Learning Mercy at the Cross

“The cross exposes our shared guilt, but it also proclaims God’s willingness to forgive.”

 by: chioma anuebunwa, director of student support

At the foot of the cross, Jesus speaks words that strip away every illusion of moral distance: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). These words were spoken not only over the Roman soldiers or the religious leaders who demanded His death, but over all of humanity. Scripture makes clear that sin is not merely an external act committed by “others” against us; it is an internal condition that defines us apart from God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). From Adam onward, humanity has inherited a sinful nature that inclines our hearts away from God (Psalm 51:5). When we sin, we are not merely harming ourselves or others; we are offending a holy God whose law reveals His perfect character (1 John 3:4).

BROKEN PEOPLE IN A BROKEN WORLD

This reality reshapes how we understand guilt and responsibility. It is tempting to view sin primarily as something done to us - wounds inflicted by broken people in a broken world. While those wounds are real, scripture insists we confront a deeper truth: sin is something we have done to God. David understood this after his great moral failure, crying out, “Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight” (Psalm 51:4). Our rebellion, whether public or private, is ultimately vertical before it is horizontal. Even sins committed in ignorance still flow from hearts corrupted by the fall, which is why Jesus’ plea for forgiveness acknowledges both our guilt and our blindness.

HOPE AND MERCY IN CHRIST

Yet embedded in Christ’s words is profound hope. Jesus does not deny human sinfulness; He intercedes at the very moment it is most clearly displayed. His prayer reveals that forgiveness is not earned by our awareness or repentance alone, but it is initiated by God’s mercy (Ephesians 2:4–5). When we stop viewing sin as a problem belonging to “them” and instead confess it as our own offense against God, we are finally positioned to receive grace. The cross exposes our shared guilt, but it also proclaims God’s willingness to forgive all who come to Him in humility and faith (1 John 1:8–9).

Therefore, when we ask God to forgive our sins, we must also remember to forgive those who have sinned against us (Matthew 6:12). What might this look like? When a teacher, student, or family member does something hurtful, we are called to find it in our hearts to forgive them, knowing that we too have offended God in our sinful nature and depend daily on His mercy and forgiveness.