[PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE SAME ARTICLE IS GIVEN BELOW]
Why the Cross? A Journey into God’s Mercy and Our Choice
Introduction: The Central Question
God is so powerful, why this sacrifice on the cross? One word or even less than that wouldn’t suffice?! The answer lies not in just quantifying or fathoming God’s Power, but in the profound depth of His respect for the freedom He gave to humanity.
God created Human beings giving them with individual liberty. It is not like creating robots or machines that can be controlled by mechanism. With this freedom, Man got choices. A Choice to obey or disobey. And many choices in the life context.
Part 1: The Dilemma – A Will in Bondage
When Man sinned, He chose to go away. So He was banished from Eden. A crucial act of mercy was embedded in this judgment: if a sinful man lives for ever, then his sufferings will also last for ever. To prevent this eternal disgrace, Man had to be banished from the Eden, where the Tree of Life grew, so that no human may attain a cursed eternity. Therefore, in order to live and endure in eternity, man would need to conquer sin and its consequences.
But how could a miserable humanity, born into sin and possessed with a binding weakness within, ever overcome it? The evil and sin that had taken control never offered a real choice but had put only more bondage on the human race. As evil had already entered, Man himself could not choose the Good unless it is offered to him again. At this stage, only God could offer good to Man. But humanity’s expectations, nature, and insights were already corrupted by evil influence, powered by an ego that could not accept anything beyond its own limited knowledge. As a consequence, man had to go through suffering and death without any other choice.
This presents a profound dilemma: how can a person in bondage make a genuine choice for salvation?
Part 2: The Divine Solution – Grace that Enables a True Choice
The answer lies at the heart of the Gospel. God’s plan was not to leave humanity helpless. So only by the grace of GOD, by the merit of His mercy, can a human make a choice for Good. God’s grace doesn’t abolish our will, but intervenes to restore our ability to choose. Salvation is a divine action that “infiltrates” the enslaved human system to introduce a real choice where none meaningfully existed before.
Part 3: The Historical Preparation – A Lesson in a Need
This truth is woven through all of human history. The entire Old Testament narrative, with its laws and miracles, can be seen as a long, divine lesson in this human weakness. God prepared Man for salvation by warning him through signs and messages; He gave him Commandments; His chosen people were saved in war and famine. In this way, the Lord gave humans the realization of His power and their own weakness, making them realize the need for a Savior. This history was not just a series of events, but a demonstration intended to reveal a deep and universal truth that makes all of humanity realize its need for a grace-based solution.
Part 4: The Climax – The Choice Presented
This long historical lesson reaches its dramatic climax in the confrontation with the Pharisees. As the most devoted masters of the law, they become the final, living proof that a system based on human effort is destined to fall short.
Therefore, Jesus’s solemn warning about blasphemy on the Holy Spirit is not merely a final judgment, but a necessary and merciful teaching. It serves to expose the ultimate dead end of the old path of self-righteousness. This act of the Pharisees shows the need for all mankind to be warned, so that a true choice can be made when that choice is presented to all humanity through His divine grace – Christ the Saviour.
This leads us to the Cross. To receive forgiveness under the Law of Moses, a sacrifice was required. Though it was apparently symbolic, it was not symbolic, but a greatest act of love that a world can have. It was meant to give realizations and an opportunity and a choice for Man to turn towards God. Even when the snake of Bronze raised by Moses, only those who saw it, as a choice available, could be saved from the fatality of snake bite poison1. Jesus Christ is the Lamb Of God, who offered Himself as the perfect fulfilment of this ritual. His sufferings and sacrificial offering saved mankind from the punishments of all sins. Yet this, too, comes with a choice: the choice of believing and, most importantly, accepting the message and Lordship of Jesus.
Part 5: The Lived Experience – The Three Phases of Salvation
So what does it look like to accept and live out this new reality of a restored choice? Christian faith understands this as a journey with a clear beginning, a lifelong process, and a guaranteed end.
- Justification (The Event – Our Standing is Secured): This is the moment you make the initial, definitive choice to accept the gift of salvation through Grace. At this moment, your legal standing before God is changed instantly and forever. You are declared righteous. It is a gift you receive.
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
- Sanctification (The Process – Our Life is Transformed): This is the lifelong, continuously progressing journey. It is the disciplinary path where you, empowered by the Holy Spirit, learn to live out the new reality of who you are. This is the ongoing process of your daily choices and your growth, which you must work out.
“…continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
- Glorification (The Attainment – Our Hope is Confirmed): This is the future, final state where the transformation is complete. It is the finish line when, in the life to come, you are fully perfected and freed even from the presence of sin. This is the state you will ultimately attain.
“And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
As sin was against GOD, Man could not reach God. So God became Man so that He could choose to give salvation and yet remain without sin. He took all human’s sin’s consequences upon him; however, he did not commit any sin. And His (Jesus’s) choice became Dear to the Father. He rose Him up from the Death. And Jesus remains the only imperishable among all the perishable. Thus, His Will and Choice is eternal.
By sin, we lost all choice and authority. By salvation, we regained it all through Jesus Christ. In the Bible, we read, Jesus Chose (Declared) Himself as the Bread of Life. His Choice gives us Life. Jesus Chose (Declared) Himself as the way to The Father. Therefore, He Shall be the only Way to The Father. He said, ‘I am the Truth.’ He is the Truth, a way of freedom. Yet, He does not interfere with the freedom of choice given by God. So, if we choose to accept and acknowledge the Will of Jesus Christ, we will be saved. The acceptance of His Will is accepting His Lordship.
To open the doors of our hearts—that is the choice we shall make.
In all the earth, the Light shining over the darkness and the Victory over sin achieved by Lord Jesus Christ is Eternal Victory. In the joy of this victory, by the Love of the Father, Grace of The Son, and Fellowship of HolySpirit our hearts and souls sing songs for the Glory of The Lord forever and ever, Amen.
Mercy
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