The Symbolism of the Cross: the Depth of God's Love

The Cross is one of the most recognizable symbols in human history, representing the pivotal event of Jesus Christ's crucifixion for us Christians. For satanists, the cross could represent something else. In this article, our study is based on the Cross of Jesus Christ. Beyond its historical significance, the cross of Jesus holds profound spiritual symbolism, revealing the depth of God's sacrificial love and redemption. May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to understand the rich symbolism of the Cross of Calvary, its various facets and the transformative power it embodies.

• The Curse of Sin

Galatians 3:13 says, "cursed is every man who hangs on a tree".

Yes, the cross symbolizes a curse. How ironic that sounds, Jesus who is called a blessed child, a promised child, a savior and embodies all things good and righteous is actually crucified later on and called a cursed person. Well this should not confuse you at all, Christ's coming to Earth was long predestined, His life and death was all planned out by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Wonderful, He knew all that was going to happen to Him before He was born as a human, it was all His decision and none of it would have happened without His consent. Why did He have to become cursed though? Here's why.

When God first made man, the first Adam, all was good and perfect until sin creeped in through the serpent (the devil). Then man became corrupt and that created a serious disconnection between man and God. God created man for a purpose which was to fellowship with Him but how would that purpose be fulfilled when man had become corrupt? There had to be a way out and the way was Jesus, the way is still Jesus till today. Jesus is often called the second Adam and rightly so for a reason, He came to restore man kind to God. Restoring mankind meant lifting the curse that God had placed on mankind at the Garden of Eden. Now, God needed a sacrifice to lift that curse and there was only one sacrifice worthy enough to do just that, Jesus His only begotten son. He offered Him up to be abased but it was all for the sake of restoration. After that, Christ was restored by the Father along with all of mankind.

So Jesus became cursed on the cross so you and I would be blessed, He took our places on that cross, He bore our iniquities (1 Peter 2:24), He wasn't after our monies or substance but was trying to give us access to an abundance of all the good things He had made (Colossians 2:14). He became poor so you and I would be made rich and as He was lifted up with the cross at Golgotha, the curse on mankind was lifted. Every one who believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16), they will live in the reality of what Christ has done and can never be called cursed again.

• Redemption: The Cross as the Fulcrum of Restoration

The work that Jesus did for us on the cross was all to redeem us, to reconcile us to Himself. The cross of Jesus reminds us of the pivotal moment in history that begins the process of full restoration. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus brings restoration not only to individual believers but to all of creation. The work of Jesus on the cross is heavily centered on reconciliation, healing, and renewal, offering hope for a future where everything is made new. The cross is both the means of personal restoration and the promise of a future (a new Jerusalem) that will be fully realized when Jesus returns in glory. Through the cross, all things are being restored to their intended purpose and beauty in God’s redemptive plan. These includes;

1. Restoration of Relationship with God

The cross signifies a restoration of the broken relationship between God and humanity caused by sin. Through Jesus' death, the barrier of sin is removed, and believers are reconciled to God, entering into a restored fellowship with Him.

Romans 5:10-11: "For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

Colossians 1:21-22: "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

2. Restoration of Identity in Christ

The cross signifies the restoration of believers’ true identity as children of God. In Christ, the brokenness of sin is healed, and believers are given new life, becoming new creations with a restored sense of purpose, dignity, and belonging.

2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"

Galatians 3:26-28: "So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith... There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

3. Restoration of Physical Healing

The cross also symbolizes the healing of physical bodies and the restoration of health. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, believers are assured that God’s redemptive work extends to physical healing in this life and, ultimately, the complete renewal of bodies in the age to come.

Isaiah 53:5: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed."

Matthew 8:17: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.'"

1 Peter 2:24: "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds, you have been healed."

4. Restoration of Peace and Reconciliation

The cross of Jesus signifies a restoration of peace not only between humanity and God but also among individuals, groups, and even nations. In Christ, the dividing walls of hostility are broken down, and believers are called to live in unity and reconciliation with one another.

Ephesians 2:14-16: "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in His flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility."

Colossians 1:19-20: "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross."

5. Restoration of Creation

The cross is also part of God’s plan to restore all of creation. The impact of Christ’s redemptive work extends beyond humanity, pointing to the eventual renewal of the entire cosmos. When Jesus returns, He will restore the world to its original goodness, eliminating death, decay, and suffering.

Romans 8:19-21: "For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God."

Revelation 21:1-5: "Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea... He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'"

6. Restoration of Joy and Hope

The cross of Jesus signifies restoration of joy and hope to believers. The sorrow and despair caused by sin are replaced by the joy of salvation, the hope of eternal life, and the assurance that God will complete His work of restoration in their lives.

Psalm 51:12: "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

1 Peter 1:3: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

7. Restoration of Kingdom Life and Purpose

The cross signifies the restoration of believers to a place of purpose and a calling to participate in God’s Kingdom. Believers are called to live in a way that reflects God’s restorative work, sharing His love and reconciliation with the world, and bringing about His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:10: "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

2 Corinthians 5:18-20: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."

• Atonement for Sin

  The cross represents the atoning sacrifice of Jesus for the sins of humanity. Through His death, Jesus took upon Himself the punishment that was due to sinful humanity, restoring the broken relationship between God and mankind.

  • Isaiah 53:5-6: "But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds, we are healed."

  • Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

  • 1 Peter 2:24: "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds, you have been healed."

• Love and Sacrifice

  
  

  The cross symbolizes God’s infinite love for humanity. Jesus’ death on the cross is the greatest demonstration of God’s love, showing that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to reconcile the world to Himself.

  
  

  John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."

  Romans 5:6-8: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

  1 John 4:9-10: "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

• Victory Over Death and Sin

The cross is a symbol of Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and Satan. It marks the defeat of evil, showing that through His sacrifice, Christ secured eternal life for all who believe in Him.

Colossians 2:14-15: "Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

1 Corinthians 15:54-57: "When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Hebrews 2:14-15: "Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

• Reconciliation with God

The cross is also a symbol of reconciliation. Through Christ’s death, those who were once separated from God because of sin can now be brought near to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19: "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Ephesians 2:16-18: "And in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

• The Power of God's Grace

The cross symbolizes the unmerited grace of God, which offers salvation to all who believe, not based on their own merits, but through God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8-9: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast."

Romans 3:24-25: "And all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith."

Titus 2:11-14: "For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good."

• Humility and Servanthood

The cross also represents humility and servanthood, as Jesus, though divine, humbled Himself and took on the form of a servant. His willingness to suffer on the cross is the ultimate act of selflessness.

Philippians 2:5-8: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"

Mark 10:45: "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."

• The Path of Discipleship

For believers, the cross is a call to discipleship, to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus, embracing suffering, sacrifice, and the pursuit of holiness.

Matthew 16:24-25: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.'"

Luke 14:27: "And whoever does not carry their cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple."

• Victory and Hope of Resurrection

Finally, the cross points to the ultimate hope of resurrection. Jesus’ death on the cross was not the end; it was the pathway to His glorious resurrection, which assures Christians of eternal life.

1 Peter 1:3: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Romans 6:4: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

The Cross of Calvary is more than a historical event or symbol; it's a powerful representation of God's boundless love, redemption, and sacrifice. As we gaze upon the cross, may we be reminded of the depth of God's love, the unity of humanity, and the transformative power of faith. Let us embrace the gift of Jesus, and strive to not grieve Him after all that He suffered for our sakes.