The 6 Incredible Contrasts of the Cross

- You come broken, you leave whole.

- You come a sinner, you leave forgiven.

- You come dead to God, you leave alive to God in Christ. 

- You come an old man, you leave a new creation in Christ.

- You come humble, you leave seated in heavenly places.

- You come in bondage and a slave to sin, you leave free from the power of sin.

- You come carrying the weight of eternal damnation, you leave with the hope of eternal life. 

- You come with all your ugly stuff, and he turns it into something beautiful.

- You come with your sin, and leave with his righteousness. 

Let’s never underestimate the great exchange that happens at the cross, the ultimate barter system. 

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:23-24).

The last contrast to consider is that it was his death that produced life. His horrible death on a cross opened the way for you and I to have eternal life. Can there be a greater contrast than that? Sinless perfection died so that sinful men and women could live. There really is no greater love displayed than that.

As you remember the cross and the great sacrifice made for you, I want to remind you of this old song.

“I will cherish the old rugged cross.
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it one day for a crown.”

When it is all said and done, that will be the last contrast and exchange. The cross of Jesus for the crown of eternal life. My prayer today is that we who carry this message would represent it well and share it with those around us. Let us be true ambassadors and bring the hope of Jesus to a dying world who needs to hear it more than ever.

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Photo credit: Unsplash/Alicia Quan

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club.  He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.