Is the cross enough?
There’s no question that, as believers and followers of Jesus, we live in the age of grace today. We know that God is love and that He is not out to punish us because Jesus bore all the punishment we deserve for our own sinful behavior on the cross.
At the end of His suffering on the cross, Jesus said, “it is finished.” Even so, is there any more required of us? Or is the cross enough?
Everything Already Provided
From what I see in the Bible, the answer to this question is both yes and no.
According to the Bible, everything we need for life and godliness has already been provided for us by God’s grace.
His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these things you might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
— 2 Peter 1:3-4 (MEV)
We access all that stuff we need which God has provided for us through the knowledge of God. Perhaps the biggest single piece of knowledge about God is the cross. It involves everything Jesus accomplished for us through His sacrificial death on the cross and His subsequent resurrection.
This passage from Peter also reveals that we experience God’s divine nature through His promises. Those promises empower us to escape the very corruption of this world. Again, the Bible tells us that it is in Jesus Christ that every promise of God is yes and amen for us (2 Corinthians 1:20 ).
This is why Paul told the church at Corinth that he focused purely on making the crucifixion of Christ known to them.
For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
— 1 Corinthians 2:2 (NKJV)
So yes, the cross is indeed enough for us to experience everything we need in life. The cross represents (and is key to) the perfect grace provision God makes for our every need.
More Than Grace
At the same time we are not saved by grace alone. We are instead saved by grace through faith .
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
— Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
We need both grace and faith to receive salvation. Likewise, we need both to receive any other promise from God too. God’s grace already reaches down with perfect provision for our every need. Yet until our faith rises up to grab hold of what God’s grace provides, we do not get to experience the benefits of God’s grace.
Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians chapter 5. Verses 14-21 contain an amazing teaching on the gospel. (This includes our favorite verse 17 about being new creations in Christ!)
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
— 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 (NKJV)
In this passage, Paul tells us that God has already done His part. He, “has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (verse 18). Our job is to share “the word of reconciliation.” We are to let everyone know that God has already reconciled the world to Himself through the cross. This means we tell them God is not imputing their trespasses to them (verse 19).
Yet that’s not all there is. In verse 20, Paul tells the believers in the church at Corinth that God is pleading through him for them to, “be reconciled to God.” This is the faith part. And God’s grace requires faith to become effective in our lives.
Receiving God’s Grace in Vain
Paul then shares the Great Exchange in verse 21, Jesus became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
It’s important to note that Paul said, “might become.” It’s not an automatic thing. He reinforces that it’s not an automatic thing in the very next verse at the start of Chapter 6. There Paul pleads with the believers of the church in Corinth, “not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
— 2 Corinthians 6:1 (NKJV)
This verse means it is possible to receive the grace of God in vain. And that means it cannot be automatic. We must release our faith to receive what God’s grace has already provided. If we don’t release our faith by coming into agreement with God to the point where we take action in accordance with that agreement, then we’ve only just received God’s grace in vain.
Therefore, from this passage of scripture we can see that that, no, the cross by itself is not really enough for us until it is coupled with our agreement released through faith.
Repentance Required
Paul wrote this entire multi-chapter passage to lay out the gospel, explain the vital need for repentance, and then encourage the church in Corinth that they are indeed on the right path with their own repentance.
Our repentance is a vital part of this whole thing. In fact, from the very beginning Jesus emphasized and called for repentance. Even before Jesus starts His ministry we see John the Baptist calling for repentance.
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
— Matthew 3:1-2 (NKJV)
Then Jesus echos this exhortation at the start of His ministry after He is tempted by looser-fer.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
— Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)
As you can see, Jesus required a positive response on our behalf in the form of repentance from the very beginning of the gospel.
You’ve probably heard it said that repentance involves changing one’s mind and/or reversing direction. And this is true. Where it can get challenging for some is that true Biblical repentance is so much more than even tears and sorrow about the sin we participated in.
Biblical Repentance
Fortunately, Paul also gives us a very clear picture of what true repentance looks like as he goes on to address this issue in the next chapter of 2 Corinthians:
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves , what indignation , what fear , what vehement desire , what zeal , what vindication ! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
— 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 (NKJV)
Here we see what genuine Biblical repentance looks like. It consists of 7 very clear signs:
Diligence — godly repentance happens quickly. Clearing of Yourselves — godly repentance is quick to apologize to those who were wronged. Indignation — godly repentance includes righteous anger towards the sin which led to the repentance. Fear — godly repentance flows from a reverence for God.Vehement Desire — godly repentance includes strong desire to please God.Zeal — godly repentance inspires passionate actions which line up with the desire to please God.Vindication — godly repentance compels those who did wrong in their sin to attempt to make things right.
Until we see these indicators in someone’s life, we do well to consider that they are likely just going through worldly sorrow instead of true repentance. This discernment is especially important whenever we deal with the issue of restoring leaders in the Body of Christ who have fallen because of sin issues in their lives.
This passage also provides a roadmap for repentance in our own lives. As we press into each of these areas to the best of our ability we might find some external factors which may prevent us from fully achieving these steps.
For example, in some instances there might not be any way possible to truly make things right after we’ve wronged others in a significant way. Yet the desire for vindication will still be present in the heart of the truly repentant person, even if it cannot be realized.
Is the Cross Enough?
This brings us back to the original question. Is the cross enough?
I think the Biblical evidence is clear. Mostly the answer to that question is no. It’s not enough on its own for us to experience the Kingdom of God in this life.
It is true the cross is enough for God’s grace to provide everything we need, or could ever want in this life, and even on throughout eternity. Yet the cross is not enough for us to take possession of what all God provides for us.
We must still release our faith by coming into agreement with what God has done through repentance in order to take possession of it. That’s when we begin to experience the benefits of God’s grace.
And until we release our faith through repentance we’ve still only received the grace of God in vain.
