1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
(NIV)
There are some Christians today who believe
that the Cross was accidental and not a part of God’s plan. They say that
Christ’s message of love is what is important now, and that to pin our faith on
being forgiven through Jesus’ agonizing death is to worship a God that is
vindictive, violent, and vile.
Paul would call them foolish and
that they will end up perishing because they cannot accept the purpose of the
Cross. I agree with Paul because if I accept that Christ’s death was purely
accidental, then God is powerless and not worthy of worship. It would also mean
that Jesus was just a foolish preacher who got caught up in his own rhetoric and
deserved to be killed by the authorities. Christ would become just another was
a self-centered religious simpleton instead of a selfless Savior.
For those of us who accept the power
of the Cross as being predestined by God, we embrace an understanding that we
are sinners who need to be saved from our sins. We don’t ever want to be
separated from God and we don’t want to be cast aside forever. We claim the
power of the crucified Christ, whose body was broken for our mistakes and whose
blood was shed for our transgressions. In other words, without the Cross there
is no forgiveness, and without Christ being nailed to that Cross, there is no
hope of life after death. We would rather be fools for Christ on this side of
life than fools for all of eternity on the other side of death.
Question: What
does Christ’s Cross mean to me? How has it shaped my faith?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of
the world and the Redeemer of our souls. Your life was predestined by God to
end in a sacrificial way. You accepted God’s will to be crucified, so that we
can be forgiven of our sins and restored to God’s favor. Thank You for not
abandoning us; thank You for loving us so much that You willingly sacrificed
Your Life. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian
Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask questions or make
comments about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s new Lenten Cross drawings. If you would like to view a
larger version, please click on this link: Cross.
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