Acts 2:23-24 Amplified Bible
23 this Man, when handed over [to the Roman authorities] according to the predetermined decision and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross and put to death by the hands of lawless and godless men. 24 But God raised Him up, releasing Him and bringing an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in death’s power.
Ephesians 1:4 KJV
4 According as he hath chosen us in him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
God Points Toward the Cross
Before the foundation of the world, God knew that when He ushered in the New Covenant with mankind, He would receive those who accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as His children and part of His chosen people. Not chosen beforehand but chosen through our own actions and what we do with the name of Jesus.
Therefore, from before the foundation of the world, “it had to be the cross.”
God always pointed toward the cross.
During the three eras of God’s plan and timing, the condition of a person’s soul always boiled down to their heart and relationship with Him.
In the first era, prior to the Old Covenant, Abraham was found faithful. He was obedient to God’s instructions to leave his homeland and sojourn to a new land, away from his family and friends. He was obedient and faithful to God, though not without failings.
The most important instance of Abraham’s faith and obedience occurs when he is willing to take his beloved son Isaac to the mountain and sacrifice him. Note that it was symbolic that Abraham was willing to offer his only beloved son on a mountain top, in obedience to God’s will. Symbolic of what would come later on the cross of Calvary.
We see that God promised redemption and blessings to all through Abraham, prior to and during the period of the Old Covenant.
Genesis 12:2-3 KJV
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Here in Genesis, God is pointing far into the future to the cross and the fact that all people on earth will be blessed by Jesus Christ who is born of the lineage of Abraham and will offer His life as atonement for the sins of all who believe in Him.
Then through all of the prophets in the Old Testament, God points us toward the cross.
In the book of Jeremiah, through the prophet, God foretells of the new covenant that He will make, which will be written in the minds and hearts of the people. God says, “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
Under the Old Covenant, the second era of God’s timing, blood sacrifice once each year was necessary for the atonement of sin. Not a blood sacrifice of any kind but a sacrifice of a lamb without blemish. There could be no spots, deformities or disfigurement of any kind. This was symbolic of one without sin.
In fact, many more times too numerous to mention in a short lesson, God directed us “forward” in His word, toward the cross.
Atonement and Redemption Required the "Lamb of God"
When God ushered in His final plan under the New Covenant, blood sacrifice remained necessary and the “Lamb” again had to be pure and unblemished. This time, it would be in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was born of a virgin.
We see as Jesus began His ministry, when He approached John the Baptist, John proclaimed “Behold the Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world.
John the Baptist knew.
God continued to point toward the cross.
John 1:29 KJV
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
No One Else Could Be the Sacrificial Lamb
Romans 3:23 American Standard Version
23 for all [a]have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
Why did it have to be a "Lamb without blemish?
Because our holy God cannot and does not tolerate sin and disobedience.
Therefore, in order for the sacrifice to be sufficient for atonement and forgiveness of sin, a sinless person or being must make the sacrifice.
Jesus, being God incarnate, was the ONLY person who could take the sins of all people upon Himself as He was sinless…the Lamb of God. No one else could provide the sacrifice for as Paul teaches us, “ all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
When Jesus cried out from the cross "My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me", He was bearing the burden of the sins of the world.
He was separated from God for only that short instance, as he bore our sins offering forgiveness and redemption IF only, we will accept and believe in Him.
Therefore, before the foundation of the world, God knew it was always going to be Jesus who would die on the cross, shedding His blood as an atonement for our sins.
It always had to be the cross.
Let Us Kneel at the Foot of the Old Rugged Cross
In closing, we see from the beginning of God’s time, throughout all of his time schedule and different eras, that He always pointed us to the cross.
God incarnate in the form of His Son Jesus, would die a cruel death on the cross, shedding His blood as the atonement for the sins of the world. It had to be Jesus, the sinless, spotless “Lamb of God” who made this sacrifice. It had to be Jesus who gave us this gift that offered communion with God and eternal life.
Just as the “prodigal son” had to come to his senses and realize that he was not worthy to be called a son, we too must realize that on our own we are also not worthy. We are only made worthy and righteous through the blood of Christ that was shed that day on Mount Calvary.
The bible makes it very clear, “there is none righteous, no not one” among us. But the blood of Jesus cleanses us of all unrighteousness in the sight of God.
What we (humankind) were unable to do for ourselves as unworthy and undeserving beings, Jesus did for us.
We must kneel at that cross recognizing our unworthiness and sins, in order to receive the amazing grace that God offers us.
Since before the foundation of the world, it had to be Jesus.
It had to be the cross.
RVH