The Meaning of the Cross, Day 34

Welcome to day 34 of our series, “40 Days of the Cross.” Each day we are taking just a few minutes to look at a word which will help us better understand the meaning of the cross. Today’s word is holy.

Holy isn’t a word that’s understood very well. It has been used in exclamations of surprise, as in “holy smokes!” - and in the church world, it’s often used to describe something pure or perfect. While that is a little closer to what it truly means, the definition of the word holy is "something that is dedicated or set apart for God." In the Scriptures, it is something pure that has been given over to God for His use. 

Under the Old Covenant (before the coming of Jesus), God set up the sacrificial system as a shadow of what was to come. Humanity was broken (and anything but pure), so the people of Israel would bring a pure and spotless lamb for a sacrifice to seek forgiveness + but this was only a temporary solution. What was needed for a sacrifice was someone truly pure, without sin.

That is why the Father sent Jesus, His Son, to earth. When the angel appeared to Mary to tell her she would be pregnant He told her that her child would be the Son of God, and that He would be holy. Only a righteous sacrifice could bring God’s righteousness to us. Jesus went to the cross as a holy sacrifice. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that God sent Jesus who “knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The cross was set aside for a God’s purpose. Jesus Himself was set aside for the purpose of being a perfect sacrifice for our sins. What will our response be to Jesus’ holy act of mercy on the cross? In Romans 12:1, Paul says we should give ourselves as a living sacrifice. And the Bible says that this will be a holy sacrifice, acceptable and pleasing to God. The holiness of the cross makes our offering to God holy as well. 

After we pray today, I encourage you to meditate on the holiness of the cross for a while and what it means to us. 

Heavenly Father, accept my life as a holy sacrifice to you. Thanks to the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross, my broken spirit has been made holy. Guide us now through Your Holy Spirit so that we can live out Your holiness in our lives. In Jesus name we pray, amen. 

Thanks for reading today.

Continued tomorrow