Why was Jesus crucified? Was the cross an act of God (to satisfy the divine wrath)? Was it simply the inevitable result of Jesus’s challenge to the Sadducees and Pharisees? Was he betrayed by followers who felt he had failed his promises to deliver a political kingdom? Or was this an act of sin itself – of evil making it’s last stand against love?
In this second look at the cross – building towards a theory of the atonement that unifies the story of salvation – we examine the crucifixion from these various angles. Ultimately I will try to make the case that the cross is where the love of God was put to its ultimate test. A sinful world rejected God in every way, and, in that moment, God chose to love his enemies with all his heart.
This is a sermon that was originally presented at Canvas (a Presbyterian church in Irvine, CA), April 13, 2014 (Palm Sunday). To learn more about Canvas, click here!
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