“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45).

The second verse of the grand old hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross,” contains much truth, rich and deep.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me; For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above To bear it to dark Calvary.

“And He bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha” (John 19:17).

“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

The week before Easter provides us with a special opportunity to ponder the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and a fuller understanding should bring us to an ever deeper reliance on and identification with Him.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

What is sin? Much is written in Scripture regarding sin, its nature, and effects. This has led to a wealth of discussions on the subject, and many shades of definition based on the numerous Scriptural passages have been offered.

“Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart” (Ephesians 4:18).

The blindness mentioned in our text is the same word used to describe a kind of stone. In verb form, this word indicates a process and means “to make hard or to petrify.” Often the word is translated as hardness.