A Course in Miracles and the True Meaning of the Crucifixion

The crucifixion has long been interpreted through the lens of sacrifice, suffering, and punishment. In traditional Christian theology, it is often presented as the ultimate price paid for sin—a brutal event meant to appease an angry God. A Course in Miracles, however, offers a radically different interpretation, one that gently undoes fear and restores the crucifixion to its true purpose: a teaching in love, not a lesson in pain.

The Crucifixion Was Not God’s Demand

According to ACIM, God does not demand suffering. God does not punish. God does not require sacrifice. Any theology that portrays God as needing blood, pain, or death in order to forgive is rooted in the ego’s projection—not divine truth.

The Course is unequivocal:

“The crucifixion did not establish the Atonement; the resurrection did.” (T-3.I.1)

This statement alone reframes everything. The crucifixion was not a payment for sin. It was not proof that suffering redeems. Instead, it was a demonstration—a teaching device—meant to show that the body is not the Self and cannot be threatened in truth.

The Ego’s Use of the Crucifixion

The ego thrives on guilt, fear, and victimhood. Unsurprisingly, it has repurposed the crucifixion into a symbol of punishment and unworthiness. In the ego’s narrative, humanity is sinful, deserving of pain, and forever indebted.

ACIM calls this interpretation a grave misunderstanding.

When the crucifixion is seen as proof that God punishes His Son, fear becomes holy and suffering becomes justified. The Course warns that this misinterpretation reinforces the belief in separation—the very belief the crucifixion was meant to undo.

The Crucifixion as a Teaching in Non-Attack

From the perspective of A Course in Miracles, the crucifixion demonstrates what it means not to attack, even in the face of extreme attack.

Jesus is presented not as a victim, but as a teacher who refused to see himself as harmed. He did not retaliate, condemn, or defend the body as his identity. Instead, he embodied a profound lesson:

Nothing real can be threatened.Nothing unreal exists.

In this sense, the crucifixion teaches that attack does not change truth, and fear does not alter love.

“Teach Only Love, For That Is What You Are”

ACIM emphasizes that Jesus’ role was not to die for us, but to teach us.

“I did not die for your sins, but I did show you that death is not real.”

The message is not “you are guilty, and someone had to suffer,” but rather: “You are innocent, and suffering has no power over what you truly are.”

This teaching invites us to question our own identification with pain, grievance, and victimhood. The crucifixion becomes a mirror, asking: Where am I still believing I can be hurt? Where am I still using suffering as proof of love?

The Resurrection: The True Emphasis

In ACIM, the resurrection—not the crucifixion—is the cornerstone of the teaching. The resurrection symbolizes the awakening of the mind from fear to love, from identification with the body to recognition of eternal life.

The body was laid aside, not glorified Fear was undone, not sanctified. Life was revealed as continuous and changeless.

The resurrection affirms that the Son of God cannot die, because Spirit cannot be crucified.

What the Crucifixion Means for Us Now

When understood correctly, the crucifixion is not something to mourn—it is something to learn from.

It teaches:

• You are not a body.

• You are not guilty.

• You cannot be punished by God.

• Love does not require sacrifice.

• Forgiveness, not suffering, is the path home.

In our daily lives, this means choosing again each time we feel attacked, wronged, or victimized. It means remembering that peace is restored not through defence, but through forgiveness.

From Symbol of Pain to Symbol of Peace

A Course in Miracles does not ask us to reject the crucifixion—it asks us to reinterpret it. When seen through the Holy Spirit’s lens, the crucifixion is transformed from a symbol of death into a symbol of fearlessness.

It stands as a quiet reminder: Truth cannot be crucified. Love cannot be killed. And what God created remains forever whole.