Contemplating the Cross

Contemplating the Cross
Devotional Meditation

The cross of Jesus Christ stands as the greatest paradox in human history. It was an instrument of shame, yet it became the very place of glory. It was designed for death, yet it secured eternal life. To contemplate the cross is to step onto holy ground, for here we see most clearly both the darkness of our sin and the brightness of God’s Gospel. One of the mottos of the reformation highlights this very idea, "Post tenebras lux" a Latin phrase meaning "after darkness, light".

The Puritans often urged their hearers to linger at Calvary with the eyes of faith. John Flavel reminded believers that *“Christ is never more lovely to the believer than when he is most humbled for sin. His cross is the theater where his glory shines, and the believer’s heart is the stage where that glory is acted.”*¹ The cross unmasks our pride, strips away self-righteousness, and leaves us humbled before the One who bore our curse.  Justice served on behalf of all that would believe. Yet in that humbling, Christ appears glorious, because we see Him willingly endure what we deserved.
Thomas Watson pressed this truth further, warning against cold hearts: *“How should we be affected in our hearts when we look upon a crucified Christ! O that we should ever sin against Him who died for us! The cross should make sin bitter to us, and Christ precious.”*² The cross confronts us with the seriousness of sin, for it required nothing less than the blood of the Son of God to atone for it (1 Pet 1:18–19). 
To contemplate the cross rightly is to grow in hatred of sin and in deeper love for the Savior.
Richard Sibbes captured the sweet comfort that flows from Calvary: *“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. When we look upon the cross, we see not only the depth of our misery but the height of His love.”*³ Contemplating the cross reminds us that while our sin is real, God’s grace in Christ is greater still. The cross silences the accusations of Satan, soothes the guilty conscience, and assures us that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1).

Finally, John Owen pointed us to the practical fruit of meditating on Christ crucified: *“The cross of Christ is the death of sin, and the life of the soul. There is no death of sin without the death of Christ, and no life of holiness without the life of Christ.”*⁴ The believer who daily looks to the cross not only finds forgiveness but also finds strength to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4). The cross does not leave us where we are—it transforms us into a people zealous for good works.

Application:
As you contemplate the cross today, let your heart be softened and reshaped. Consider your sin—see it in all its ugliness nailed to the tree. But do not stop there; lift your eyes to behold the Redeemer who bore it all for you. Let His love constrain you, His sacrifice humble you, and His triumph embolden you. Like Paul, may we resolve to know nothing among us “except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, keep the cross ever before my eyes. Let me see there both the horror of my sin and the wonder of Your mercy. Teach me to hate what nailed You there, and to love You more for bearing it in my place. May the cross be the daily death of sin in me and the life of my soul, until the day I see Him face to face. Amen.

¹ John Flavel, The Fountain of Life.
² Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance.
³ Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed.
⁴ John Owen, The Mortification of Sin.