And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split.

                                                                                                                         Matthew 27:50-51

Today: Read Matthew 27

The crucifixion of Jesus and subsequently His burial and resurrection are the central themes in which all human existence revolves. This unequalled, monumental action on the part of God changed forever the way He deals with mankind. While God remains unchanging, His gift of offering Jesus as the propitiation for the sins of the world allows Him to exercise His mercy and grace on believers while retaining all of His just and righteous nature. Even when rejected by mankind, this one act of God’s love is a game changer for those who trust in Jesus. There are no less than three major ways that the crucifixion transforms the spiritual reality of born again believers.

(1) Believers are now justified before God completely apart from works.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction…for we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

                                                                                                                         Romans 3:21-22,28

Everyone who belongs to Jesus has had their sins forgiven once and for all based on His righteous action on the cross (Romans 5:18-19). We have a spiritual enemy that would like to convince you otherwise by keeping you locked up by your transgressions of the past. Any opportunity he has to accuse you or remind you of moral failures he gladly takes, knowing that this mindset will prohibit you from enjoying and walking in the victory already bought for you on the cross. Believers should no longer assess their spiritual lives on their own performance, rather we should trust in Jesus’ obedience on the cross as the basis for His righteousness applied to us by faith (Romans 4:4-5). The cross allows us to declare to the world that, “Mankind is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”

(2) Jesus has established a new covenant for those who believe.

But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He (Jesus) is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

                                                                                                                        Hebrews 8:6-7,13

Secondly, through the cross, God has established a new covenant with mankind. It is worth noting that the old covenant (the ten commandments) was established between God and the people of Israel. The Gentile nations (the rest of the world) were not included in this covenant. For someone to impose the old covenant on the church today is to ignore the better covenant establish by Jesus on the cross and also places burdens on believers that were never intended for us to bear. Our spiritual enemy would like to convince us that the old covenant, with its legal requirements, is still somehow in effect, but the old covenant is now obsolete. The cross allows us to enjoy favor from God and to have a relationship with God by faith.

(3) Believers now have direct access to God without the assistance of the clergy.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

                                                                                                                       Hebrews 4:14-16

Lastly, the cross gives us direct access to God. The curtain in the temple separated the most holy place from the rest of the temple. This room was not accessible to everyone, rather was reserved for the high priest and even he could enter only once a year. When Jesus gave up His spirit, the curtain was torn from top to bottom symbolizing the spiritual reality that all can come to the throne of God by faith. Christians can confidently approach God at any time because of the establishment of the new covenant. Our high priest is now Christ himself and He acts as our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus understands us and can sympathize with us because He has walked in our shoes, yet without sin. Our spiritual enemy would like to convince you that God gets angry with you when you make mistakes and would like to see you flee from God and His love instead of confidently approaching Him and receiving grace and mercy to assist you in your time of need. The cross allows us to know that we are accepted by God.

If you are a believer and are living without these realities in your life, you have been deceived. Belonging to Jesus yet living as if you have to earn your salvation is to miss out on spiritual freedom. Belonging to Jesus and yet living as if the old covenant is still in effect is failure to acknowledge that He has fulfilled the Law. And belonging to Jesus yet failing to approach Him with confidence is to overlook your right as a child of God. If you are a Christian, rejoice! The cross has forever changed your spiritual reality! My challenge is to begin living out that reality today!

Finally, in light of these spiritual “game changers,” it is possible for someone to miss out on this spiritual truth. To reject Jesus is to reject His salvation. In reality, a non-believer has the opposite spiritual situation. Apart from Christ your sins are not forgiven. Apart from Christ you are still under the Law. And apart from Christ you cannot approach God with confidence. But here is the good news. You can call on the name of the Lord and receive salvation (Romans 10:13). You can be transformed from lost to found, from spiritually blind to one who now has sight. If you have never prayed and asked God to save you, then the cross remains ineffective in your life. Why would you not do that right now? I encourage you to do so. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I would love to hear from you.