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What Was Happening on the Cross

March 21, 2026
00:00

On the cross, Jesus bore the sins of the world. The cross shows us both the heinousness of sin and the love of God.

Guest (Male): Open the Bible with Colin Smith.

Colin Smith: When Jesus died on the cross, He bore our sins in His body. Now bearing our sins meant that Jesus endured the punishment that was due to us. In other words, Jesus endured all that hell is on the cross.

Think about it: He was in conscious suffering, in blackest darkness, surrounded by demonic powers. He bore the guilt of sin, He absorbed divine wrath, and He endured all of this alone, separated from the comfort of the Father's love.

People often talk about whether hell is real or not. Hell is as real as the cross. Christ entered into all the dimensions of hell on the cross, and He did this so that you would never know what hell is like.

Guest (Male): Invite a friend to open the Bible with you at openthebible.org.

This transcript is provided as a written companion to the original message and may contain inaccuracies or transcription errors. For complete context and clarity, please refer to the original audio recording. Time-sensitive references or promotional details may be outdated. This material is intended for personal use and informational purposes only.

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About Open the Bible Minute

Open the Bible is the teaching ministry of Pastor Colin Smith. Our mission is to use a broad array of modern media to help people around the world meet Jesus. We do this by opening the Bible for them, helping them open the Bible themselves, and equipping them to open the Bible with others.

About Colin Smith

Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, a thriving, multi-campus church located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and Founder and Teaching Pastor of Open the Bible.

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, he trained at the London School of Theology where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Philosophy. Before coming to the States in 1996, Colin served as senior pastor of the Enfield Evangelical Free Church in London.

He is the author of several books including Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings through the Beatitudes; Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross; Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life; The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional; 10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible; The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life; as well as others. His preaching ministry is shared around the world through Open the Bible.

Colin and his wife Karen reside in Arlington Heights, Ill., and have two married sons and five granddaughters.

Contact Open the Bible Minute with Colin Smith

Mailing Address
Open the Bible
P.O. Box 3454
Barrington, IL 60011
Telephone
1-877-OPEN-365