Exegeting the Hymns #33 - Power of the Cross

Power of the Cross
w/m Keith Getty, Stuart Townend

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day
Christ on the road to Calvary
Tried by sinful men
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood 

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face
Bearing the awesome weight of sin
Every bitter thought
Every evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow 

This, the pow’r of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross 

Now the daylight flees
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head
Curtain torn in two
Dead are raised to life
”Finished!” the victory cry

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds
For through Your suffering I am free
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live
Won through Your selfless love 

This, the pow’r of the cross
Son of God—slain for us
What a love! What a cost 
We stand forgiven at the cross

Most songs that are 13 years old sound dated and are worn out for corporate singing. People are just tired of hearing it again. That’s what I love about the timeless songs from the Gettys and Stuart Townend. They intentionally write music that has a 30+ year shelf life. It’s the reason why “Shout to the Lord” sounds so old, and “In Christ Alone” is still so fresh although they were written the same year. This particular song from their catalog is my personal favorite worship song of all time. I never tire of singing of these wonderful themes. As Bob Kauflin says, “We can’t hear enough about how the blood of Christ has fully covered our sins.”  

Oh, to see the dawn of the darkest day… Christ on the road to Calvary. You can tell from the first words that this song is going to tell a story, but a story told in brilliant poetic fashion. This day, 2,000 years or so ago, changed everything. By the end of that day the veil in the temple was ripped in two, an earthquake had broken apart rocks, and there were dead people who were raised and walking the streets. So much happened in the course of that one day. Tried by sinful men, torn and beaten, then nailed to a cross of wood. Imagine the irony that the judge of all the earth, the one to whom everyone will give an account and every knee will bow was forced to endure a mock trial by wicked and treacherous men.  

Oh, to see the pain written on Your face, bearing the awesome weight of sin. Jesus knew the physical agony would be torture, but the lashes inflicted by man could not compare to the wrath of the Father poured out on Him in our place. Every bitter thought, every evil deed crowning Your bloodstained brow. It should make us fall on our faces in repentance when we realize that our wicked actions, words, and even thoughts were what Jesus paid for. His blood was shed in our place, for our transgressions. He was the spotless Lamb of God who took our sins upon Himself.

This, the pow’r of the cross: Christ became sin for us. Took the blame, bore the wrath. We stand forgiven at the cross. Christ became sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” There is a movement today in evangelicalism full of false teachers who teach that Jesus became “a sinner”, and needed to die for His sins. One popular false teacher even said that Jesus needed to be “born again”. This is heresy, pure and simple. All of our sins were placed upon Him to be atoned for as the wrath of God was poured out. We don’t have to pay for our sins because Jesus paid it all. However, nowhere in the process did Jesus ever sin or become a sinner, or need to repent, or need to be born again. We are forgiven, not by works that we have done, but because our sins are paid for by Christ our Savior.

Now the daylight flees. Now the ground beneath quakes as its Maker bows His head. Here, the writers use anthropomorphism (using inanimate objects to express human emotion). The daylight is fleeing from what it has witnessed on that day. The ground is quaking in horror at the death of its Creator. Curtain torn in two. Dead are raised to life. ”Finished!” the victory cry. The way was opened to the Holy of Holies. We can now go directly to God for Christ is the only Mediator we need. Dead people were miraculously awakened and freed by the mighty earthquake as Jesus declared victory over sin and the grave!

Oh, to see my name written in the wounds, for through Your suffering I am free. This is my favorite line of the song. It brings tears to my eyes every time I sing it. MY sin. MY wickedness. MY rebellion sent Jesus to the cross. I am why He died. It’s personal for me and should be for you too. My transgressions were all over His wounds. My sin drove in the nails and bound Him to that tree, yet as He was confined to the cross, I was loosed from my chains. Death is crushed to death. Life is mine to live, won through Your selfless love. Jesus accomplished all He was sent to do, now we are called to use our freedom to serve the One who set us free. We love Him because He first loved us.

This, the pow’r of the cross. Son of God—slain for us. What a love! What a cost, we stand forgiven at the cross!

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