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The Lord Jesus died on the cross for everyone. “And He Himself is the
propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole
world” (1 John 2:2). The word “propitiation” refers to an atoning
sacrifice. Jesus was willing to die on the cross so that we might be
forgiven and become friends with God. When people take a long look at
the what Jesus did on the cross, they will learn to love the Lord Jesus too.
Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples
to Myself” (John 12:32).
If we could but comprehend how great “the width and length and
depth and height” of the love of God is, we would not hesitate to return a
deep and committed love to Him. Paul described Christ’s surprising love
in Romans 5:6–8:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a
good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own
love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
The Lord Jesus endured mocking, beatings, false accusers, a crown
of thorns, scourging, and crucifixion in order to save us. Though He
could have called twelve legions (72,000) of angels to stop His suffering
and death, He was willing to endure it all
because of His love for us. Scourging alone
often caused the death of men. A scourge was
a whip containing pieces of glass, metal, or
bone that tore into the flesh and caused great
pain.
Crucifixion was the worst kind of death
one could endure, designed to produce the
utmost pain prior to death. The Roman
soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to a
cross and lifted the cross up so the weight of
His body painfully rested on the nails. The
position put extreme pressure on the chest
until the heart could take it no more. Jesus
endured this extreme pain for six hours on the cross. No one can deny
the great love He demonstrated to us, especially when we consider that
we were all helpless, ungodly, and sinners. If there were no other reason
than the love of our Lord Jesus to be a Christian, this one reason would
be sufficient.
Second, because the way of the Lord is the right way, we should
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