The Grace of the Cross

“The catastrophe of the cross had the potential to tear the universe apart. When stars collapse on themselves and their vast mass is pressed into an unimaginably tiny space, the resulting black hole becomes a place isolated from the rest of creation, from which even light itself cannot escape. Scientists speculate that these extraordinary phenomena may even cause breaches in space and time itself. But on the cross we find a shattering, not of the fabric of creation but of the inner life of the Creator. God himself, who sustains all life and matter in being from moment to moment, is torn in two. All history hung on a knife edge at Calvary; it could easily have begun the collapse of existence itself. But instead, in the unexpected grace and providence of God, the cross became the supreme place of reconciliation, healing, and life, the event which made a renewed divine and human community possible.”^[1]

Chris Webb

What is grace? I have always struggled to define that word so weighty in meaning. The quote above gives us a cosmic view of grace. If scientists are correct that “breaches in space and time” occur when shifts take place in the cosmos, what greater shift has there been in the history of our world than God enfleshed nailed to and killed on the cross?

Imagine the potential consequences of such an act! Imagine more than Matthew’s report (Matthew 27:51-53) of the curtain in the Temple being torn in two (from top to bottom, no less!), earthquakes and rocks being split as tombs are opened and bodies raised and walking around. Imagine, as Webb did, the collapse of time and existence as the Creator of the universe was ripped apart.

Yet – earthquakes and torn curtains and split rocks notwithstanding – time may have felt like it stood still for those who loved Jesus, but it did continue to tick, tick, tick forward. All life, save that One extinguished life, continued. But the opportunities now available because of that moment, well, the course of history was shifted forever.

Grace is God’s unceasing and ongoing gift of love and mercy. Despite our being prone to weakness and sin, this gift comes to us whether we deserve it or not. Through grace, God pours out to us forgiveness, healing and strength that change us and deepen our love and knowledge of God. It is salvation, pure and simple, holistic salvation. With each encounter with God, we experience the inner life of our Creator and are healed from our sinful nature to grow more and more into the image of God in which we were created.

How have you experienced God’s grace?

[1] Chris Webb, God Soaked Life: Discovering a Kingdom Spirituality (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 88-89.