Never before was there such a general knowledge of Jesus as when He hung upon the cross. He was lifted up from the earth to draw all to Him. Into the hearts of many who beheld that crucifixion scene, and who heard Christ’s words, was the light of truth to shine. With John they would proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” There were those who never rested until, comparing passage with passage, they saw the meaning of Christ’s mission. They saw that free forgiveness was provided by Him whose tender mercy embraced the whole world. They read the prophecies regarding Christ, and the promises so free and full, pointing to a fountain opened for Judah and Jerusalem. MS 45 1897 E G White.

The sacrifice of Christ as an atonement for sin is the great truth around which all other truths cluster. In order to be rightly understood and appreciated, every truth in the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, must be studied in the light which streams from the cross of Calvary, and in connection with the wondrous, central truth of the Saviour’s atonement. Those who study the Redeemer’s wonderful sacrifice grow in grace and knowledge.

I present before you the great, grand monument of mercy and regeneration, salvation and redemption—the Son of God uplifted on the cross of Calvary. This is to be the theme of every discourse. Christ declares, “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me.”               MS 70 1901 E G White.

When Christ came to this world, he found that Satan had everything as he wanted it. The adversary of God and man thought that he was indeed the prince of the earth, but Jesus laid hold of the world to take it out of the power of Satan. He came to redeem it from the curse of sin and the penalty of transgression, that the transgressor might be forgiven. He planted the cross between earth and heaven, and between divinity and humanity; and as the Father beheld the cross, he was satisfied. He said, “It is enough, the offering is complete.” God and man may be reconciled. Those who have lived in rebellion against God, may become reconciled, if as they see the cross, they become repentant, and accept the great propitiation that Christ has made for their sins. In the cross they see that “mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” ST Sept 30 1889 E G White.

Every eye in the unfallen universe is bent upon those who profess to be Christ's followers. Here, in this atom of a world, an earnest warfare is going on,—a battle in which Christ, our substitute and surety, has engaged in our behalf, and conquered. Now we, Christ's purchased possession, must become soldiers of his cross, and conquer in our own behalf, on our own account, through the power and wisdom given us from above. The influence of the cross of Calvary is to vanquish every earthly and spiritual evil power; and we need to know the plan of the battle, that we may work in harmony with Christ.

The promulgation of the gospel is not a haphazard work, operating at random. In the aggressive warfare of truth against error, light against darkness, there is work to be done both in heaven and on earth, and the workers on the earth are to move in perfect harmony with the heavenly agencies. Then the world will see the work moving in wisdom, and although they cannot understand or explain it, they note the effect. But when we, the human agencies, step outside of God's plan, the beauty and harmony of the arrangement is marred, and the work intrusted to our hands does not present the divine characteristics. Adherence to God's plan, which is comprehensive and connected in all its parts, is positively essential to success in the conversion of many souls to Christ.

Human influence, deriving its efficiency from heaven, is God's instrumentality through which the gospel is to be diffused, and its transforming effects revealed. We are to influence one another for good, keeping the Lord ever before us, working with the unseen world in view. The work of Satan is to interpose his sophistry, his lying statements, to lead men to believe a lie rather than the words of God, which are the truth. It is thus that he leads men into presumptuous sins. Satan is ever at work to keep out of our minds the doctrine of the cross of Christ; for this is the counter-influence through which sin is to be vanquished and man be brought back to his allegiance to the law of God.

The cross stands alone, a great center in the world. It does not find friends, but it makes them. It creates its own agencies. Christ proposes that men shall become laborers together with God. He makes human beings his instrumentalities for drawing all men unto himself. A divine agency is sufficient only through its operation on human hearts with its transforming power, making men co-laborers with God.

“Be ye perfect,” said Christ, “even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” There cannot be a complete, harmonious development of Christian character when Christians exclude themselves from the world; for in this they are not following the example of Christ. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” Not in the closet alone is perfection of character reached, nor solely in the public assembly; it should be our first work to seek the Lord with humble hearts, to learn his way; then we are to take him with us into the public assembly. Thought and action, prayer and work, are all essential. “Ye are laborers together with God.” It is our privilege to be so closely connected with God that we shall know his will.

RH Sept 29 1891 E G White.