Centuries before Jesus was born, the cross had been used as an instrument of torture and death. In 519 bc, for example, King Darius I of Persia crucified 3,000 political enemies in Babylon. This method of execution was later adopted by the Romans for noncitizens and slaves.

When Jesus Christ bore our sins at Calvary (1 Peter 2:24), the cross took on a new significance. There the Savior, "through the blood of His cross," made it possible for us to escape judgment and be reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20-21).

The apostle Paul understood the significance of the cross. He had done many things in which he might have found personal satisfaction and pride (2 Corinthians 11:16-12:13). But in his letter to the Galatians he wrote, "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (6:14). As we understand what Jesus did for us on the cross, we too will be humbled. Our feeble efforts are nothing; His work is everything!

The resurrected Savior invites all men and women to come humbly in faith to Him. By believing that He died in our place on the cross, we receive full forgiveness.

No wonder the hymnwriter Horatius Bonar exclaimed, "Hallelujah for the cross!"    — Henry G. Bosch