Years ago I got this idea about the cross that I have been hesitant to talk to anyone about because of my then carnal nature. Now, that I no longer concern myself with looking crazy to other people, here goes.

In the OT, God gave us the Ten Commandments. In the NT, Jesus said the fulfillment of the law is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And secondly, to love your neighbor as yourelf. Also, Jesus said He came to fulfill the Law.

So, when I look at the cross (which is everyday), I see the vertical post as loving God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. And the horizontal post as loving my neighbor as myself.

Of course, the vertical post is longer and extends above and below the horizontal quite a bit. Because it is first and foremost. The horizontal post "crosses" the vertical and is nailed or tied to the horizontal because we cannot love our neighbor without the love and support of God's love.

So, Beloved, this is what was in my heart to share with you today and probably should have been posted on the question section.

Am I crazy or is there someone else on this site that can relate to this concept of the cross?

2/22/2008 12:02:44 PM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008

Mrspiggy,
That was so beautiful!
I will be pondering this as I go on with my day...
Thank you so much for sharing!

2/22/2008 2:41:15 PM by Ignited~Faith, Member of Delve into Jesus since 2/20/2008

Mrspiggy,
Thank you for using the cross as an object lesson and relating it to the 2 greatest commandments summarized by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39.
I'd like to share another object lesson using the cross to explain the doctrines of "redemption", "sacrifice of atonement" (or "propitiation"), and "justification". Using Romans 3:23-25 as reference, I put GOD at the top of the cross, MAN at the bottom, and CHRIST inside the horizontal post.
The vertical distance between GOD and CHRIST is labeled as "Propitiation" - the Lord Jesus offering Himself to God as the once for all sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.
The vertical distance between CHRIST and MAN is labeled as "Redemption" - the work finished by the Lord Jesus when He died on the cross.
The whole span between GOD and MAN is labeled as "Justification" - God the Father justifies man, the sinner, freely (by grace alone), through faith alone, in Christ alone.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

3/10/2008 10:03:03 AM by nida53, Member of Delve into Jesus since 3/10/2008

Great lesson. Thank you for sharing.

3/10/2008 10:10:06 AM by mrspiggy, Member of Delve into Jesus since 1/18/2008