The Cross stirs up antagonism in human nature. The simple mentioning of the Cross arouses resistance and hostility, because the natural man is at enmity with the God who died on the Cross. The Cross puts down human pride. The Cross ends all human boasting. True faith has nothing to brag about but Christ. Human nature is so proud that it would rather go to Hell than trust only to Jesus Christ to be saved from the love of sin. Human nature wants to pay its own way. The substitutionary suffering and bloody death of Jesus Christ is crude preaching in the world's ears today. The Cross upsets human wisdom. Men pride themselves in their knowledge and learning, their philosophy, their art, culture, and intellect. Men today are worried about their diet, weight, blood pressure, losing their hair, but they are not concerned about losing their soul. The Cross fulfilled the verdict of the Law; the Law's penalty was executed upon Jesus Christ. You cannot pass the test of the divine Law by your own efforts. In Christ I am perfectly pardoned and justified.
The world pokes funs at anyone today that calls something a sin, or anyone who believes that a sinless Man died on a Cross and suffered divine justice and bled to death to pay our sin debt. Men today think that education or culture can remove sin, and that Calvary's Blood is not needed. Every man must go to heaven heart first, not head first. The message of the Cross is that only simple faith in a crucified Incarnate God will save you from the punishment due to your sins, and anything you try to do to help save yourself will only add to your damnation.
The Cross destroys human righteousness. When human nature gets under conviction, it gets busy trying to justify itself. *Mark 6:20* Self-righteous men try to turn over a new leaf. They try to quit smoking and cussing, they start going to church, maybe get baptized. You can't clean up your act; you're a sinner. Salvation is not spelled d-o; it is spelled d-o-n-e! Jesus Christ died especially for you. Religion is doing. Salvation is trusting to Christ Jesus Himself, the living God who died for sinners. You better trust your way to heaven. This is the way you are saved from divine justice: quit your doing altogether, and simply rest in what Christ has already done for you. The preaching of the Cross is offensive to human goodness. Only faith in Christ Crucified is necessary to salvation.
You are steeped in bad habits. Ye must be born again. Jesus knows how to save you. Just take God's gift. God wrapped up eternal life in His Son. You must be saved by grace through childlike faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. I don't know how to save myself, Jesus, I just turn my soul over to you, please save me. The devil is the author of doubt. When you pull up the weeds of doubt in your heart, there's usually some secret sin hanging on the roots of them. You can't work for Jesus to get Him. You can't earn salvation, but God will give you salvation, if you will just take Jesus freely. God put salvation in Christ, and God offers to give you His Salvation in Christ.
You can't buy a ticket to heaven. Never trust works to save you. How long would you have to work to earn a house in heaven? There's much too big a price to pay for a home in heaven. Do you think you can earn a thing as valuable as Eternal Life? You're like a guy working down at Wal-Mart for minimum wage trying to buy Fort Knox - and that's impossible. Believe what Jesus claims to be, believe He'll do what He says He can do, and believe He is able and willing to do it. You better not take any chances with your soul. Jesus paid my note, my note is cancelled, I accept it. I'm only trusting Jesus Christ, not myself. Everything you have, you either got it honestly, dishonestly, or someone gave it to you. You had to buy it, steal it, or find Someone to give it to you. Salvation is already bought with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is God's gift, that's all. God offers you eternal life, and He put eternal life in His Son. A Christian is a person who has Christ, that's all. *I John 5:12*
You can't earn grace. Grace is receiving something you don't deserve - the Free Forgiveness of Sins. There's one thing you better be sure of and that's your Salvation. Every religion in the world except Biblical Christianity tells you have to do this and that to get to Heaven. The Gospel tells you to trust Christ's Precious Atoning Blood, that's all. If you try to save yourself, you'll have to go to Hell forever. The world is trying to get Salvation dishonestly. I owe something to Jesus Christ, because He died for me. You only go to Heaven because you've received a pardon freely from Jesus Christ. Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Christ will do for a dying sinner. I trust Jesus Christ, I can't save myself. You can't go to Heaven on anything you've done, You go to Heaven by trusting what Christ has done. If you are trusting in anything you've done, you are lost. You better be dead sure of your Salvation. If you think you can do anything to earn Salvation, you are not sure of it. Salvation is something God gives a sinner for Jesus' sake. You can't tell this message too often. Jesus bought me a pardon, I am trusting Jesus only. You better play it safe, simply trust Jesus' blood, that's all. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!
Human nature says, "I try to do the best I can. I believe in God, but I don't believe what the Bible says. You mean to tell me that if I am a good husband, pay my bills, and live a good life, I won't go to Heaven? I've never committed adultery, or committed murder." You need to be saved the same way as the man who has openly committed every sin in the book. You don't go to Heaven by being good. You go to Heaven, because Jesus is Good - He died for you. It is not the number of sins, but the evil nature of sin that damns a soul. The offense of the Cross always brings upon the genuine Christian slander, mockery, disdain and ridicule.
Why don't you just turn your case over to Jesus? If you believe in a bank, you'll turn your money over to them. The carnal mind says, "You don't have to obey God, just live your own life. Make something out of yourself, be a god yourself, no one has any right to tell you what to do. I want to live my own life; I don't want anyone to telling me how to live my life. I am my own boss." You've been self-centered, you've talked about, slandered and cheated your neighbor. You've missed the standard of the word of God. You've sinned, and you need to let God make you right. The "flesh" is just what you are naturally. The Spirit is what you are divinely, supernaturally. Lasciviousness is looseness, and loose thinking leads to loose living.
Human nature can't handle this message - You are a sinner, you owe a sin debt, you deserve to go straight to Hell when you die, you can't help save yourself, you need to be saved from the love of sin and divine justice, Jesus bled to death to pay your sin debt, and then God raised Him from the dead. God provided a sinless Substitute in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He was born of a Jewish virgin named Mary. God subjected Jesus to every temptation and test we have ever had. He lived here on earth for 33 years without committing a single sin. God laid on Jesus our sins. God transferred our guilt to Jesus Christ and then punished Him in our place to satisfy His own divine Justice, and demonstrated amazing love for His enemies. Place your faith in the divine Substitute for sinners. Jesus is the gracious God, He is merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. God through the Blood of Jesus can take the dirtiest, guiltiest sinner and wipe his slate clean in a second. Yield to the gracious Savior now, and let Him rescue you from the wrath to come. Lord Jesus, please stand in my place as my Substitute, I know nothing, I am nothing, please have mercy on my guilty soul through your Precious Blood.
