At the cross of Christ, God did the two most difficult things that He will ever, in the boundless ages of eternity, do. Let’s start with the second. It was the Lord Jesus’ decision to offer Himself. Though He despised the shame, He endured the cross for “the joy set before Him.” (Heb 12:2) He did so in perfect obedience to the will of the Father:
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, 0 God.
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, 0 God …
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb 10:6-10)
Therefore, THE most difficult thing that God has ever had to do was the decision to send His Son to that cruel cross.
The Word of God through Paul lays out a proposition. Who would dare to die? Certainly, most parents would readily die for a child. The Lord Jesus said that ” … greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15: 13) Our Lord did that. He died for Mary and Martha, for the Twelve and for Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers and heroes have done that – died for their friends. What about a person of great character? ” … for a good man some would even dare to die … “ Some might. But we would all want to draw the line right there. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Ro 5: 7b-8) For ” … when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son.” There it is, “enemies”. (Notice how Paul uses the word, “sinners” synonymously with “enemies” in Romans 5:8-10.) I don’t know about you, but when I was lost, in sin and under condemnation, I was no friend of God. I denied Him and blasphemed regularly, neither was I thankful. So, why would God dare? Why would He be bothered with the likes of you or me?
He did it “for His great love wherewith He loved us …” (Eph 2:4)
It is shocking and appalling to realize the degree to which each of us was lost and ruined. The cross reveals it. For it required nothing less than the death of God’s own Son to save me from my ruined condition, to save you.
That’s a staggering price! But thanks be to God, nothing more than that is needed!
