The Cross Was God's Idea

       I caught part of an interview on Fox & Friends recently.

I didn't get the man's name or the name of the book he was

promoting.

 

     Commenting on his book, he said (paraphrasing), "The cross

wasn't God's idea. God just took a horrible act of men and made

it a beautiful thing."

 

     One of the co-hosts responded, "That was beautifully put." I

thought to myself, "How sad" that these two people had such a

lack of understanding about the Bible and God's plan of re-

demption.

 

     Apparently, they believe God made the world, and took His

hands off it, and let man run the show, reacting only when they

went outside of the boundaries He had set for them. That is not the

God of the Bible.

 

     The Bible clearly states that people are responsible for their

own actions, but are not in charge of their own fates.

 

                    The heart of man plans his way,

                    but the Lord establishes his steps.

                                                     Proverbs 16:9

 

                    Many are the plans in the mind of

                    a man, but it is the purpose of the

                    Lord that will stand.

                                                     Proverbs 19:21

 

     God had a plan and a purpose for Jesus' death on the cross

and He used wicked men (Judas, Pilate, Pharisees, Roman

soldiers and held them responsible for their evil deeds) to

carry out His plan.

 

                    Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus

                   of Nazareth, a man attested to you by

                   God with mighty works and wonders and

                   signs that God did through him in your

                   midst, as you yourselves know— this

                   Jesus, delivered up according to the definite

                   plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified

                   and killed by the hands of lawless men.  God

                   raised him up, loosing the pangs of death,

                   because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

                                                               Acts 2:23-24

 

                   For truly in this city there were gathered

                   together against your holy servant Jesus

                   whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius

                   Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples

                   of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your

                   plan had predestined to take place.

                                                               Acts 4:27-28 

 

     God decided before the creation of the world that Jesus'

death on the cross would be necessary to redeem sinful men.

Ephesians 1:4-7.

 

     God works out everything in conformity with the purpose

of his will. Ephesians 1:11.

 

     It was the Lord's will to provide His Son as a substitute to

pay for His people's sins.  Isaiah 53:10.

 

     God knew Adam would fall and therefore everyone

afterward would be born with a sinful nature, unable to please

God without receiving His grace. Romans 8:7-8

 

     Sinful man needed a Savior to escape God's wrath for his

wickedness and Jesus was that perfect sacrifice in human form.

Hebrews 10:14.

 

     All of this was done according to God's perfect plan, from

before the foundation of the world.