The Meaning of the Cross - Summary

The text below is a concise summary of E.J. Waggoner’s June 12, 1902, Present Truth UK article, "The Meaning of the Cross," edited to reflect the original language. Nearly all original Bible references are incorporated. You can download the full article here.

The Simplicity of the Gospel

The question of why Christ had to die for the remission of sins touches the core of the Gospel, the work of creation, and the secret of all existence. Though the Gospel is simplicity itself, it often seems vague and complicated to many Christians. True advancement requires going all the way back to the beginning—to begin as little children—to appreciate the marvelous fulness that there is in that simplicity; for when we have really come to the beginning we have the whole; and He who is the beginning is also the end. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

1. The Cross as an Eternal Principle

The cross is not an emergency measure, an arbitrary response to sin, or a unique thing standing apart by itself; rather, it is the eternal principle of God's self-giving life—the continuation of that by which man was created and the full expression of His thought from everlasting to everlasting.

• The Law of Giving and Calvary's Revelation: Christ shed His blood because He could not do otherwise and still be Himself; it was in His very nature that He should die by giving—the giving of life, which is the fundamental law by which the whole creation came into existence and is continually upheld. Thus, Calvary serves as an object lesson revealing the true, self-giving character and Fatherhood of God.

• Glorying in the Cross and Its Universal Presence: Scripture commands us to glory solely in knowing the Lord—who exercises lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness—and in the cross of Christ (Jeremiah 9:23-24; Galatians 6:14). It thus becomes evident that the cross alone reveals God's true character; and because "the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord" (Psalm 103:5, R.V.), the cross of Christ is present wherever life and love exist.

• The Risk and Sorrow of Giving Life: Bringing life into existence involves inherent risk, self-denial, and sorrow, as the giver intimately shares the suffering of the created. This is seen in God entering all potential suffering in bringing forth His Son—much like human parents sharing their children's pain as a cross to be borne—and in Adam's deep sleep before the creation of Eve, which serves as a type of death to self to bring forth life.

2. Dispelling Heathen Conceptions of God

A widespread misunderstanding of the atonement reveals a lingering heathenism within the church—specifically, the false view that Christ died to appease an angry God and reconcile Him to humanity, which describes the character of Satan rather than God.

• God's Unchanging Love: God is love, and His Spirit produces love, joy, and peace. Unchanging, merciful, and longsuffering, He does not impute sin to His people. Out of this infinite love, He gave His Son as the ultimate physical manifestation of Himself (1 John 4:8; Galatians 5:22-23; Psalm 130:3-4; Malachi 3:6; Habakkuk 1:13; 1 Corinthians 13:5; Exodus 34:6; Numbers 23:21; John 3:16; John 1:18; John 14:9; Romans 8:32).

• God Reconciling Us to Himself: The enmity is entirely on man's side, whereas love originates wholly from God, who loved us first while we were yet enemies. He was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, taking our guilt upon His own heart and not sparing Himself, for the blood of Christ is the very blood of God (1 John 4:10; Romans 5:8-10; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Acts 20:28).

3. Life Comes Through the Giving of Life

Because life can come only by the giving of life, the cross is an absolute necessity; we have no life in ourselves, and every created thing is sustained entirely by the continued gift of God's life. When we have sinned and gone astray, there is all the more need for that life to be bestowed to restore His image (1 Corinthians 8:6; Psalm 90:1-2; Romans 1:20; Romans 11:36; Ephesians 4:6).

• Breathing Life and the New Creation: Just as God originally breathed the breath of life into man, Jesus voluntarily breathed out His life on the cross—tasting death for every man so that we might breathe it in. This proves that the power of the cross is identical to the creative power that makes anyone in Christ a new creation (Genesis 2:7; Mark 15:37; John 10:17-18; Hebrews 2:9; Isaiah 53:6; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

• An Eternal Purpose: Far from being an emergency afterthought, the cross is the continuous flow of God's grace and eternal purpose given to us in Christ Jesus "before the world began," ensuring an everlasting salvation through the Creator who formed the earth to be inhabited (2 Timothy 1:9; Isaiah 45:17-18).

4. Illustrations of the Cross in Nature

Nature teems with illustrations reflecting the fundamental law of the universe: life comes solely through the giving of life.

• The Law of the Seed (John 12:24): Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but by dying, it brings forth much fruit. This death of the seed is the multiplication of its life, mirroring how creation itself—from the beginning with the angels to all existence—comes through Christ giving His life.

• The Bee and the Fruit Tree: The male bee yields up his life in the generative act so that a host of new creatures may be brought forth. Similarly, a fruit tree gives its life to the fruit it bears; while a young tree can exhaust itself unto death through over-production, a mature tree drawing from the infinite Source of life does not perish, perfectly illustrating the mystery of life through death.

5. Healing as the Outpouring of Life

The healing ministry of Jesus reveals that salvation is an active outpouring of life, demonstrating the ongoing power of the cross before Calvary ever took place.

• Salvation Through His Life: Believers are reconciled to God by the death of His Son, and being reconciled, they "shall be saved by His life," for Christ came that we might have life more abundantly, making salvation simply the effect of His life through the cross. This is illustrated in His miracles of healing—where "heal" frequently derives from the Greek word sozo (to save)—which were recorded so that believing we might have life through His name (Romans 5:10; John 10:10; John 20:31).

• The Cost of Healing: Jesus healed the sick and raised the dead by imparting His own life to supply their lack. When the woman with the issue of blood touched His garment, power went out of Him, and since constant drafts were made upon His life force by the multitudes seeking Him, this outpouring would have resulted in His death had He not stayed connected to the fountain of life (Mark 5:24-34; Luke 6:19).

• The Cross Revealed Before Calvary: As Jesus went about doing good, healing all who were oppressed of the devil, He was laying down His life for the brethren, just as truly when He breathed out His life on Calvary. So also He did when after His resurrection He breathed on His disciples, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost."

6. Personal and Practical Implications

The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation, and the cross means far more than just our own salvation—it calls us into union with the Giver of life to be partners with Him in bestowing it upon others.

• Rivers of Living Water: The stream of life flowing from God to us must not be dammed up in stagnation and death. As we look to Christ on the cross, our selfishness is removed so that life flows outward to others, allowing new life from God to flow inward in harmony with the law of the universe (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; John 7:38).

• Laying Down Life to Save It: Because Christ laid down His life for us, we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. Just as stored seed loses its vitality over time if it does not fall into the ground and die, withholding tends to poverty, while scattering brings increase (1 John 3:16; Proverbs 11:24).

• Workers Together with God: By yielding up what we have, we obtain more, as the reward of service is power for greater service. Believers are exhorted as "workers together with Him" not to receive God's saving grace in vain (Titus 2:11; 1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 6:1).