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The Testimony of the Cross

 John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

            The cross has a testimony. A testimony is a factual story of what God has done. Diane Lake defines a testimony as “a story which defines, shapes, moves, or propels you.”[1] The message of the cross is a message of love, power, and the faithfulness of God.  


            What is the testimony of the cross? It is a testimony of the unconditional love of God. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  What motivated the Father to send His son to die for lost humanity? Love. I John 4:9-10 says, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”


            What motivated Jesus to go to the cross? Love. Romans 5:6-8 says, “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 good news is God loves you. I John 4:8 says, “For God is love.” Love originates with God. Billy Graham is quoted, “God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’” This love is initiated by God. I John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 


            We love Him because He first loved us. E. Stanley Jones, “At the cross God wrapped his heart in flesh and blood and let it be nailed to the cross for our redemption.” 1 Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” The cross was not a place of defeat but a place of victory.  


            When Jesus cried, “It is finished,” sin, sickness, and death were defeated.  Jesus took our place and died our death at the cross. II Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The testimony of the cross is a testimony of the unconditional love of God.


[1] Generals of Intercession, Article, Overcoming Power of Testimony

 

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