What Took Place at the Cross

In preparing for a talk, I was struck by what took place at the cross. Jesus, hanging naked and scourged and beaten, was being publicly executed between two thieves. Consider the narrative from the Gospel of Luke, “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise’.” 

Specifically, it was what was missing that caught my attention. 

Notice that Jesus did not tell the man he would be saved by doing good works – in fact, the thief was dying because of his crimes. Good works were out of the question. Nor did He say to the thief, “Find a technical or scientific solution to your problem of death.” Neither did He say to join the priesthood, or follow temple obligations, or start a charity, or go to church, or even be baptized. There was no eight-point path to enlightenment, no constructing “Heaven on Earth,” no postures for liberation, no chants or spells or rituals. The thief was being executed now and could do nothing practical.

And this returns us to our present state-of-affairs. Like the thief, there is nothing technical to be done on our part. For us, the problem is positional. Just as one man’s act of disobedience to God, Adam in the Garden, became representative of the human race, condemning us to death without our say in the matter, so our salvation could only come through one Man being obedient, without guilt, having the ability to overcome death – without our say in the matter.

This would require none other than the Author of Life to directly intervene. It would have to be His perfecting act given as a gift. The Apostle Paul put it this way: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” The implication is clear: plusses are not going to work. It cannot be Jesus Christ plus technology plus politics plus religious rites and obligations, plus, plus, plus. The plusses are never ending and never good enough.

In John:14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
See All... we read the words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There may be some temporary good in the plusses, but they are incapable of saving. The real question is this: Will we trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation? 

Belief and trust in Jesus Christ was all the robber had left, and that the thief recognized his own sin demonstrates a contrite heart. Belief opens the door to relationship, repentance to forgiveness, trust to expectant hope. Jesus Christ said to him, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” For it would be Christ, by the power in Himself, in God the Father and the Holy Spirit – the Deity-in-trinity – through which death would be conquered three-days later. As the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the early Christians, Jesus Christ is the “firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”

For those who, like the thief, admit our inability to save ourselves – who believe and repent, entering into a relationship of trust with the Author of Life – a New Man is born.

Redeemed in the position of Christ, the person is now spiritually aware and awake. The ancient letter to the church in Ephesus illustrates what this looks like: to no longer walk in the futility of a darkened understanding, a person alienated from God, living a life of self-gratification and greed. Instead, walking in the truth of Jesus Christ, to discard our former conduct, “the old man which grows corrupt” and to renew the spirit of our mind, “that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

The character of the New Man is to be established on the image of God, graced with tender mercies, kindness and humility, expressing power with reservation and gentleness – the meaning of meekness – to be longsuffering, “bearing with one another, and forgiving one another.” The New Man is to put on love, “which is the bond of perfection” and to “let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” We are to be thankful to God, acknowledging Jesus Christ in our words and actions.

—Carl Teichrib (Author of Game of Gods, Conference Speaker).