If there’s one thing that Christians never tire of hearing about, it’s the cross of Jesus Christ. Martyn Lloyd-Jones described the cross of Christ as ‘the greatest display and exposition of the character of the everlasting God’, and ‘the supreme and the sublimest declaration and revelation of the holiness of God’. He’s right, isn’t he?
So in this issue, we look again at the cross. Adrian Brake begins by reflecting on the words Jesus, keep me near the cross, and encourages us to make regular return journeys to the cross, to keep the atonement fresh in our thoughts and because we need constant reassurance of God’s love for us.
John Woolley wonders aloud what the thief on the cross might have seen and experienced as he watched Jesus die, and heard those wonderful words, ‘Today, you will be with me in paradise.’ One man who is already experiencing that Paradise is Gwynn Williams, who died last October. His preaching, which was usually in Welsh, was known for an emphasis on the cross of Christ, so it’s appropriate that we’ve translated one of his most-loved sermons especially for this issue of the magazine.
One of the wonderful things about the cross is that there are so many different ways of looking at what Christ achieved. As Sammy Davies reminds us, while often we rightly focus on legal forgiveness or relational acceptance, we must not forget that the cross also brought about victory, triumph and conquest — and if we forget that, perhaps we end up seeing ourselves as less than conquerors.
Of course, that’s just a fraction of what’s inside this issue of the Magazine. And if the articles touch your heart as they remind you of all that God has done — and that’s our prayer — why not pass on your copy of the Magazine to others, or share the articles on Facebook, so that others can benefit too?