“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” Jn.12:32.

     Crucifixion was first used by the Phoenicians. It was later adopted and refined by the Romans. Nothing ‘put the fear of God into you’ like the public execution called crucifixion. The Jews despised it, especially when Rome placed the Bedouin Arab, Herod to rule over the Jews, and by his hands the blood of the Jews flowed like water throughout the land of Judaea.

“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.” Gal.4:4.

     Enter, Jesus Christ. His mission: to show His Father’s love for the fallen race in allowing “His only Begotten Son” to carry the full weight of sin’s retribution to the Cross on Calvary. What an amazing thought it is that the Omniscient Father who knows the end from the beginning, and the Omnipotent Son whose Word commanded life into being, foreknew the sacrifice they would have to make in order to redeem their children from sin. “Before the foundation of the world” the Cross was known and understood to convince man of his abuse of GOD’S gift of freewill.

“Christ was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His. ‘With His stripes we are healed.’ By His life and His death, Christ has achieved even more than recovery from the ruin wrought through sin. It was Satan's purpose to bring about an eternal separation between God and man; but in Christ we become more closely united to God than if we had never fallen.”—E.G. White, The Desire of Ages. And thus is fulfilled the promise: “The LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.” And one day soon the sure promise of the Bible will be fulfilled: “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.”

     From the moment “the Christ of God” was born, Satan sought His destruction. And had Jesus died when Herod ordered the slaughter of every child in Bethlehem, from age two and under, the public display of heaven’s love and salvation among men would never have begun. And had Jesus given in to Satan’s temptations at the end of His forty day fast His ministry would have never begun. And had the Jews been successful when they “thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong” He would not have been able to draw the needed attention from every man to sin’s great threat against the human race.

     No, it was only the Cross of Calvary that could secure the Holy Spirit’s power to convict every heart of the deplorable nature and objective of sin’s reign over the life of every man. Said Christ, “And when he [“the Spirit of truth”] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

     Everything GOD has ever done has been to save His children from death and destruction caused by sin. The judgments of GOD against sin, whether of the fiery destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the ten plagues of Egypt, and the coming seven last plagues pending in our generation that usher the 2nd Advent of Christ to harvest the Earth of every soul who gave permission for the Holy Spirit to lead their lives, in each and every event may be seen the character of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. The light of love streaming from this event is central to every intervention of GOD recorded in the Bible. Their purpose is to redeem, never to condemn.

     Men in the church have turned the entire motivation of salvation on its head, making God appear arbitrary, whimsical, and even sadistically cruel. Nothing could be further from the truth! Every man has been born with a sense of justice, mercy and love. And only through the life of Jesus Christ may be seen the fulfillment of justice, mercy and love, to perfect satisfaction. There is no disagreement between them and the life displayed by Jesus. Not one word or deed from His life can be gainsaid. Nor can any sin be found in Him! And there is no better source to educate each of these just-demands of the human heart than the moral lessons taught within the sacred pages of the Holy Bible.

     There is power in the Word of GOD. This will be verified in your life, when after reading the Bible through for yourself, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, you will find certain changes have taken place in your life and character. You will naturally and without any command on your part live out morals and principles that you never would have had you not placed the words of Scripture in your heart. No self-command, no bootstrap theology! Just by resting in Christ and His Word it is a natural result as the Holy Spirit teams up with your conscience to guide you along life’s journey whose end is eternal life.