Jesus, keep me near the cross #3
Alistair Begg:
In the cross, God does two things, which would otherwise be impossible.
First, he pardons those who believe in Christ. Although they have sinned and deserve only condemnation, he pardons sinners. How can a just God pardon sinners? Only because all of our sin was transferred to Christ. This lays the axe at the roots of every religious person's endeavours to make himself acceptable to God by trying harder, attending more, praying more intensely - as if by some mechanism, we might be able to tip the scales in our favour.
Second, he displays and satisfies his perfect, holy justice by executing the punishment our sins deserve. Without this, God would not be true to himself. Here's the gospel in a phrase: because Christ died for us, those who trust in him may know that their guilt has been pardoned once and for all.
What will we have to say before the bar of God's judgement? Only one thing. Christ died in my place. That's the gospel.
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