Free Clip Art Illustration: Gold Christian Cross Symbol

Free Clip Art Illustration: Gold Christian Cross Symbol

Why is the cross, an ancient Roman instrument of suffering and death, a symbol of the Christian's hope in eternal life and the forgiveness of sins? (For a purely Scriptural answer, read the New Testament book of Colossians, chapters 1 and 2.) As everything else in the Christian faith, this symbol and its meaning to believers is centered in the person of Jesus Christ.

Great faith and great truth is not built on sentiment alone. There would be no Christian faith if Jesus had merely died on a cross.

What makes the death of Jesus unique in human history is the miracle of His resurrection from the dead on the third day after He was buried. Although Jesus had repeatedly told His closest followers that He would be put to death and that He would rise again on the third day, the disciples were as shocked and confused as anyone when He conquered death. Some found it very difficult to believe that Jesus could be alive after such a horrible death. Their memories were still filled with His suffering. He soon put their doubts to rest.

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is foretold in the ancient Hebrew Scriptures by the prophets of God, beginning with Moses in the book of Genesis. Jesus was put to death by the decisions and actions (or inactions) of ordinary men, sinners, who were obedient to the darkest elements of human nature: greed, jealousy, envy, fear, selfish ambition, rage and hatred. But above, behind and eternally before those men and their choices was the planning and purposes of God, who had determined in eternity past to save human beings from the consequences of their sinful nature and their sinful behavior.

The Bible states this amazing truth in many beautiful, eloquent and forceful ways throughout its pages. Certainly, one of the Bible's most famous and clearest statements of God's work of saving grace in Jesus Christ is found in John 3:16, where the Spirit of God declares that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This passage is by no means the only place in Scripture where God reveals His purpose in Christ's life, death, and resurrection, but it is all anyone needs to know in order to be saved.

Jim Sutton

The graphic above may be freely used by Christian churches, domestic and foreign faith missions, Sunday schools, VBS and other Bible study leaders, and individual believers actively involved in non-profit personal or group ministry. It may not be used commercially without written consent of the artist and publisher of this site.

If you download the above image, please link back to this site. Always be sure to copy the file onto your own computer to avoid broken links — directory and graphics locations on this site are frequently changed.