The cross – what it means for us
Series: Simple. Quiet. Present. | Bible text: Romans 5:1–11
Good Friday reveals the cross of Jesus as the place of decisive victory: guilt is forgiven, man is justified, reconciled with God and adopted into his family. Death loses its power, an eternal future is given and healing becomes possible. What happened there is personal – accepted in faith. In this way, the cross is transformed from a symbol of suffering into the source of hope, identity and new life.
Today marks the 1993th anniversary of Good Friday. Calculations show that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ took place either on 7 April 30 or 3 April 33. Today we assume the second possibility ;-)
Good Friday is the most silent day of the church year. We stand before the cross. We hear no loud victories, no triumphant songs. We see a suffering Christ. And yet it is precisely this cross that is the place where the decisive event takes place. For there was a cry: «Then Jesus cried out loudly and died» (Mark 15:37 NLB). It was – as it turned out later – a victory cry!
What does the cross of Jesus actually mean – for me personally? The Bible gives a clear answer to this question. The cross is not just an event – it is a gift. A gift with at least seven facets.
1. forgiveness of my guilt
«His grace is so great that he bought our freedom with the blood of his Son, so that we are forgiven our sins» (Ephesians 1:7 NLB).
At the Lichtblick association, we sometimes give needy people in distress a loan together with a repayment contract. The contract states, for example, that the debt is CHF 4,000 and that the person must repay CHF 200 per month. Now it can happen that a person is unable to repay the debt despite repeated requests. In this case, we on the Board sometimes decide to cancel the entire debt. The promissory note is torn up – even though the number on it is genuine.
This is forgiveness on the cross. Jesus takes all our unpaid bills and pays them in full. And not only that: He tears up the promissory note before our eyes. Not repressed. Not forgotten. Paid. Done. Cancelled. God doesn’t say, «It’s okay.» – He says, «Already paid.» Debt separates. It burdens us. It does not let us go – neither before people nor before God. And no one can erase their guilt themselves.
«He has erased the list of charges against us; he has taken the indictment and destroyed it by nailing it to the cross» (Colossians 2:14 NLB). This means that what accuses me no longer accuses me.
Good Friday says: You no longer have to carry your past. It has been carried.
2. justification of my person
A defendant is on trial. The evidence is clear. The verdict should be «guilty». But suddenly someone takes his place. He takes the punishment. The judge announces: «Acquitted.» But now comes the crucial part: The judge not only says: «Not guilty», but treats him as if he had never done anything. Justification means: I stand before God without accusation – and with new dignity.
«But God declares us righteous by grace. It is his gift to us through Jesus Christ, who has freed us from our guilt» (Romans 3:24 NLB). Forgiveness is already powerful. But God goes even further. He doesn’t just say, «You are no longer guilty.» He says, «You are righteous.» This is more than an acquittal – it is a new identity. Through the cross, God no longer sees me through my faults, but through Jesus.
«Now that we have been declared righteous by God through faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus our Lord did for us» (Romans 5:1 NLB).
Good Friday means: I no longer have to prove myself before God. I am allowed to be accepted.
3. reconciliation with God
Two close friends have hurt each other deeply. They no longer talk to each other. Years go by. One day, one of them sets off, knocks on the door and says: «I want it to be good again.»
Reconciliation does not begin with the guilty party, but with the one who takes the first step. And that is exactly what God does on the cross. God does not wait for us to come back – he comes to meet us. «We have been reconciled with God through the death of his Son, while we were still his enemies […]» (Romans 5:10 NLB).
Sin not only makes people guilty – it destroys relationships. People distance themselves from God. Friends become enemies. But on the cross, God himself rebuilds the bridge. We do not come to him – he comes to us. «Through his death on the cross in human form, he reconciled you to himself in order to bring you back into the presence of God and present you holy and spotless before him» (Colossians 1:22 NLB).
Good Friday means: the relationship is possible again. The door to God is open.
4. adoption into God’s family
A child lives without a family, without a home. Then it is adopted. It is given a new name, a home and parents who say: «You belong to us!» And importantly, it does not remain a guest – it really becomes a child. That’s what God does with us. You are not tolerated by God – you are wanted.
«[…] you have received a spirit of adoption through which we cry out: Abba, dear Father!» (Romans 8:15 NLB). The cross not only leads us back to God – it brings us into God’s family. We do not remain strangers. We become children.
«Therefore, you are no longer strangers and without citizenship, but you belong to the faithful, to God’s family.» (Ephesians 2:19 NLB). This is amazing: the holy God calls us his children. And as his children, in this new identity, we are empowered to a new life (Romans 6:4). A new identity makes change possible.
Good Friday means: I have a Father in heaven. I belong to it.
5. liberation from death
A prisoner sits in a cell – for life. No chance of getting out. Then someone comes with the key. The door is opened. Will he remain seated – or will he leave? Jesus has broken the power of death. The door is open. Death is no longer your prison – just an open door.
«In this way, God has disarmed the rulers and powers of this world. He has publicly exposed them by triumphing over them through Christ on the cross» (Colossians 2:15 NLB). Death seems to have the last word. At the cross, it looks as if it has won. But that is exactly where he is disempowered. Jesus dies – but he defeats death from within. In concrete terms, this means that a person will still die through faith in Jesus Christ, but will never be dead. He dies directly into the resurrection.
When this truth reaches our hearts, we become calm about our finiteness. A week ago, a church member told me that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. According to the doctor, she should have an operation. But she doesn’t want that, she wants to commit the rest of her life to Jesus. «Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting?» (1 Corinthians 15:55 NLB).
Good Friday is therefore not the end – but the beginning of victory. For us, this means that death no longer has the last word.
6. right of inheritance in God’s kingdom
A man lives a completely normal life – without many possessions. Then he learns that a rich relative has left him everything. Suddenly something belongs to him that he could never earn. The kingdom of God is not a salary – it is a gift. You don’t work for your inheritance, you are born into it.
«And as his children, we are also co-heirs to his riches – because everything that God gives to his Son Christ also belongs to us […].» (Romans 8:17 NLB).
The cross not only gives us new life – it gives us a future. As children of God, we are also heirs. This means that we can share in what belongs to God. This is not an afterlife consolation for the new heaven and the new earth. Already in the here and now we receive a pre-heir, the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22), through whom we live in fellowship with Jesus in his everlasting kingdom.
Good Friday means: My life does not end in nothingness. It already leads to God’s glory.
7. experience healing
«But because of our offences he was pierced, because of our transgressions he was crushed. He was punished so that we might have peace. By his wounds we were healed» (Isaiah 53:5 NLB).
I recently had the privilege of attending the final evening of the love-failure-life course. I was impressed by the testimonials and the healing dynamic in the group. When someone has similar wounds to us, we feel understood. There is something deeply healing about such a community.
Only someone who allows himself to be wounded understands us in our wounds. On the cross, we see someone who bears the same wounds as we do. Jesus loved more than we can ever love – and was hurt more deeply as a result. He was abandoned, treated unjustly, scapegoated, beaten. No matter what wounds we carry: Jesus understands us – and he heals us. Sometimes immediately, sometimes later, certainly one day in perfection.
Good Friday means: Jesus bears our wounds, he understands us and heals us.
When we look at the cross, we see more than suffering. The cross is not a sign of defeat, but of the greatest victory. It is the place where everything was decided. And that is why the most important question today is: Does this also apply to me?
Because all of this does not become effective automatically – it is received in faith. Good Friday invites us: Come to the cross. Lay down what burdens you. Accept what Jesus has done for you. Because there it is true: He died – for you.
- Your debt is paid
- Your judgement is suspended
- Your relationship is restored
- Your identity is new
- Your future is open
- Your inheritance is safe
- Your healing has happened
All of this hangs on this one cross.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Romans 5:1–11
- Where do I currently experience guilt or stress in my life – and what would it mean in concrete terms to consciously hand these over at the cross today?
- In which situations do I still try to prove myself before God or people – and how can I learn to live from the gift of justification?
- Is there a relationship in my life where reconciliation would be appropriate? What could be a first small step in this direction?
- What helps me practically not to forget my identity as a child of God in everyday life (e.g. in times of stress, doubt or failure)?
- Where do I have inner or outer wounds – and how could I specifically invite Jesus to bring healing to this area (e.g. through prayer, dialogue, next step)?
