THE THREE CROSSES

There were three crosses on Calvary. Jesus’, Demas’, and Hestas’. The crossed on which Demas and Hestas hanged were judgments of justice on the crimes they had committed against society. The cross of Jesus was a gross injustice committed against the man on whom no sin was found. The cross on which Jesus hanged was penalty to redeem mankind from the curse of the law and death. It was a vicarious sacrifice paid by an innocent man for the sins of man against God. The three crosses were the same. They were instruments of torture - the most degrading violence done against any man. It is the symbol of gross cruelty, of inhumanity against man. The cross, however, is a deterrent to crimes of rebellion against the State So the crosses of Demas and Hestas were fit punishment for the crimes. But the crucifixion of Jesus was a symbol of man’s inhumanity against his fellowman. On the one hand its vicarious intent as a sacrifice was for the salvation of man from his sins. It has a purely spiritual dimension. On the other hand it was for the cleansing of souls of those who will believe that Jesus was the Son of God whose vicarious death wipes out all divine condemnations of sins. Thus the cross of Jesus becomes a shining symbol of God’s unfathomable love and forgiveness.

Yet the cross of Jesus possesses no supernatural power by itself. It is wrong to personify the cross and ascribed to it power and royalty and worship. Many have substituted the cross for Jesus. They draped a purple cloth around the cross to make it royal. It is more of a poetic license to personify the cross and equate it to Jesus Christ. The emblem of the cross though used in churches to identify it as Christian is never scriptural. The cross cannot save. It has no other virtue than to torture. Constantine vision of the cross was not scriptural. It was his vision. You do not have to experience the agony of Christ suffering at the cross to be save. You just believe in the LORD Jesus and you are save. The cross is not the entrance to the Holy of Holiest where God dwells. Jesus is the only Way to the Father. To ascribe power to the cross if to deny Jesus Christ and compassion of the invisible God. It is promoting strange fires which incurs the wrath of God. It is another Gospel and incurs a curse.

ETCETRA

The Cross. There were three crosses on Calvary. The two crosses bore the bodies of two criminals. One bore the body of the Son of God – Jesus Chris. The two criminals were crucified for their crimes. The one in the mijddle of one who “bore the iniquities of us.” There was no sin in him but the perverted justice of the sinful world represented by the political and religious authorities condemned him to die by crucifixion. If the “cross has the power to redeem”, of what crime was Jesus redeemed of? If the” cross led us to who Jesus Christ is”? If the cross can indeed lead us to “who Jesus Christ is”, What message is it telling the world who Jesus Christ was? Why was he crucified. Why is the cross draped in purple, Is that not saying that the cross was deified and honored for killing Jesus?

The cross is nothing more than an instrument of torture: whether it be the cross on which Jesus Christ was killed or be it the cross on which Demas and Hestas was condemned to death for their crimes. It is Satanic victory to personify and deify and ascribe to it royalty and power of God. To me the power is not on the cross but on the one crucified, died, buried, and rose again from the dead overcoming death and making a mockery of the grave. As Paul exultantly cried “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory?”