The cross is fundamental and central in the Bible, and it is very essential and vital to our lives. The cross is God’s means to God’s end. God’s eternal purpose is His Son. He wants His Son to have the first place in all things, to sum up all things in Christ. The end is God’s Son, but the cross is the only means–not just one of the means but the only means–to reach God’s end. This is a message that comes out of the cross of Christ, and it is this message that we must hear.