Our pastor preached a sermon about how the cross is a symbol of our Christian faith. He said that any person who would recommend that their company take as a logo an instrument of death, for example, an electric chair, a hangman’s noose, or a lethal injection would be laughed to scorn. And yet that is exactly what God did. The cross, a symbol of execution, has become the symbol around the world for the Christian faith.

In the creeds we profess faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We also make mention of Jesus’ crucifixion, his suffering, and his death.

Can Christian churches preach the message of God’s love without preaching about the cross? No! The cross must be central in the message that is given by Christian churches. The apostle Paul makes this clear:

How many of us desire to know Christ in that way? How many of us desire to become so like Christ that we are willing to suffer the penalty for others' sins?

Sin

The concept of sin is a biblical one. It’s mentioned over 400 times in the Old Testament and about half that many times in the New Testament. Were the Biblical writers obsessed with this idea or does God take the concept of sin seriously? The Messiah that God sent came to save people from their sins. This is evident in all the following passages:

Some churches say God is a God of love, and that love should be what is stressed from our pulpits. It is true God is love. He says so himself: God is love. _{I Jn 5:16}
It is also true that love is the highest virtue. Paul writes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” _{I Cor 13:13}
However, in the definition of love earlier in chapter 13 of I Corinthians we see that love is not self-centered.

It’s interesting to note that the word sin is used more times in the Bible than is the word love. There are a few passages where you find both those words in the same sentence.

Rom 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I Jn 4:10 says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

The Promised Messiah

Since the earliest of times, God promised that he would send a messiah. Gen 3:15 is known as the first messianic prophecy of the Bible. God is speaking to the snake. It reads:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

First of all, why did Adam and Eve need a messiah? It was because God had told them not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. They disobeyed God by not listening to his commands. At that point fellowship was broken with their creator. Adam and Eve no longer enjoyed the fellowship of God’s presence. They were not able to restore themselves to right relationship with God, so God made a way for them. He promised them a savior. I doubt Adam and Eve knew that promised savior would not come until long after their deaths.

Anyway, back to Gen 3:15. This verse takes a thorough going through in order to understand it. God is talking to the snake (Satan) when he says, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman.” He means that Satan and the woman will be enemies of each other. He says he will put enmity (make enemies of) thy seed (Satan’s followers) and her seed (Christ). It (the woman’s seed—Christ) will bruise thy (Satan’s) head, and thou (Satan) shall bruise his (Christ’s) heel.

If we rewrote it with our understanding today Gen 3:15 might read:

You, Satan, and Eve are now enemies. Your followers will be enemies of Eve’s future offspring, namely Christ. This Jesus will one day crush you, Satan, but you will cause him much suffering.

(Some commentaries say that the woman’s seed can mean God’s people collectively. If one uses the idea that Eve’s offspring are God’s people then the passage would read like this:

You, Satan, and Eve are now enemies. Your followers will be enemies of Eve’s future offspring, namely God’s people. God’s people will one day crush you, Satan, but you will cause them much suffering.)

From the very earliest of times, sin has taken its toll on humanity. However, from those very earliest of times God provided a way to be restored to him. The forgiveness he offers people of all times is the atoning sacrifice of his only son. When God says he loved the world so much that he gave his only begotten son, we see the proof of God’s love. God’s love cost him what was most precious to him.

A Call to Action

If you belong to a church that preaches about the love of God, and yet fails to preach about sin and its consequences, you are getting only half of the gospel. Yes, God loves you, but if you are not living according to your God-given conscience—if you are living a lifestyle contrary to the teaching of scripture—you are yet in your sins. If you fail to admit you are a sinner and in need of God’s forgiveness, you are missing the Good News. The Good News, the whole gospel, is that God loves you so much that He sent his Son to die for you that you might receive forgiveness. When you ask God for his forgiveness you will truly understand his love.