was at work in this. God the Father sends the Son to save the world, the Son submits to the Father’s will, and the Spirit applies the work of redemption to Jesus’ followers.
It’s incredible to note that, The Son fulfills the Father’s redemption plan at the cross. His blood purchased the Church (Acts 20:28). In point of fact, His priceless and precious blood served as the currency for the purchase of the Church. In rudimentary business knowledge, what you purchase, you gain exclusive ownership over it.Therefore, The Church is Christ’s and not for individuals, not even for her leaders.
Whoever claims ownership of the Church must present evidence of payment on a similar price that Christ paid.
Church Leaders come and go, individual congregants come and go, but the Church remains as long as the owner permits. The manifold wisdom of God is displayed only in Christ by His Church.[Church : the body of Christ].This is God’s eternal purpose.
We cannot understand God’s grace [unmerited favor] until we accept His wrath. Likewise, until we understand the message of the cross, we cannot Understand Christianity. No wonder, Apostle Paul the bond servant of Jesus Christ says, he decided to know nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians. 2:2).
Wisdom was found not beyond the cross, not above the cross, not even below the cross, but in the cross and this is the wisdom Apostle Paul sought after.
Christ at the cross terminates the record of debt that stood against humanity (Colossians 2:14). Imagine Christ taking our charge sheet, [we were so guilty and our judgment term was so big to bear], He nails it to the Cross and there we were set free. Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for us! At the Cross Jesus bore our sins in His body, so that we might die to sin and death (1 Peter. 2:24). The extra interesting part in this verse is that, by his wounds we are healed.
The curse of sin and death was placed on Jesus (who in point of fact knew no sin) so that we might obtain the blessings of Abraham [the father of believers] (Galatians 3:13).
With the understanding of this, I can confidently agree with- “In Christ alone”- song writer that; no guilt of life, no fear of death, no power from hell and no scheme of man can ever pluck me from God’s hand.
Understanding the cross and resurrection as a single event is important here, for it is through the death and Resurrection of Christ that death is swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). Death could not hold him captive.
For this we know about our savior Jesus; that he lived, died and rose again so that we may live to enjoy His goodness in the land of the living.
Christ conquered death and he became the perfect sacrifice for mankind once and for all. It is through this sacrifice, that the broken relationship between God and mankind was restored. Mankind falls in love again with the Father of all Creation. This is the overwhelming, the never ending, and unconditional love of God. That love that leaves the ninety nine sheep and chases after one lost sheep chases after the outcast, the rejected in society.
We can never understand this not until that one sheep that is lost is you, that outcast, rejected is you and you interface with God as He chases after you. This unveils the mystery of the Cross.
If I could ask this question, every time you look at the icon of the cross what do you see? It possible to carry the symbol of cross on our ears as jewelry, wear it across our necks as a religious custom or even daily see that symbol so big and magnificence in our places of Worship and yet not understood the message of the Cross.
Every year a cross-section of believers across the world join in the Public way of the cross, they walk in big numbers carrying the emblem of the cross, young and old. This is a good practice to remind us of the saving act of our Lord Jesus Christ-the Friend of sinners.
May Christ’s love continue to control us, since we are believers who believe that Christ died for all. May He cause us to die to our old nature, old life. Christ died for every one so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. [2 Corinthians 5:15]
The writer is a student of Divinity and theology at UCU-Mukono
Email: bentamanya@gmail.com
Amen! Glory be to God for His Grace!
Powerful message my brother Ben. May this message of the cross always bring us to our knees with humility and thanksgiving in our hearts.
Thank you Ben, for the heart touching message
God Bless you more my Brother.
Thank you Papa Ben Amanya for this wonderful message of the cross, God bless you. Surely God has given us His absolute best. Only the incorruptible blood of Jesus Christ could save us 🙏😇
This is a nice article. We give God all the Glory
Am always moved and inspired by your articles my brother “uncle Ben” thanks alot .
I only pray to God for His blessings to be on you.
I pray to God that He will help so that I will be able to understand the message of the cross.
I can never pay the Ransom that He paid for me on the cross,may He continue to control me and cause me to die to my old nature and old life .
Rich message about the Cross.
Indeed, He paid it all and nothing that man can do to refund in return, except by the Grace to offer ourselves in serving Him faithfully.
May God continue to use U n keep shining to the world so that all may shine too.
God bless U n develop the gift of writing in U Bro.Benson.
Jesus through his eternal spirit offered himself unblemished to God so that we are cleansed which took away the sins of many. He paid the ransom to set us free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
Thanks Ben for the insights
Glory to God, for his love ,
God bless you uncle Ben
I love the initiative Benson. I love your choice of topic as well. If humanity could only understand who Jesus Christ is, there would be no need of sounding drums and bells to alert Christians about worship on Sundays…. Worship and fellowship with Him would be everyday, every moment. Keep up the spirit. God bless your endeavors.
“Humanity captivated by God’s love” is a great statement. Keep writing bro
Amen
I love this message of the Cross.
The charge sheet in Paul’s letter to Colossians 2.
Jesus nailed it on the cross and gave us a blank white and clean sheet through his blood. Amen.
Am always moved and inspired by your articles my brother “uncle Ben” thanks alot .
I only pray to God for His blessings to be on you.
I pray to God that He will help so that I will be able to understand the message of the cross.
I can never pay the Ransom that He paid for me on the cross,may He continue to control me and cause me to die to my old nature and old life .
Glory be to God. …..
Brother Benson thanks so much for such a wonderful rich message about the cross…it’s so concentrated with the real truth about the genesis of our salvation. Personally I now can feel how treasured iam seeing christ with no sin but sacrificing himself to pay for all my sins.
God’s love is incomparable, because sending His to die for us. Isn’t that much prove that He’s love is incomparable. He’s the only one who can never let us down
Thank u uncle Ben for the message.
Thank you our own Benson.This is really a beautiful article. May God continue to bless you and increase light in you.
Good work dear Ben. It is always worth thinking about the cost of the cross. Failure to know the cross is failure to be a Christian
Thank you so much our own Benson.This is really a very beautiful article about the cross.May God continue to use you and increase light in you .
Amazing piece. More so God’s love for mankind is incomparable because He’s the only one who can never let us down and He is always faithful to us even when we are not faithful in Him. God sending His son Jesus to die for us sinners such that we should not perish it’s enough to prove His incomparable love.
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS USELESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING.
This message is not useless to me.
Thank you Brother Benson Amanya
Amazing piece. More so God’s love for mankind is incomparable because He’s the only one who can never let us down and He is always faithful to us even when we are not faithful in Him. God sending His son Jesus to die for us sinners such that we should not perish it’s enough to prove His incomparable love.
THE MESSAGE OF THE CROSS IS USELESS TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING.
This message is not useless to me.
Thank you Brother Benson Amanya
Thanks Ben. Church leaders come and go like congregants do. But……
Good to note.
Thanks man
Thanks my brother Ben for this inspirationl and expository teaching about Christ and the Cross. This brings me to a place of humility and ponder about the kind of death Christ died for my sake. He became a curse that I may be called the blessed.
Thanks Ben. This is a mirror image of what God is doing in your life in a season like this. We thank God for you as Church of Uganda. North Kigezi must be proud of you. You are such a resourceful fellow and self motivated to serve.
I’m encouraged personally by the statement that ” no one owns the Church” the owner is only and only He who purchased it.
Great piece, thanks for sharing.
May God continue using you brother.
This is a great piece, thanks brother.
May God continue using you.
Thank you brother Amanya for the good writing! Am not a theorogean but when I read through, it’s seems a Gospel Truth. But in relation to the heading, the message should be pointing out “humanity” in relation….And not man…but ” humanity” in relation to God’s attention because of His love.
Thank you for the word. Keep going.
Wow thank you Ben for the wonderful message about the cross.
May God bless you and continue to use you to inspire and bless our souls . 🙏🙏🙏
I will cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last i lay down, thanks brother for the message, greater love has no man than this, that He lay His precious life for you and i to have eternal life, Glory be unto the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world
Thanks Uncle Ben . We should always think about the cross because without thinking about it, we may miss eternal life
Wao,this is great,a wonderful message of the cross,may the good Lord continue using u bro Ben🙏🙏
Ben, this is absolutely a powerful revelation about the CROSS. You really give us a very critical exegesis of the CROSS.
Thanks alot for your time & brains brother.
May God continue to use U mightly as a blessing to many generations & to the glory of His name.
Be blessed.
First, what a great article to begin this wonderful new website. I can tell you have been ‘captivated’ by how central the cross of Christ is. You’re in good company. In his famous book, ‘The Cross of Christ’ (yes, there are many copies in the CNBC Library at Kyamakanda!), John Stott says: ‘If the cross of Christ is anything to the mind, it is surely everything – the most profound reality and the sublimest mystery …’ I’m with you too – the wisdom, the grace, our debt paid, the freedom, the blessing, the eternal victory, as you say, all come from the cross. In fact, I spent a week of my daily devotional times enjoying reading your article and following through your Bible references! I was drawn in by your point about ‘the debt’ and then the way we can tend to ‘own’ church when it is our Lord Jesus who has ‘paid’ for it. Your Ephesians 3 quote really got me excited, especially the verse 10 bit about how the church – his saved but frail and faulty people (us!) – is the Lord’s showpiece. If only we were in love with his people as he is – that’s the prayer your article gave me. Thanks. Well done. Keep it up.