Why the cross?

Critics of Christianity sometimes say “what a bloody mess!” Why all the talk of blood? Why the death? Why all of this talk of God (the Father) sending His Son to shed His blood and die on a cross? Why couldn’t the Father simply wipe everyone’s slate clean and tell everybody (men and Angels) that all of their sins are forgiven no matter what they’ve done, no matter what they believe, no matter that they are unrepentant? If “God is love” can’t He simply forgive everyone their sins with a wave of His hand?

There are answers to every one of these questions.

Perhaps the quickest way to answer this question is with a question: what if there were no enforcement of laws? There would of course be lawlessness. But more importantly, it would say that we have no value. Not only does our property not have value, and our comfort and health not have value, we, by our very nature have no intrinsic value. To cut down and kill a human would be no different than cutting down a tree or a blade of grass. But fortunately, the Bible says that man was made in the image of God. This alone gives every person intrinsic value. And, because man has value, his health, his safety, his comfort, his property, all have value.

God, being a loving God, is a stakeholder in all of this. When someone lies, cheats, steals something, destroys something, or kills someone else, it offends God because it offends someone God loves.

God, being God, feels the need for justice. There is a cost to justice. If there were no costs then there would be no penalties. Someone must pay the price for these sins. If the price is not paid, the need for judgment remains. The guilty must be made to pay. God will exact His judgement on the guilty and, because of His great love, His demands for justice against unrepentant monsters will never be satisfied. But for those who are willing to repent, there is a path forward. Man can see their crimes, repent of their sins, turn from their wicked ways, and find forgiveness while the offer is still on the table.

When the Bible says “Today is the day of salvation” it means that the time to repent and seek God’s forgiveness is right now.