Slawomir (Slawek) Gromadzki
Introduction
The greatest event that has ever taken place in the history of mankind is the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The glorious truth of the Cross becomes a life-transforming “power of God to us who are being saved” (1 Corinthians 1:18) when we understand that God identified Himself with our fallen condition and redeemed us in our representative humanity, confronting the terrible reality of sin and its consequences.
If we truly want to understand God’s agape love, we must study the message of the Cross prayerfully and with a contrite heart, because it was at the Cross that divine love revealed itself to the uttermost.
There, God Himself, in Christ, after entering our condemned human condition, bore the judgment that sin demanded, thereby accomplishing salvation for the human race according to the just requirements of His holy law:
“God did not change His law; He sacrificed Himself in Christ. For ‘God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself’ (2 Cor. 5:19).” — The Desire of Ages, p. 762.
The blood of Christ deals with what we have done; the Cross goes deeper and deals with what we are. At Calvary, God struck at the very root of humanity’s problem.
The Cross is therefore the power of God that takes us out of condemnation in the first Adam and places us in justification in the second Adam (Romans 5:18)— it takes us from death to life.
“The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last.” — Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 133.
“The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified.” — The Great Controversy, p. 651.
“There will be new and rich developments made manifest in the plan of salvation throughout eternal ages.” — Selected Messages, book 1, p. 403.
“The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster.” — Gospel Workers, p. 315.
The Cross of Christ in Paul’s Preaching
The Cross of Christ undeniably stands at the centre of Paul’s preaching. The subject of God’s great love revealed through the cross and death of Jesus is so vital that the Apostle Paul made it his singular, burning focus: “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
Paul preached the cross continuously because it was the sole anchor that made early Christians so dedicated, fearless, and willing to suffer or die for their Lord.
Just as the Gospel itself is God’s power unto salvation for everyone who believes (Romans 1:16), the message of the cross carries the same unique, divine life-transforming power:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
“The death of Christ on the cross of Calvary is our only hope in this world, and it will be our theme in the world to come… It is the greatest subject that can engage human mind.” Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889.
Why Was Christ Crucified Outside Jerusalem?
When we examine the historical, cultural, and biblical details of the crucifixion, we find profound spiritual meaning behind every single event. For instance, it was not by chance that Christ was executed outside the physical walls of Jerusalem.
Under biblical law, blasphemers and those condemned as cursed criminals were cast out and forced to die outside the camp to signify defilement. Jesus was brought outside the gate because He willingly “became a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13; see also Leviticus 24:10-16, Leviticus 24:23, 1 Kings 21:13, Acts 7:58).
Lepers, regarded as deeply unclean, were legally required to live isolated outside the city walls (Leviticus 13:46). Christ took our spiritual leprosy upon Himself, standing in our place outside the camp.
By dying outside the specific walls of Jerusalem, Jesus demonstrated that He was not dying exclusively for the Jews, nor just for a select group of believers, but to reconcile the entire world to God (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Understanding the Wages of Sin
To truly appreciate what Jesus accomplished on Calvary, we must understand the precise nature of the penalty He paid. Scripture plainly states that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
But which death constitutes the true, ultimate penalty for sin? Is it the first death, which the Bible frequently compares to a temporary unconscious sleep until resurrection? Or is it the second (eternal) death?
The Bible clarifies that those “who do not obey the gospel”, or who refuse to accept God’s gift of salvation through faith, “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
This final judgment falls upon both open sinners, who reject mercy, and legalists who cling to the false, deceptive idea of salvation through their own human works.
Because the ultimate penalty for sin is eternal death—total and irreversible destruction—Jesus had to experience the equivalent of the same penalty to save us.
True believers will never have to face the second death because the Bible says that, “blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection; over them, the second death has no power” (Revelation 20:6).
It is not the first but the second (everlasting) death which doesn’t have power over believers in Christ! And the only reason the second death has no power over us is that someone else already endured it completely on our behalf.
If Jesus had not fully experienced the equivalent of eternal death for us, the demands of the broken law would remain unsatisfied, and salvation would be impossible (Romans 3:26).
Gethsemane and Hematohydrosis
The agonising reality of this penalty began to press upon Christ long before the nails pierced His hands.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, He experienced such intense mental and spiritual agony that His sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground (Luke 22:44).
This rare medical condition, known as hematohidrosis, occurs only when a person faces extreme, overwhelming stress or a terrifying death. It has been seen in prisoners before execution, soldiers before battle, or during the London Blitz.
When during the world war 2, German aeroplanes bombarded London, some people experienced hematohydrosis which means they started sweating blood because of extreme fear of death.
In hematohidrosis, extreme stress and fear lead to the overproduction of stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol), which generate excessive amounts of free radicals that damage the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries, causing them to leak blood into the sweat glands and resulting in visible sweating with blood.
Why was Jesus so terrified when He pleaded with His Father to remove a mysterious cup: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42).
We will understand it better when we find the meaning of the word “cup” in the Bible.
Meaning of Cup
According to Revelation 14:10, the “cup” is associated with the wrath of God, His indignation, tormenting with fire and brimstone (or hell fire), clearly referring to eternal death and curse.
Also in Ezekiel 23:32–33 the “cup” refers to “horror” and “desolation”: “Thus says the Lord God: ‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup, … The cup of horror and desolation (isolation).”
The “cup” in the Bible symbolises the wrath of God that is to fall upon unrepentant sinners. This wrath is associated with horror, eternal separation from God, and eternal death in fire.
Crown of Thorns
The Roman soldiers mockingly twisted a crown of thorns and pressed it into His brow.
In Scripture, thorns represent the curse brought upon the earth by sin (Genesis 3:17-18).
According to Hebrews 6:8, “land that produces thorns is worthless, near to being cursed”, and its ultimate end is to be “burned”.
Meaning of the God-forsaken Darkness
According to the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was dying on the cross, from noon until three o’clock, a thick, supernatural darkness covered the entire land (Matthew 27:45).
This mirrors the “blackness of darkness forever” that is legally reserved for eternal judgment (Jude 13) over the false religious leaders who hide the truth and deceive people with false ideas about God and salvation.
According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary: “Apostate leaders will be swallowed up into the blackest darkness forever; eternal judgment is certain for them.”
Split Rocks
When Jesus yielded up His spirit, the massive temple curtain tore in two, and the earth shook, and the “rocks were split” (Matthew 27:50-51).
This physical breaking of the rocks represents the execution of ultimate divine judgment: “Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the burning of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by Him” (Nahum 1:6).
Was Paul More Brave Than Christ?
In the book of Acts, we read that when the prophet Agabus prophesied that if Paul went to Jerusalem he would die, the Christians who heard it begged Paul not to go.
But Paul answered… “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am willing not only to be bound, but also to die for the name of Lord Jesus.” Acts 21:10-13
When we compare the attitude toward death of apostle Paul and Christ, we may draw a conclusion that Paul was much braver than the Son of God.
But Paul was not afraid of dying because he was not goinf to face the second death. He knew that the second (eternal) death had no power over him, because there was Someone who already experienced that death for him. For Paul to die was gain (Phil. 1:21); death for him was only a short unconscious sleep until the glorious resurrection.
But when Christ was facing death for our salvation, he was agonising and extremely afraid because he was going to face the wages of sin, the curse, the wrath of God toward sin, the separation from His beloved Father, His greatest eternal love!
Meaning of the Cross
Many Christians do not see that the Saviour tasted eternal death for us, because they look at the cross only through the eyes of Roman soldiers who saw on the cross only a physically suffering man. But, when we look at Jesus dying on the cross from the Jewish point of view, we can see something that was the reason why Jesus’ disciples were never the same again after the cross
What type of capital punishment was used by the Jews to execute those who were sentenced to death?
They attempted to stone Jesus and were ready to stone Mary Magdalene, and they stoned the apostle Paul to death, but God brought him back to life. They also stoned Stephen.
If stoning was their method to execute their victims, why, then, did they demand from Pilate to crucify Jesus instead of allowing them to stone Him?
Well, they wanted Pilate to crucify Christ because they hated Him so much that they wanted something much worse than death for Him. They had in mind what Moses wrote in the Old Testament:
Deuteronomy 21:22–23 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.”
The Jews hated Christ so much that they wanted Him to be hanged on a tree because they wanted Him to be cursed by God, which in their understanding was the same as eternal death.
No wonder, then, that when Christ’s disciples—who were Jews—saw Him hanging on a tree, it was very difficult for them to continue believing in Him, because they remembered that text.
It is remarkable that, according to the Word of God, Jesus actually became such a curse for us. If someone asked me to choose only one verse from the Bible that is of the greatest value to me, to the entire human race, and to the universe, without any hesitation, I would choose Galatians 3:13:
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law (that is, from the second death), becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree.”
What is the curse of the law? It is the second death because the holy law says to us that “the wages of sin is death, the second death” (Rom. 6:23). It means that if Christ redeemed us from this curse of the law, He had to experience the same curse, which is the second death!
Five Symbols of Curse
So, by now we have found that the things associated with Christ’s death, including the cup, crown of thorns, split rocks, darkness, and the cross, were all pointing to the same thing: the curse of God and eternal death as the wages of sin.
Every element of the scene carries immense spiritual significance: the wooden Cross upon which He hung, the suffocating supernatural God-forsaken Darkness, the cruel Crown of Thorns pressed into His brow, the bitter Cup of divine wrath, and the violently Split Rocks that shattered under the power of the divine earthquake.
Together, these powerful symbols serve as a solemn summary of the ultimate penalty and curse that Christ willingly bore on our behalf.
How Could Christ Experience the Second Death When He Predicted His Own Resurrection?
But how could Christ go through the experience of the curse and the second death when He had already predicted His own resurrection?
According to the book Desire of Ages, “The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb… He feared that sin was so offensive to God that their separation was to be eternal.” (Chapter 78—Calvary).
There was a time, especially during that horrible, grave-like God-forsaken darkness, when Christ was so overwhelmed by the crushing weight of our guilt—becoming the curse of the law and being cut off from His Father’s love—that His feelings told Him He was dying forever, and would never again enjoy the loving presence of His Father.
We can’t say that Christ died with the second, eternal death because, apart from having our human nature, He also had His divine nature, and as God He couldn’t die forever. It was impossible because, as God, He was immortal.
However, we can say that He died with the equivalent of the second death because He was convinced He was dying forever and actually decided to say goodbye to eternal life in divine glory so that we could live forever.
In addition, there was something in Christ that was condemned and executed on the cross in Him with the everlasting death according to Romans 8:3. It was the representative corporate law of sin of fallen humanity – the root of our sin problem which was condemned to eternal death by the holy law of God!
It was possible because at the incarnation, Christ, to save us according to the demands of holy law, identified Himself with our sinful condition by taking our fallen representative nature, including the “law of sin“, or the singular sin from Romans 7:15-25.
He perfectly overcame it on our behalf, and after that he took it to the cross, where this singular sin (the law of sin of humanity) was condemned by God who was in Christ (2 Cor. 5:19) and destroyed with the second death in Christ’s “flesh” (Rom 8:3).
Romans 8:2-3: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Three Temptations to Save Himself
Being convinced that if He stayed on the cross He would become an eternal sacrifice, Christ had two choices. He could either stay on the cross and save fallen humanity from eternal death by sacrificing His own eternal life, or He could step down from the cross and save Himself, but in this way we would have to die forever.
Because Satan was desperate to prevent Christ from sacrificing His life for us, he used human mediums to tempt Jesus three times to step down from the cross and save Himself.
He did this first through the passersby (Matthew 27:39–40), who mocked Him, saying, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Next, he tempted Him through the rulers (Matthew 27:41–43), who sneered, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save… Let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.”
Finally, he used the thief crucified beside Him (Matthew 27:44; Luke 23:39), who said, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
Was it easy for Christ to overcome this temptation? Here is the answer: 
Since Christ did not step down from the cross—even while convinced that He was dying forever—it means He chose to accept eternal death and eternal separation from His Father’s love. He chose eternal death for Himself so that He could give eternal life to us!
Another powerful quote from the book The Desire of Ages: “Christ suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness and His hatred of sin. His trial by men who acted as fiends (demon-possessed, wicked men) was to Him a perpetual sacrifice.” The Desire of Ages, 700.
What does “perpetual” mean?
It means the ongoing, never-ending, everlasting sacrifice!
Do I understand these profound words?
No, I wish I could, but I don’t. I would have to be Christ, and hate sin as He hated it, and love as He loved.
That is why we are told that Christ’s sufferings were so great that we will never fully understand His sufferings, even throughout eternity.
But we will continue to study this greatest of all subjects, gradually gaining a deeper understanding of the cross and the sufferings of Christ. And the more we understand the infinite depth of His love revealed at Calvary, the more we will love, praise, and adore Him throughout eternity.
Tortured for Hours in the Guardroom
After being humiliated, bitten and repeatedly interrogated by corrupt high priests, Jesus was placed in a guardroom to wait until sunset for the morning interrogation before the Sanhedrin and then before Pilate.
And in that guardroom, where he was not protected by Roman soldiers, between probably around 2 am and 6 am (sunrise), for at least 3 or 4 hours, he was constantly tortured by demon-possessed wicked people controlled by Satan:
“While in the guardroom, awaiting His trial, Jesus was not protected. The ignorant rabble had seen the cruelty with which He was treated, and from this they took license to manifest all the satanic elements of their nature… Never was a criminal treated in so inhuman a manner as was the Son of God.” Desire of Ages, p. 710
Why Did Christ Die So Quickly?
The death by crucifixion was a long, lingering death which normally could take up to 7 days. But Christ died after only about 6 hours. That was the reason why, when Joseph of Arimathea came to Pilate asking for the body of Christ, Pilate was amazed that Christ died so quickly that he immediately asked the centurion to confirm it.
Why did Christ die so quickly? In John 19:34, we read that when one of the soldiers pierced Christ’s side with a spear, immediately “blood and water” came out.
Jesus died quickly because His heart literally ruptured from spiritual and emotional agony.
The Evidence of Ruptured Heart
The evidence is found in John 19:34, where we read that when a Roman soldier pierced Christ’s side with a spear, “immediately blood and water came out.”
During His terrible suffering, especially on the cross, Jesus experienced unimaginable physical pain and overwhelming mental anguish. According to medical explanations, such extreme stress can severely damage the heart and potentially cause it to rupture.
The heart is surrounded by a protective sac called the pericardium, which contains a clear, water-like liquid known as pericardial fluid. In certain medical conditions, a much larger amount of this fluid can accumulate around the heart.
Therefore, when the Roman soldier pierced Christ’s side after His death, the blood could have come from His heart, while the water-like liquid could have been pericardial fluid released from the sac surrounding it.
This provides a possible medical explanation for the blood and water described by John and supports the moving picture of Jesus dying of a broken heart, crushed by the terrible burden of our sins and the unbearable anguish of separation from His beloved Father!
“Upon Christ as our substitute was laid the iniquity of us all… The guilt of every descendant of Adam was pressing upon His heart. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father’s wrath upon Him as man’s substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” The Desire of Ages, 753
Unbearable Pain of Lost Love
Have you ever experienced the pain of being rejected by someone you loved more than life itself? If you have, you can understand a tiny glimpse of Christ’s suffering on the cross.
A long time ago, when I was about 24, I fell in love with a beautiful girl so much that I completely lost my mind. She was a member of the same local SDA Church, and for a long time, I hoped that the Lord would have mercy on me.
Unfortunately, one day I realised that my dream would never come true. As a result, I went through such horrible emotional suffering that it couldn’t be compared with any physical pain. And it lasted for the entire night
Fortunately, I survived that horrible crush, and later on, I even thanked God for that painful experience because it helped me to understand a little better what Christ went through for our salvation.
But my suffering, although unbearable, was still very small compared to Christ’s, because I loved for only a few years and with only my human, imperfect love, while the love between Christ and His Father was the eternal, divine agape love that didn’t even have its beginning.
If losing a human love can cause such terrible anguish, how infinitely greater must have been Christ’s suffering when He felt separated from the eternal love of His Father—a most powerful divine love without beginning and without limit.
Why Did Christ Feel Forsaken by His Father?
Why did Christ feel forsaken by His greatest, eternal love, His own Father and die out of a broken heart?
It was so because He “became a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13) and because He “was made sin for us, so that we could be the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Where was God when Christ was Dying for Us?
But was it only the Son of God who was dying for us and suffering? Where was God the Father when Christ was dying for us?
He was not a detached, cold spectator in heaven. The Bible explicitly states that “God was in Christ, reconciling (saving) the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
But God was in Christ in such a way that Christ couldn’t feel His presence in Him, because, to save us according to the law, Jesus had to taste the second death, feel eternally separated from His Father, and experience the wrath of God.
Do you remember what Jesus said to the disciples and Philip when he asked Him to show them the Father?
Where was God when Christ decided to die forever for us?
God was in Christ, experiencing the same for us!
Ellen White understood the matter in the same way:
“The angels suffered with Christ. God Himself was crucified with Him, because Christ was one with the Father.” (The Bible Echo, August 6, 1894).
God did not change or neglect the requirements of His holy, eternal law concerning us, sinners; He fulfilled them by sacrificing Himself in Christ! The law demanded the second death from us, and God not only sent His Son “in the likeness of our sinful flesh” (Rom. 8.3) to become our “sin” and our “curse” to save us legally, but He Himself suffered and died for us with His Son:
“God did not change His law; He sacrificed Himself in Christ. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” — The Desire of Ages, p. 762.
The Cross Exposed Satan and Secured the Universe Forever
In the beginning, when Satan rebelled against God and introduced sin into the perfect universe, God could not destroy Lucifer to prevent the fall of angels and humankind, because no one knew who Lucifer really was or understood his selfish desires.
If God had destroyed him at that time, the angels and other inhabitants of the unfallen worlds could have served and obeyed God out of fear.
But the cross of Christ revealed the ultimate and horrible results of sin, of life without God, and the true character of Satan.
By choosing to live independently of God and His self-emptying love, Satan became so selfish and cruel that he was able only to “kill, steal, and destroy”, and eventually he tortured and killed his own Creator!
As a result, God will be able to destroy Satan without any risk of being worshipped out of fear.
Furthermore, because the Cross revealed both the terrible consequences of sin and life apart from God, and the infinite depth of God’s self-sacrificing love—a love so great that, in Christ, God was willing to sacrifice even His own eternal life to save us—the entire universe will understand the true nature of sin and the immeasurable greatness of God’s love. As a result, sin will never again arise in God’s perfect universe (Nahum 1.9).
Three-Quarks and Suffering of Triune God
We all know that everything in the entire universe, including our bodies, is created from tiny, invisible atoms. Inside every atom, we have a nucleus, and in the nucleus, there are protons and neutrons.
And I find it very fascinating that in every proton and neutron, there are three quarks (the smallest particles) created by God, that make one proton or one neutron. And those three quarks are bound together by a powerful energy called by scientists “the gluon” or “the strong nuclear force“.
I believe that God created protons and neutrons in this way to show us that, like those three quarks, although three separate particles, bound together by the strong nuclear force, make one proton or one neutron, also God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, although three separate Beings, are bound together by the powerful, everlasting, self-sacrificing Agape love, thus making one Triune God!
The three Persons of the Godhead are one because they “permeate” each other (dwell in One Another). For instance, when One of Them suffers, Others feel the same.
All three don’t have a beginning of their existence and are perfectly united in thoughts, power and love, even though at the same time they are three separate Persons.
Recently, I asked the Lord to let me understand better the tri-unity of God with reference to the cross of Christ, and I was directed to a very interesting quote.
According to one physicist, “If quarks are forced into isolation, they decay in a micro-instant, as if they have no way to survive out of the relationship.”
What he suggests is that the three quarks forming one proton or one neutron can exist and survive only when they are together! If separated and forced to be alone, they instantly perish and cease to exist!
When I read that, I immediately got excited, because I realised the Holy Spirit was showing me a great and profound truth: that there was never a time when God was alone, because it would break His heart! Being alone would deprive God of the very purpose of His existence: the ability to love and to be loved.
God has always (from everlasting) had Someone Else to love and to be loved by.
It also helps us to understand why Jesus died of a broken heart when He was separated from the love of His Father.
And I am sure that God the Father and the Holy Spirit experienced the same.
That is why the Bible says that there were three crosses on Golgotha. Three nails were used to nail Christ’s hands and feet to the cross.
The darkness lasted for three hours.
How many times was Christ tempted to step down from the cross and save Himself? Three, because all Three Persons of the Godhead were tempted to stop that unimaginable suffering and torture.
How many times did Peter deny Christ? Three!
How many times did Jesus fall under the heavy cross? Three!
How many days did Christ spend in the tomb? Three!
Is it a coincidence? No. What does it mean? Why is the number three so often associated with Christ’s death and sufferings?
Because in this way the inspired Word of God helps us to realise that all Three Persons of the Godhead suffered for us.
Satan’s Attempt to Separate the Triune God Made Their Bond of Love Stronger Than Ever!
I have found another fascinating quote from quantum physics that beautifully illustrates the infinite power of God’s love revealed at the cross:
“The farther the quarks are pulled apart, the greater the energy that builds between them.”
Satan, through sin and death, made his most powerful attempt to separate God the Father and the Holy Spirit from His beloved Son. Yet the result was the very opposite of what Satan intended!
Through the infinite sacrifice of Christ caused by separation, the eternal bond of love within the Triune God became stronger than ever before!
And here is another remarkable statement from quantum physics:
“If you try to separate quarks, the energy you input creates new quark-antiquark pairs instead of isolating one.”
What a beautiful illustration of the triumph of God’s love!
Satan’s desperate attempt to separate the Father and the Holy Spirit from the Son resulted in something he could never have imagined: the redemption of countless human beings, who become the beloved children of God, forever united with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Before the Cross, Jesus was called the only begotten Son of God. After the Cross, He is no longer called the only begotten Son, but “the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).
Why?
Because Satan’s attempt to separate the three Persons of the Godhead through the sufferings and death of Christ resulted in the creation of many new sons and daughters of God!
Just as the attempt to separate quarks produces new quark-antiquark pairs, Satan’s attempt to separate the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit resulted in many new children of God, forever united with the Triune God in an everlasting bond of love! (John 1:12; Romans 8:16–17, 29; Hebrews 2:10–12).
Transformed Into the Same Image By Beholding the Glory of the Lord
Like the Gospel, which, according to Romans 1:16, is God’s power unto salvation for everyone who believes, also the message of the cross is not only a theory or words, but “the power of God” able to transform sinful human life (1 Cor. 1:18), if we study this subject with prayer, understanding and faith.
That is why the book Desire of Ages encourages us to “spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ… especially the closing scenes.” Desire of Ages, p. 83
Why is it important? Because when we in this way “behold the glory or love of our Lord, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord”.
Roger Morneau, a popular Adventist author, took that advice literally, and every day he read the passage from Matthew 27 about Christ’s sufferings and death, and here is what he wrote about the result of it:
Ap. Paul, who daily thought and prayed over the sufferings of Christ, wrote the following words: “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in sufferings, for Christ.” 2 Cor. 12:10
And in his letter to the Philippians he says to all of us, believers, “to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake.” — Philippians 1:29.
It means that suffering for Christ should be regarded as the greatest honour and privilege.
Let me show you an example of a person who allowed the Holy Spirit to transform her as a result of beholding the sufferings of Christ. Here is what she wrote about the effect of dwelling daily on the message of the cross of Christ:
“I crave the suffering part. I would not go to heaven without suffering if I could, and see Jesus who suffered so much to purchase for us so rich an inheritance… I long to be a partaker with Christ of His sufferings… Let us study to have our lives
as near like Christ’s as possible.” Reflecting Christ, p. 350.
How can we suffer for Christ?
Not only through persecutions, but also when we resist temptations and refuse to sin for Christ, in spite of suffering!
In the entire universe, only we are the partakers of the same human fallen nature Christ took at the incarnation, and therefore can understand Christ’s sufferings in the flesh. This is such a great privilege and honour that angels wish to experience it and understand what their Master went through out of His infinite love!
“The redeemed only, of all created beings, have in their own experience known the actual conflict with sin; they have wrought with Christ. And, as even the angels could
not do, have entered into the fellowship of His sufferings.” Desire of Ages, p. 320
No one in the universe, even angels, can understand the sufferings of Christ in the flesh as we can because He came “in the likeness of our sinful flesh”, because He “was made like Abraham’s descendants, like His brothers” like us believers, in every way, and was tempted in every way as we are! Since we are tempted through the indwelling law of sin and three basic drives of the flesh, He also was tempted in the same way, yet without sin.
“My very being longs after God. Oh, to reflect His lovely image perfectly! Oh, to be wholly consecrated to Him! Oh, how hard it is for dear self to die… I have had a taste of the joys of the world to come, and it has spoiled this world for me. My affections, my interests, hopes, my all is in heaven. I long to see the King in His beauty, Him whom my soul loveth.” Reflecting Christ, p. 350
Golden Flower
To better understand the unimaginable depth of God’s self-sacrificing love and devotion revealed through the sacrifice of His beloved Son, let me share with you a true story that took place in Taiwan.
Following ancient custom, parents arranged a marriage for their son, choosing a young bride named Golden Flower. When the wedding day finally arrived and the groom unveiled her face in private, he discovered she was not physically beautiful. Deeply upset and filled with pride, he completely rejected her.
For months, his parents pleaded with him, pointing out that Golden Flower was exceptionally humble, intelligent, hardworking, and a deeply devoted Christian. He eventually returned to the house but kept her hidden away from the world, refusing to acknowledge her. Years passed, and they had a daughter together.
When their daughter turned twelve, the man began rapidly losing his eyesight due to a rare, aggressive disease. The medical specialists informed him that a cornea transplant was his only hope, but it was far too expensive, and the waiting list was impossibly long. Hearing this, his wife quietly handed him her entire lifetime savings, which she had earned by secretly weaving baskets late into the night. Though he dismissively insisted that money alone could not buy a donor match, he received an unexpected phone call from the hospital just a few weeks later stating that perfect corneas had suddenly become available.
The surgery was a total success. When his daughter visited his bedside and asked if her mother could come see him, the man coldly refused, stating he did not want her presence in the hospital. Three weeks later, as he walked home with restored sight, he expressed a desire to visit the cemetery to honour the unknown person who had supposedly died and donated the corneas.
When they arrived home and his wife welcomed him, he felt a sudden wave of embarrassment and finally thanked her for the basket money. His wife began to cry softly, as it was the very first time he had ever shown her a shred of gratitude.
Suddenly, the daughter broke into uncontrollable tears and cried out, “Mom, you have to tell him! Tell him the truth! He doesn’t know you gave him your corneas!”
Stunned, the man turned and looked deeply into his wife’s eyes, only to realise that her corneas were gone. When he fell to his knees, weeping, and asked why she would do such a thing for someone who hated her, she softly replied, “Because you are my husband.”
Overwhelmed by her love, he knelt at her feet and called her by her true name, Golden Flower, for the very first time. 
To save us from the curse of the law, which is eternal death, the Son of God, out of pity and endless love for us, was willing to become sin and curse for us, went through torment and unimaginable suffering when he felt being eternally separated for us from His Father, His greatest eternal love, that we will never be able to fully understand, and on the cross He was willing to say goodbye to His eternal life in glory, so that we could live forever.
Realising all this, we should express our heartfelt gratitude by kneeling at His feet and saying, “Golden Flower“, and repeating the words of the apostle Paul, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14.
When we begin to grasp the immeasurable price Christ paid for our salvation, how can we remain indifferent to such extraordinary love? How can we withhold our hearts from the One who loved us more than His own eternal life? What could we possibly offer Him in return for a sacrifice so infinite, a love so pure, and a gift so undeserved? Surely, the only fitting response is to surrender our entire hearts and lives to Him—not out of fear or obligation, but out of deep gratitude and genuine love:
“The Son of God gave all—life and love and suffering—for our redemption. And can it be that we, the unworthy objects of so great love, will withhold our hearts from Him? He became sin for the race! But what do we give up, when we give all? A sin-polluted heart, for Jesus to cleanse by His own blood! And yet men think it hard to give up all! I am ashamed to hear it, ashamed to write it.” (Steps to Christ, Chapter 5).
Let us follow the beautiful example of Mary Magdalene, who deeply appreciated what Jesus had done for her, surrendered her whole heart to Him, and desired nothing more than to be wherever her beloved Saviour was—not out of duty or hope of reward, but out of pure, grateful, and unselfish love.
