There are two main reasons Jesus bore the cross. The crucifixion allowed for the atonement of the sins of men (Mt 26:28; Ro 6:6-11), and it allowed God and Jesus to come and unite with people who have no sin (Ac 2:36-38; Gal 2:20; Ro 8:9-11). Before the crucifixion, the spirit was not yet with people (Jn 7:38-39), but after Jesus was crucified he breathed on people and told them to receive the spirit (Jn 20:22-23). Jesus, right before his ascension, commanded his disciples to wait for the holy spirit that the Father promised to send and to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth after the spirit came upon them (Ac 1:4-8). After that, they received the spirit Jesus had promised and went on to preach the gospel (Ac 2:1-4). The holy spirit, which left people because of their sins, was able to return to people without sin because Jesus bore the cross on behalf of his disciples to atone for their sins. Where does Jesus currently reside?
Let us truly believe by meditating on the following scriptures:
• I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)
• You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you. (Jn 14:20)
• Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)
• And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” (Gal 4:6)
• You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you. (Ro 8:9-11)
• We are coworkers belonging to God. You are God’s field, God’s building. (1Co 3:9)
• Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1Co 3:16)
• Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Rev 20:4, NASB)
According to the scriptures, Jesus resides within us after he has atoned for our sins. This is why he bore the cross and it is our hope. It is wrong to talk about the Bible if you do not understand it fully and if you are not a Christian. These people are not qualified to talk about the Bible. You must proclaim and testify the truth only after receiving the holy spirit that allows you to see, hear, and master the Bible. You should be thankful that you now know the true meaning of Jesus’ cross, which we proclaim for our own salvation.
