The Cross is Ugly
Apr 26
Posted: under Faith.
Tags: cross, jewelry, symbols
This might come as a shock to many who know me, but I hate the cross. The church for many years has sung the old hymn which proclaims, “So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross”. I hate the cross. Now before you ostracize me as an heretic, let me explain. The cross was only necessary because of sin, including mine. But so many artisans have tried to beautify the cross to turn it into jewelry. These symbols of faith in stylized gold and silver, studded with jewels and other attractive ornamentation have been used as a silent indicator of Christian faith. The real cross is ugly, burdensome, uncomfortable, embarrassing, torturous.
Sin is ugly. Admittedly, there is pleasure in sin for a season, but there are consequences. There is penalty for sin. There is punishment for sin. God’s righteousness and justice dictates that there is no remission of sin (or its penalty) without the shedding of blood. Sin brings death. Unrepentant sin brings eternal punishment. But God in His mercy, His love for mankind, His wisdom, devised a plan whereby Jesus, the Son of God, would pay the penalty for all of us who believe. God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. (Jn. 3:16, 17)
Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, our sins, not His own for He had no sin. Only the sinless one could pay someone else’s penalty, since those who have sin have incurred penalty of their own. They cannot pay for someone else’s sin until they have payed for their own. But that penalty takes an eternity to pay for. So we need a sinless Savior, the perfect one. For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor 5:21).
So you see, the cross represents and reminds us of our sin. I hate my sin. But my sin is not my sin any more, for He took my sin upon himself, once for all. He did this not that I could go on sinning, but that I need no longer sin. Sin has no power over me because of the blood of Jesus Christ, because of the sacrifice He chose to make. I hate that ugly old cross, covered with sin, including mine. But just like the writer of that old hymn, I cherish the old rugged cross because without it there would not be that symbol I truly love and adore – the empty tomb.
The empty tomb is hope. The empty tomb is assurance that God accepted the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. We have part in the resurrection because the tomb is empty. Jesus conquered death and the grave. Jesus conquered and eradicated sin for all who believe in Him. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1)
Too bad we can’t wear an empty tomb around our necks.
Tracy Henness
