I Believe in Christ Crucified

It is not sufficient to simply say that Jesus died . The Apostle's Creed makes a particular point, as do the gospel accounts, that Jesus was crucified. He was executed by being hung upon a cross. In the Roman Empire this was nothing unusual. Many people were crucified. It was, however, considered to be about the worst kind of death. It was ultimately shameful and degrading. Roman Citizens could not suffer this penalty. Even Freedmen were exempt. Only the worst of criminals, traitors and slaves died upon the cross. And Jesus "humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" (Phil. 2:8)

But Why the Cross?

What is the significance of the Cross as distinct from stoning or beheading or any of the other ways in which Jesus might have been executed? John Calvin puts it like this:

"Is the fact that he was crucified of greater importance than if he suffered any other kind of death?"
"Certainly, as even Paul reminds us ( Gal 3:10 ), when he writes that he hung upon the tree to take our curse upon himself; and by this we are absolved from it. For this kind of death was regarded with execration (Deut. 21:23)"
[ John Calvin, Quoted by Karl Barth in "The Faith of the Church" ]

Man, in his sin , is under a terrible curse " For the wages of sin is death," (Rom 6:23) . When Jesus humbled himself to death on a cross he paid the penalty of the curse by taking it upon himself. He became a sacrifice, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Because he, who had committed no sin and so was not under the curse, bore the penalty of the curse, he has brought salvation to all who believe in him and receive that gift of salvation from him. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23) .

It is particularly important to realise that in order to take our curse upon himself in order to destroy the curse, he could not simply appear to die. It was a very real, and terrible, death for our very real sins.