Is it really Jesus’s death on the cross that saves you?
When I was in college, some friends and I often went to an on-campus Christian Student Union. We went there for fellowship and daily devotionals. There were folks from lots of different religious backgrounds and we met to support each other spiritually and as friends.
Most of the students who participated were from a more conservative theological background than I was and I learned a lot about being a disciple of Christ from them.
But over the four years I was in college, I noticed something interesting around Easter time. All year long they would talk about and focus mainly on the crucifixion of Jesus, their conviction that he died on the cross for our sins, and that it was his blood that washed our sins away.
For them, this was the foundation of their faith and their assurance of salvation. But every Easter, something interesting happened. In the week before Easter, and this happened every year I was there, they would suddenly talk about Jesus’s resurrection as an important part of their faith.
And then without fail, the week after Easter, their main focus once again was the cross, the crucifixion, and the blood of Jesus. They rarely, if ever, mentioned the resurrection, until the next Easter of course. It was almost like they forgot all about it.
I had a problem with that perspective then and I still do.
There’s more to salvation than Jesus’s death on the cross
Recently I watched a music video on YouTube of a group singing about the cross of Jesus and how important it is. The song is called, “It’s About the Cross.”
Now, I have to say, as moving and as beautifully sung and produced as this song is, there is something lacking. Well, actually, it’s there if you listen really closely, you’ll hear it, but unfortunately the one reference to the rolled-away stone, the resurrection, is not given the front-row-and-center attention it deserves. It was almost swallowed up. I didn’t even hear it the first time I listened. The main emphasis in this song is the cross.
But there is something of much greater significance than the crucifixion. Yes, Jesus was nailed to the cross. His blood was shed. He took all the world’s sin on his shoulders for the salvation of us all. But that is not all he did.
He rose from the grave. THAT is what Easter is about: the resurrection. The cross and the resurrection. That is the primary message of Christianity, that Jesus overcame the world’s hatred of truth, and conquered all sin and death.
If there was no resurrection…
Paul wrote the early Christians in Corinth to settle a dispute that had divided their members. Some were saying that there was no such thing as a resurrection. Paul responded emphatically,
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 17 NIV
If Christ is not risen, your faith is useless, futile…you are still in your sins.
Let that sink in for a minute.
You can preach all day long and all year long about how Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but that is not the whole message. In fact, if you just preach about and focus on the cross, or consider it as the focal point of salvation, you are distorting and diminishing the full message and impact of Jesus Christ’s purpose here on earth.
The true source of salvation
Paul is basically saying that just because you believe Jesus’s death alone saves you from sin, doesn’t mean that’s what saves you.
If Jesus had just died on the cross and not resurrected, Christianity would have faded into oblivion. Paul bluntly says that without the resurrection our faith would be vain, pointless, empty, worthless. It was, and is, the fact that Jesus overcame death and sin that validated the sacrifice he made on the cross.
It was not Jesus’s death on the cross, or his blood that saves us and takes away our sins. I’ll come back to this point in just a minute. It is his victory over death and sin that seals our salvation. Without the resurrection, the blood of Jesus would have been spilled in vain.
Now this is where some Christians will disagree with me, and that’s okay. I’m just sharing what I see when I read the Bible without looking through the lens of what man-made doctrines tell me I’m supposed to believe.
Does Jesus’s blood wash away sins?
The more I’ve studied the accounts in the Bible of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection, as well as references to his blood, the more I am convinced it is not Jesus’s literal, material blood that saves us from our sins, any more than it was his literal blood he gave to his disciples to drink at the Last Supper.
Long before the Last Supper when Jesus offered bread and the cup to his disciples, he had said way back in
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. John 6:53-56 NIV
No wonder some of his followers said,
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60 NIV
Was Jesus telling his followers, and that includes you and me today, they had to drink his actual, literal blood to have eternal life? In these verses, he doesn’t say anything about his blood being shed on the cross as what saves us from his sin. He says we have to drink his blood and eat and flesh.
The true blood of Jesus
But Jesus did not cut himself and pour some of his blood into the cup he offered them to drink at the Last Supper. He did not cut off a piece of his flesh for them to eat. He gave them wine and bread as a symbol. It was kind of like a hands-on parable of what he was talking about. The blood and flesh he referred to were a metaphor for his life, the way he lived, the way he loved, the sacrifices he made and the inspiration he lived on a daily basis.
His true blood and flesh, which he offers us to drink and eat, are the outflow of a love greater than any of us can humanly comprehend. He took on our sins and willingly went through the agony of crucifixion.
Jesus is inviting us to eat, partake of, and feast on his life purpose, to drink in his love and life example. Make them your own. This is the blood and flesh of Jesus we’re supposed to partake of, this life-giving substance and current of love.
More going on than just Jesus’s death on the cross
Jesus was nailed to a post and cross beam and died a common criminal’s death. But there was so much more going on that human eyes could not see. Jesus warned us not to judge according to the surface appearance of things, and for good reason.
Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly. John 7:24 NIV
On the surface, to the five material senses, the sight of Jesus nailed to a cross was pretty convincing. But that material picture or “appearance” of things could not come close to portraying what was really going on. It looked like the sins of the world were crucifying Jesus. But the exact opposite was actually taking place. He was crucifying sin. It looked like he was dying. But in fact, he was destroying death.
It not just about Jesus’s death on the cross
I want to come back to this idea so many Christians refer to that Jesus’s death on the cross and his blood that was shed are the reason for their salvation and what takes away their sins.
Now you may be thinking: Hey wait a minute James. Aren’t there places in the Bible that talk about the blood of Jesus taking away our sins? You’re absolutely right. There are several passages in the New Testament that state this idea quite clearly. For example, referring to Jesus, Paul says:
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace… Ephesians 1:7 NIV
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19, 20 NIV
Now, if you take these two and other similar passages by themselves, I can totally understand why you might come to the conclusion that it is actually Jesus’s blood that saves you from your sins.
What else does the Bible say about Jesus’s blood?
But when you look at everything else the Bible says about Jesus’s blood, it gives you a bigger perspective. And in light of what Jesus says about his blood, and I just mentioned a couple of them, I am more and more convinced that Paul’s references to Jesus’s blood in these examples, are a metaphor for the crucifixion, which Paul insists must necessarily point to include the resurrection.
The Easter story is not just about the cross. Jesus did not say, “I am the cross. I am the crucifixion.” He said,
I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. John 11:25, 26 NIV
Jesus does not say here that we have eternal life because of his death or his blood, but simply because we believe in him, who is the resurrection and the life. And he said this before his crucifixion and resurrection.
What we’re talking about here is the atonement. And over the centuries, there have been a wide variety of Christian doctrines on this subject. If you’d like to do a deep dive into this, you might enjoy an interview I did with Keith Giles on the subject of atonement. Keith goes into a lot more detail on some of these issues. It’s Episode 76: The Atonement of Christ.
Salvation is not just about the cross
I want to circle back to this music video I mentioned earlier called, It’s About the Cross. I have no doubt of the sincerity and deep faith of the musicians creating and producing this song. But the real “it” in this music video should be Jesus, all of Jesus, not part of him.
It’s not all about the cross. It’s about the cross to some degree. Without the crucifixion, there would be no resurrection. Without his death, Jesus would not be able to completely overcome death.
But the resurrection is equally important if not more so, to Jesus’s story and God’s plan of salvation. “It” is about Jesus’s full story: his birth, his ministry, his healing works, his teachings, his life example, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and ascension.
But above it all, Jesus’s resurrection, his victory over sin, death, and the grave, must be the keystone of our faith. Otherwise, as Paul says, our faith is vain, futile, and worthless and we are still in our sins.
As I mentioned earlier, for about 51 weeks out of the year, lots Christians talk about almost nothing but the cross of Jesus as the road to salvation. Then, at Easter time, it seems they suddenly rediscover the resurrection and glory in it for about a week or so. Then it’s back to the cross.
Looking through the lens of the resurrection
Please don’t get me wrong. You can’t leave the crucifixion out of your faith or when you share the Gospel. But you can’t leave out the resurrection either or relegate it to the back burner of lesser importance. The fact that Jesus “is risen” should permeate every breath we take, every step we walk, every word we speak, every thought we think, every fiber of our being.
Yes, Jesus was on the cross. But he’s not still there. You can’t keep him there. He is risen. This Easter and throughout the coming year, remember where Jesus was, but focus on his victory and where he is now, sitting at the right hand of God.
It’s time to stop looking at life through the lens of the crucifixion. Instead, hold up the lens of Jesus’s resurrection and fix your gaze there. You’ll see Christ’s victory everywhere you go and in everything you do, and you’ll discover your own victory in the process. You can say with Jesus,
I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NIV
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James Early, the Jesus Mindset Coach, is a Bible teacher, speaker, and church mentor. He conducts Bible workshops online and in person. His focus is on getting back to the original Christianity of Jesus by embracing the mindset of Christ in daily life. Contact him here.
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Bible References
1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 17 NIV
12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
John 6:53-56 NIV
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
John 6:60 NIV
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
John 7:24 NIV
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.
Ephesians 1:7 NIV
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Colossians 1:19, 20 NIV
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus],
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
John 11:25, 26 NIV
25 I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
John 16:33 NIV
33 I have overcome the world.”
