In today’s Part II, Michael reveals the real condition of man and the real character of God.
1. The Cross Reveals the Real Condition of Man.
The Cross is God’s answer to our delusion that we are basically fine.
We are not basically fine. We are morally damaged, spiritually evasive, and wonderfully skilled at putting a halo on self-interest. Romans 3 says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Isaiah says all of us like sheep have gone astray, each turning to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). That last phrase is the anthropology of the modern age: “my way.” Humanity’s favorite hymn, sung badly since Eden.
This is where free will becomes serious. Free will is not a decorative ribbon tied around human dignity. It is the terrifying capacity to respond to God, either in faith or refusal. The will is real, but it is not neutral. Sin bends the will inward. The sinner does not merely make mistakes. He chooses darkness when darkness protects the throne.
Jesus said it plainly: “Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). Notice the moral diagnosis. Not “men lacked data.” Not “men needed a more engaging slideshow.” They loved darkness. The problem is not merely intellectual. It is devotional. The sinner worships something, even if the shrine is just a mirror.
So, the Cross exposes the lie. If sin required the death of Christ, then sin is not a personality quirk, private preference, generational trauma, social inconvenience, or “my truth.” Sin is treason against holy love. The Cross strips the sinner bare, which is one reason people hate it. Grace sounds lovely until we hear we are helpless without it.
2. The Cross Reveals the Real Character of God.
The Cross does not show a God who relaxes His standards. It shows a God who fulfills them.
Modern religion often beseeches God to be nice, meaning harmless, indulgent, and allergic to judgment. But the God of Scripture is not nice in that limp, domesticated sense. He is holy; merciful; righteous. He is love. And because He is all those things, sin cannot be shrugged off like spilled coffee.
At Calvary, the Judge takes the judgment. The innocent One bears the guilt of the guilty. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
(Acts 2:23) says Jesus was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, and yet wicked men were responsible for crucifying Him. There is the paradox that Curt highlights. Satan meant rebellion, men meant murder, God meant salvation. One event, different motives, sovereign outcome.
This is reality apologetics at full voltage. Evil is real. Our human responsibility is real. Satanic hostility is real. Most critically, God’s sovereignty is real. Christianity does not flatten the world into cartoon categories. It tells the truth with all the sharp edges protruding. Ouch.
The Cross reveals that God’s mercy is not weakness. Mercy is holy love moving toward the guilty at infinite cost. God does not forgive because sin does not matter. He forgives because Christ mattered enough to bear it.
I am thankful for this reminder of God’s sovereignty. Especially this part, cause my motives are not always good, but His are.
“(Acts 2:23) says Jesus was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, and yet wicked men were responsible for crucifying Him. There is the paradox that Curt highlights. Satan meant rebellion, men meant murder, God meant salvation. One event, different motives, sovereign outcome.”