Paul wrote in Galatians 6:14, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” We are carefully self-conscious in making sure that we don’t glory in other things than the cross (the negative side of Paul’s admonition). But are we equally conscious to make sure that we do actually and whole heartedly glory in the cross (the positive side)? The cross signifies something incredibly glorious to believers, as it points us to the enormity of God’s love for us in giving His Son to die on “that old rugged cross” as the atoning sacrifice for our salvation. That’s the sentiment we feel, as in this beautiful quote from Samuel Rutherford (1600-1661), letter 62. “Welcome, welcome, welcome, sweet, sweet cross of Christ; welcome fair, fair, lovely, royal King with Thine own cross. Let us all three go to heaven together.” (Rutherford was a Scottish Presbyterian pastor and theologian, and one of the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly.)
As a gruesome instrument used to execute the worst of criminals, the cross is what God used to accomplish the magnificent redemption of His elect. When Jesus took our sins upon Himself, “He who knew no sin became sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), enduring that curse (Galatians 3:13) as He virtually became the worst of all criminals, with all of the sin of all of the elect of all ages placed on Him (Isaiah 53:6), though not becoming thereby a sinner Himself. Though the cross is a terrible thing, for believers, Christ’s cross is a marvelous thing. It’s in that cross that we glory.