GOD’S HEART OR MY ASSUMPTIONS
To simplify the gospel, we tend to compress everything into the cross—flattening the story and, often, distorting God the Father.
We’ve Assumed the Cross Is:
• Where Jesus handled our sin.
• Where the Father’s wrath was satisfied.
• Where we were forgiven and made righteous.
1 Corinthians 15:17 (NLT) If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
That means the cross alone didn’t cleanse us.
Hebrews 9:11-12 (BSB) He [Jesus] went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation . . . . He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
• The cross is where the blood is shed.
• The ascension is where the blood is applied.
So What Did the Cross Do?
1. Jesus bore the curse of the law:
Galatians 3:13 (BSB) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
2. He fulfilled Deuteronomy 28’s covenantal exit clause:
• He was scourged and afflicted in His flesh — Deut. 28:22
• He became a thing of horror, an object of ridicule — Deut. 28:37
• He was handed to the Romans, an eagle swooping — Deut. 28:49
• He hung on a tree, His life hanging before you — Deut. 28:66
3. He ended the legal system that condemned us:
Colossians 2:14 (KJV) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
• The cross was not appeasement.
• The cross was the death of the old covenant.
The law is removed.
Romans 4:15 (NIV) Where there is no law there is no transgression.
The veil is torn.
Matthew 27:50-51 (NIV) When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
"It is finished" wasn’t about sin—it was about a system.
The Full Redemptive Journey
• Incarnation — God enters our condition (sinful flesh).
• Faithful Life — He fulfilled God's law as the true Israelite.
• Cross — He bears the law's curse and ends the old covenant.
• Resurrection — He breaks the power of sin and death.
• Ascension — He applies His blood, securing our redemption.
• Pentecost — He gives us His Spirit, making us new creations.
Righteousness is more than a legal transaction—it’s a New Birth; it’s a Spirit-filled transformation.
What About Propitiation?
Romans 3:25 (KJV) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [hilastérion] through faith in his blood.
• To Greek pagans, this meant “to appease angry gods.”
• To the Jews, this meant “mercy seat.”
Hebrews 9:5 (KJV) And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat [hilastérion].
Jesus isn’t absorbing wrath—He is the mercy seat. The place where cleansing happens and union with God is restored.
The cross never changed God’s mind about you. It revealed God’s heart for you.
To simplify the gospel, we tend to compress everything into the cross—flattening the story and, often, distorting God the Father.
We’ve Assumed the Cross Is:
• Where Jesus handled our sin.
• Where the Father’s wrath was satisfied.
• Where we were forgiven and made righteous.
1 Corinthians 15:17 (NLT) If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins.
That means the cross alone didn’t cleanse us.
Hebrews 9:11-12 (BSB) He [Jesus] went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made by hands and is not a part of this creation . . . . He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.
• The cross is where the blood is shed.
• The ascension is where the blood is applied.
So What Did the Cross Do?
1. Jesus bore the curse of the law:
Galatians 3:13 (BSB) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.
2. He fulfilled Deuteronomy 28’s covenantal exit clause:
• He was scourged and afflicted in His flesh — Deut. 28:22
• He became a thing of horror, an object of ridicule — Deut. 28:37
• He was handed to the Romans, an eagle swooping — Deut. 28:49
• He hung on a tree, His life hanging before you — Deut. 28:66
3. He ended the legal system that condemned us:
Colossians 2:14 (KJV) Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
• The cross was not appeasement.
• The cross was the death of the old covenant.
The law is removed.
Romans 4:15 (NIV) Where there is no law there is no transgression.
The veil is torn.
Matthew 27:50-51 (NIV) When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
"It is finished" wasn’t about sin—it was about a system.
The Full Redemptive Journey
• Incarnation — God enters our condition (sinful flesh).
• Faithful Life — He fulfilled God's law as the true Israelite.
• Cross — He bears the law's curse and ends the old covenant.
• Resurrection — He breaks the power of sin and death.
• Ascension — He applies His blood, securing our redemption.
• Pentecost — He gives us His Spirit, making us new creations.
Righteousness is more than a legal transaction—it’s a New Birth; it’s a Spirit-filled transformation.
What About Propitiation?
Romans 3:25 (KJV) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [hilastérion] through faith in his blood.
• To Greek pagans, this meant “to appease angry gods.”
• To the Jews, this meant “mercy seat.”
Hebrews 9:5 (KJV) And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat [hilastérion].
Jesus isn’t absorbing wrath—He is the mercy seat. The place where cleansing happens and union with God is restored.
The cross never changed God’s mind about you. It revealed God’s heart for you.
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