Everything from God Comes to Us Because of the Cross

I know the title is long—it reminds me of some of those long anime titles—but it’s true: everything we receive from God comes to us because of the Cross of Christ. It doesn’t come because we attend church every time the doors are open. It doesn’t come because we read our Bibles and pray every day. That’s not why we receive anything from God.

The reason we, as Christians and true children of God, receive anything is because of the Cross. I want to look at this truth from a couple of scriptures: Hebrews 13:20–21 and Ephesians 2:13–18. These two, among many other scriptures in the Bible, tell us this very thing—everything we receive from God comes to us because of the Cross, because of Jesus’ great sacrifice on Calvary.

Hebrews 13:20–21

20 Now may the God of peace [the source of serenity and spiritual well-being] who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood that sealed and ratified the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

God, who raised our Lord and Savior from the dead, has equipped us with every good thing to live by His Word and has strengthened us to do so by the shedding of the Blood of Christ, which sealed and ratified the Eternal Covenant. The shedding of the Blood of Christ our Lord happened at the Cross of Calvary. The Eternal Covenant we have in Jesus and Him Crucified is everlasting! God has provided us everything we need to live for Him victoriously through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ephesians 2:13–18

13 But now [at this very moment] in Christ Jesus you who once were [so very] far away [from God] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace and our bond of unity. He who made both groups—[Jews and Gentiles]—into one body and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall [of spiritual antagonism between us], 15 by abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the hostility caused by the Law with its commandments contained in ordinances [which He satisfied]; so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thereby establishing peace. 16 And [that He] might reconcile them both [Jew and Gentile, united] in one body to God through the cross, thereby putting to death the hostility. 17 And He came and preached the good news of peace to you [Gentiles] who were far away, and peace to those [Jews] who were near. 18 For it is through Him that we both have a [direct] way of approach in one Spirit to the Father.

There is a lot to unpack here:

• This is talking about the Jews (God’s Chosen People) and the Gentiles (everyone else).
• The Gentiles, who were far away from God, have now been brought near by the Blood of Christ—shed on the Cross of Calvary.
• Due to Jesus’ great sacrifice on the Cross, Jews and Gentiles are now one body spiritually.
• Jesus abolished, in His crucified flesh, the hostility caused by the Law (anything other than the Cross of Christ that we try to live for God), because He satisfied the Law perfectly.
• Jesus’ sacrifice reconciled both Jews and Gentiles in one body to God through the Cross, putting away the hostility (the continuous conviction of not always keeping the Law of God).
• Through Him (Jesus and Him Crucified—the Cross) we both have a direct line in one Spirit (the Holy Spirit—who works through the Cross and no other way) to the Father.

Faith in the Cross of Christ

Since everything we receive from God—everything in His Word and every blessing He gives—comes to us because of the Cross of Christ, why isn’t our belief, hope, trust… our faith… in the Cross of Christ?

We don’t need to put our faith in a “healing scripture” when we need healing. When we need a financial blessing, we don’t have to shift our faith to a “prosperity scripture.” And when we need peace, we don’t need to suddenly focus our faith on peace scriptures. We’ve been working too hard, and in the wrong way.

When we put our faith in its proper place—the Cross of Christ, by which everything comes from our Father God—then the Holy Spirit can work, in His full power, whatever we need from the Word of God in our lives. We’ve tied the hands of the Holy Spirit because our faith has been improperly placed. He works solely through the Cross, so our faith should be there.

I am so very grateful that God has graced, covered, and blessed me even in my ignorance of this truth. We’ve had our faith improperly placed. It’s not in our going to church. It’s not in our reading and praying. It’s not in our confessions. It’s not in our good deeds. All these things are good, and God wants us to do them, but our faith cannot be in those things—no matter how good they are. These things are a byproduct of our understanding of the great love our Father God has for us, unworthy as we are, in sending His Son to die on the Cross of Calvary.

It’s that simple! All of the above is self—faith in what you do: I go to church. I pray. I feed the hungry. I! I! I! SELF! I was guilty of this too. I love the correction of my Father in my life. It shows me just how much He loves me. Ever grateful!

We must make sure that our faith is in what is clearly written in the Word of God—His words, not mine. Everything we receive from our Father God comes to us because of Jesus’ precious sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.

Be blessed.

The Cross of Christ and Sanctification

I promised to share my thoughts on the Cross of Christ and Sanctification, so I want to address that now. As believers, if we do not understand the Message of the Cross—our faith should be in the Cross of Christ—then we will not be able to live sanctified and holy lives as God intended.

Let me explain: if we do not grasp the significance of the Cross of Christ concerning sanctification, we will revert back to living under the law. What do I mean by that? If our faith is not rooted in what Jesus accomplished on the Cross at Calvary for us, we will attempt to live our lives before God by adhering to laws.

A law is anything we put in place to live holy and sanctified before God. It can be the Law of Moses, the moral Laws of Moses, or any self-imposed regulations we believe keep us holy and aligned with God's will. These laws might be created by churches or ourselves to keep us in check and live holy before God.

Sanctification is about living our daily lives before God, and if our faith is not properly placed in the Cross of Christ, we will revert to relying on the law, which is not what we should be doing.

Now, I want to clarify that the law of Moses, God's law, is inherently good. Even the laws we put in place are good within themselves, but they deceive us because we rely on them to make us holy instead of what Jesus did on the Cross to make us holy.

If we keep our eyes on Jesus and Him crucified, we will be constantly reminded of what He has done for us, allowing the Holy Spirit to work God's perfect Will and Word in our lives daily. This is what we should be focusing on, but when we try to live by these laws, we are not living by what Jesus did on the Cross for us. Law, any law(s), cannot make you holy or righteous.

Sidebar #1: The Laws of Moses (God's Law) is GOOD!

Because of sin (the sin nature) in us, we could never keep the Law all the time. The law brings condemnation as it should, and this can lead to a miserable Christian life—being under constant condemnation. Oh, but the Cross of Christ! I believe God created the Laws of Moses to do the following:

• To define sin: Sin wasn't defined until the Law. Now, lying and other acts are clearly labeled as sin.
• The Law allowed us to see sin in ourselves: It’s defined and can be judged, which brings condemnation.
• The Law leads us to God’s mercy: Realizing we have sinned should lead us to ask for forgiveness.

Sidebar #2: Jesus Fulfilled the Law

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law; I have not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come to FULFILL THEM."

Jesus fulfilled the Laws of Moses perfectly so that we who believe—have Faith—in what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary allow the Holy Spirit to help us keep the Law. This is why we don’t have to keep the law: Jesus already fulfilled it.

If our Faith remains in the Cross of Christ, the Grace of God is there to undergird us. So, there is no condemnation for we who are in Christ Jesus (Jesus and Him Crucified)!

In Galatians 2:21, Paul said that if Righteousness comes by the law, then Christ died in vain. If we try to live by the law, what Jesus did on the Cross becomes meaningless. Although the law itself is good, if we attempt to live by it to make us righteous and holy, then why did Jesus need to come and die? We could have just kept the Law.

We need to live our daily lives sanctified under Grace, which was provided for us on a continuous basis by the Holy Spirit, through the Cross of Calvary. Grace has always been extended to us by God, but under the old covenant, sin was only covered. However, when Jesus died on the Cross, He took sin away once and for all.

When we fall and make mistakes, God's Grace—God’s Goodness towards us—is there to catch us. Under Grace, we are to repent of our sins because God is faithful and just to forgive us. This is not a license to sin. 1 John 3:6 states: "No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him."

We live under Grace. Sin no longer has dominion over us, and there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. The Law condemns; Grace does not. Through what Jesus did on the Cross, Grace flows continuously via the Cross by the Holy Spirit in our lives, helping us live sanctified and holy lives daily before God.

This is where the Cross comes into play concerning Sanctification. If we do not understand the Cross of Christ and have our faith firmly rooted exclusively in the Cross, spiritual failure is the result (I’ll do a separate blog on that). We will revert to the law, which is not where God wants us to be. He wants us to be under Grace and live a sanctified life; our Faith must be firmly placed in Christ Jesus and what He accomplished on the Cross at Calvary.

As Paul said again in Galatians 2:21: if righteousness could be achieved by the law, then Jesus' death on the Cross would be in vain. He died for our justification, salvation, and sanctification so that God's Grace—God's Goodness—can be extended to us continuously through the Holy Spirit via the Cross of Christ. This is the purpose of having our Faith in the Cross of Christ for our Sanctification.

The Plan!

The Plan – John 3:16

It’s been some years since I’ve posted to this blog. God was dealing with me on some things. I am grateful to Him for chastening me which shows His love for me.

I want to speak a little on God’s Plan – Redemption. Redemption is a gift; it cannot be earned, and it involves our turning away from sin and towards God. God made this task simple for us—the offering of His Son, Jesus.

I want to come from the verse of John 3:16. I know, I know… We all know this verse; we could probably recite it in our sleep. This verse is one of the first scriptures we all learned in Bible School/Children’s Church. I think that was by God’s design, but not fully realized.

In this, I want to bring to full fruition of God’s Plan by breaking down this scripture. It is so simple, but sometimes things can seem too simple… “Surely, it can’t be this simple?!” It is just that – simple. By having our Faith ONLY in God’s Plan, Jesus and the Cross, our justification, salvation and sanctification are assured. What got you into the Kingdom of God will keep you in the Kingdom of God! Jesus and the Cross got you into the Kingdom of God, and it will keep you in the Kingdom of God. It’s just that simple.

So, let’s break this down…

For God so loved the world:

• God not only loved all the people of the world, but the world itself.
• Due to the Fall of Man, not only mankind fell, but so did the world and everything in it.
• God loves the world – all His creation.

That He gave:

It’s a gift. You can’t pay anything, barter, perform good deeds or work hard to obtain it. IT’S FREE!

His only Son:

• Gave – The Plan set in motion!
• Who is His Son? Jesus
• Why did God give His Son? To die on the Cross of Calvary for the remission of sins—aka Jesus & Him Crucified. THIS IS THE PLAN!
• Everything Jesus did was of the utmost importance, but His main mission was the Cross of Calvary.

That whosoever (I AM a Whosoever!) believes in Him shall not perish:

• Whosoever believes – Everyone has the opportunity to become a “Whosoever that believes God’s Plan (Jesus and Him Crucified).”
• Believes what? That God loves you and gave His Son Jesus to die on the Cross of Calvary for you! THE PLAN! You must trust that what Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary worked for you! It’s a personal decision.
• What is another word for believes? Faith!
• So, whosoever has Faith in The Plan (the gift of Jesus dying on the Cross for your sins) shall not perish.

Shall not perish…

Perish in your sins. What Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary, for you and me, took away all sin once and for all! The sacrifices of animals only covered sin so that we could commune with God. During the Sacrificial System, the blood of animals could only cover sin, but not take it away.

2 Peter 3:9 (Amplified): The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Sin ruins everything it touches. Sin is so bad that God Himself had to come down to defeat sin once and for all. Jesus sacrificed as the Lamb of God was the last sacrifice.

But have everlasting life:

This is what we all want when we stand before the Lord—to dwell in His Presence with Him forever and ever. Having Faith in God’s Plan, Jesus and Him Crucified, is the ONLY way to have everlasting life!

Proverbs 4:7: In all your getting, get understanding.

Once you understand what God’s Plan for Redemption is for you—which is Jesus and Him Crucified—and have Faith in The Plan (having the Cross of Christ as your ONLY source of Faith), you’ll be able to understand and live that victorious life His Word says that we can have here on this Earth.

We all know this scripture very well and can recite it easily. We accepted Jesus and the Cross for our initial Salvation/Redemption, but we left the Cross behind where our Sanctification is concerned—how we live our daily lives before God. I’ll do a separate blog on this.

You cannot separate Christ from the Cross. When we read phrases like “in Christ Jesus” or “through Christ Jesus” in the Bible, it is not only talking about Jesus the person, but what He accomplished on the Cross for us.

Everything in God’s Word is “Yes & Amen” for us due to Jesus dying on the Cross of Calvary for us! If Jesus had not died on the Cross for us, none of us would be saved and NONE of God’s Word would apply nor be manifested in our lives.

It is ALL due to the Cross of Calvary – God’s Plan!

It is the GREATEST VICTORY OF ALL TIME!

John 19:30: Jesus said, “It is Finished!”

God’s Plan was completed! Mission Accomplished! Sin was and is DEFEATED!