Charles Stanley - Your Convictions About the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ

As the most famous symbol of Christianity, the cross is everywhere—artwork, jewelry, logos, even advertisements. But the cross of Jesus is much more than a marketing gimmick or a symbol for a world religion; it is the clearest revelation of God’s love for the world.

The cross has become a symbol of Christianity, but it’s so much more than a mere piece of jewelry hanging around someone’s neck. The crucifixion of Christ is such an important doctrine because understanding it correctly determines whether or not we have eternal life. This was not simply the execution of a Jewish man by hanging on a cross. What transpired in that event was the solution to mankind’s biggest problem—sin and our resulting alienation from God.

The crucifixion was God’s plan. Although the Jews and the Romans both played a role in putting Jesus on the cross, God was the one who had already planned the death of His Son as an atonement for mankind’s sin.

God’s plan for the crucifixion of His Son was motivated by three things:

• The sinfulness of mankind.
  
• God’s love.
  
• God’s justice.