The 'Why' of the Cross

By Jim Corner

      If you are a sports fanatic or even if you are a somewhat casual fan, the name Pat Summerall is probably a familiar name. Mr. Summerall played professional football back in the 50's. Over the years he has been a sportscaster for both tennis and golf. His greatest notoriety, however, was as a football analyst. He and John Madden teamed up to become the number 1 'team' for CBS over a twenty year period.
      Well, enough for his background. A secret that he kept hidden for many years was an addiction to alcohol. Some 12 years ago he checked himself into the Betty Ford Center and successfully conquered his problem. To this day he has not had a drink since 1992. You are aware, however, that oftentimes if we partake in a dangerous habit it can bite us even after we have overcome it. I knew of a man who had been a drug user for many years, then gave them up only to die at the age of 37 because of his previous usage. Others, who used tobacco for many years, then surrendered the product still found themselves with lung cancer, emphysema or some other related disease.
      This is what happened to Pat Summerall. Even though he has been 'clean' for 12 years his earlier drinking had wrecked his liver and he needed to have a transplant. Fortunately for him he received one last month and is now recovering quite well. We certainly rejoice with him and pray that he has a full recovery.
      He made an interesting comment in an interview regarding his new liver. He said: "I thought I was going to die. To think that someone had to die for me to live." When I read that quote the name "JESUS" struck me immediately. That statement is the essence of Christianity. You see, someone did have to die for us to live. Why is that so?
      When you look at God, you see one with so many attributes. He is just, merciful, wrathful, loving, powerful, forgiving, gracious and so much more. The foundational reason why Jesus had to die is rooted in the first attribute I mentioned; His justice. One of the basic concepts of the just nature of God is that He cannot tolerate sin. We read in I John 1:5 that 'God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all." Once you understand that God and sin can have no fellowship at all you understand His dilemma regarding our salvation. On the one hand, He desperately wanted to save us but His just nature demanded that we be punished.
      Fortunately, He found the solution to His problem in the person of His Son. If you have a debt that you owe to a company, for example, you can pay it or someone can pay in your name.
      I read an interesting story some years ago. A rich man was traveling in his limousine when it broke down. A man passed by, got out and fixed the problem. The rich man (Donald Trump) offered to pay the man. The man refused but Mr. Trump was so appreciative that he persisted. The man finally said that his wife really liked flowers so he could send her a dozen roses. The next day the roses arrived with a note saying that his house had been paid off. Mr. Trump paid the debt of the man and he was now free of the debt.
      That is precisely what Jesus did for us at the cross. He took our sins and the punishment that they demanded. It is through Jesus that God can be "just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus". (Romans 3:26) The great news of Jesus Christ is that we, who are sinful, can have our sins forgiven by His blood. We then can look forward to an eternal home with Him.
      That brings me back to what Pat Summerall said about his responsibility. I would have to interview him to know precisely what he meant when he spoke of his responsibility. Perhaps he believes that he needs to keep his body pure so that he can live a long life. Perhaps he believes that he needs to share what happened to him with others. Perhaps he believes that he needs to declare the name of the person who brought him life.
      Isn't that what we who have been saved by the Lord need to do? We need to keep our bodies pure so that we can live as long as the Lord desires of us and continue to witness for Him. We need to speak to others of the great changes that have taken place in our lives as a result of our Lord. We need to declare the name of Jesus to everyone we can to give Him the praise He desires and the Savior that they need.
      Yes, Pat Summerall can be very grateful that someone died so that He could live a few years longer. The really great news, however, is that Jesus died for Him that he might live forever. The blessing for us is that we, too, have such a Savior. If you have never accepted the Lord as your Savior, we would love to introduce you to Jesus. You can contact the webmaster of this site and he will assist you. We can arrange a one-on-one Bible Study or if you prefer, Bible study through the mail. We simply urge you to respond to the one who died for you.

©2003 Buckingham Road Church of Christ