Thrust Statement: God’s people should determine not to
know anything except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:14
As one reflects
upon his/her salvation, one cannot help but recall the cross of Jesus Christ.
Without the cross of Christ, one would find himself/herself in utter despair.
Since everyone has sinned, every individual is under the wrath of God unless
one comes under the cross of Christ. It was upon the cross that Jesus paid the
penalty for the sins of mankind. It was upon the cross that God the Father laid
on Him the iniquity of us all. It was upon the cross that Jesus was pierced for
our transgressions. It was upon the cross that Jesus was crushed for our
iniquities. It was upon the cross that Jesus justified many. It was upon the
cross that Jesus brought us peace.
Paul, in his first letter to Corinth (ca. 54/56 CE), calls attention to the priority of the cross in his preaching. He goes
right to the heart of the Gospel when he writes: “For I resolved to know
nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). After Paul’s first missionary
journey, he wrote to the churches in the province of Galatia (ca. 48 CE) concerning the cross of Jesus: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, through which the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).[1]
Some Christians were not relying upon the
“finished” work of Christ for salvation. This mindset was not something unique
to the first century; it is still
prevalent within the twenty-first century. Many Christians today still labor
under the impression that it is one’s works that puts one in a right
relationship with God. It is not uncommon for Christians to rely not upon the
finished work of Christ, but rather upon their own good works. Is it any wonder
that Paul, in writing to the Ephesians (60 CE), calls attention to God’s grace manifested in
and through Jesus: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can
boast” (Ephesians
2:8-9).
Do you glory in the cross of Christ? Or do you glory in your own works? Did you receive salvation through the cross
of Christ or through your own efforts?
Did you receive the Spirit of God through your obedience to God’s law,
or did you receive the Spirit through faith?
Are you a child of God through faith, or are you a child of God through
law keeping? Are you glorying in the
cross of Christ, or are you glorying in your own efforts? Is salvation from God? Or is salvation from
you? If you are glorying in your own efforts, you are denying justification by
faith. In other words, you are in reality
denying the purpose of the cross of Christ.
Paul captures graphically the nature of salvation when he says,
Justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Romans 3:24-26).
The cross was an outstanding victory over
Satan, death, and condemnation. As the
people of God, every believer should live his/her daily life with a sensitive
awareness of Christ’s cross. Are you living in sin as your way of life? Have
you put to death the sins of your flesh? Are you looking to Jesus for salvation?
Do you understand that it is only through His blood shed upon the cross that
you can enjoy fellowship with God? Paul points out the significance of the
cross and the blood to the Colossians (60 CE):
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell
in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on
earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the
cross” (Colossians 1:19-20).
It is through the shed blood of Jesus upon
the cross that God has brought about peace for sinful humanity. In astonishment
Paul cries out: “For he himself is our peace” (Ephesians 2:14). Again,
he writes: “For through him we both have access to the Father by One
Spirit” (2:18). Is it incredulous that Paul stands in awe, as
it were, at glorying at anything other than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which
the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians
6:14).
The author of Hebrews encourages the
disciples of Jesus to fix their eyes on Him who is the source of
salvation. Are your eyes fixed on Jesus
or are your eyes fixed on your own works? The author of Hebrews calls attention
to the necessity of fixing one’s eyes upon the One who is the author and
perfecter of one’s faith. Listen to this writer as he zeros in on Him who is
the author of eternal life:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not
grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:2-3).
Once more, the words of Paul ring loud and
clear: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Do you praise God for what Jesus did upon the cross? Do you ever
contemplate upon the miracle of it all? The heavenly host does! If one wants to
really understand the magnitude of this event upon the cross, one should
reflect upon the words of John (ca 68 BC) as he describes the vision and admiration of
the heavenly host. For just a moment, take the time to eavesdrop on a scene
that took place in heaven with the twenty-four elders who fell down before the
Lamb of God in praise:
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to
open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men
for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them
to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the
earth” (Revelation
5:9-10).
The twenty-four elders sang a new song about the blood of Jesus. Yes, he was slain (crucified) and purchased men for God through His shed blood. This adoration did not stop just with the twenty-four elders, but John tells his readers that this praise came from thousands upon thousands as they reflected upon the unfathomable riches of God’s grace in offering Jesus for the sins of the world. Yet again, listen to John as he seeks to capture the praise extended to the One who died upon the cross for the sins of humanity:
Then I
looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living
creatures and the elders. In
a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is
the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and
strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every
creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all
that is in them, singing: “To him who
sits on the throne and to the Lamb be
praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living
creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped (Revelation 5:11-14).
Do you sing in a
loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain”? Do you glory in the cross of
Jesus? There is a sense in which one can never know His Lord Jesus Christ
without the cross. The penal aspect of
the death of the Lord Jesus is the essence of the gospel. Peter says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to
sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Have you died to sins? Are you now living for righteousness? Has
the cross of Jesus made a difference in your lifestyle? What does this grace
really mean to you? Has grace changed your way of living? Paul tells Titus:
For the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly
passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present
age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to
do what is good (Titus
2:12-14).
The cross of Christ should change the
behavior of every man and woman who responds to the “good news” of salvation
made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus as atonement for the sins of
humanity. This sacrifice of Jesus is so important that Paul reminds the
Corinthians not to forget the gospel—death, burial, and resurrection—he
proclaimed to them:
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the
gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your
stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached
to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1
Corinthians 15:1-4).
Paul wanted them to know that Jesus had to
die, “for without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). Christ’s death upon the cross was not an afterthought on the part
of God. Peter on the day of Pentecost
acknowledged the foreordination of this redeeming event: “This man was
handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with
the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23). On the day of the resurrection, the women who had previously
followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 23:55)
visited the tomb of Jesus only to be questioned by “two men in clothes that
gleamed like lightning” (24:4). These two men said: “Why do you look for the
living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you,
while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into
the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’
Then they remembered his words” (24:5-8).
Following a squabble between the apostles over the request of James and
John for positions of honor (Mark 10:35-41),
Jesus reminds them all: “the Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many” (10:45). There was
sovereignty about His death, for He chose the manner of His death and unfolded
it to His disciples. He knew He was
going to die. Matthew records three
separate occasions (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23;
20:17-19) in
which Jesus foretold about His death and resurrection on the third day. In His last Passover meal with the
disciples, He explains to His disciples that the third cup (The Cup of
Blessing) represented His shed blood: “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28).
As one recalls the Passover meal in which Jesus instituted His own meal
as a memorial, one can hardly mull over the words “my blood” and “poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins” without reflection upon the words of the
Holy Spirit revealed to Isaiah (739 BCE) concerning this
event of Christ’s sacrifice. Isaiah 53 is one of the most profound prophesies
in the Old Testament that describes the import of the death of Christ for the
world. Listen to Isaiah as he describes the benefits from the crucifixion:
He was despised, and we esteemed him
not. 4 Surely he took up
our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him
stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced
for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his
own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as
a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By
oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his
descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people he was stricken. 9 He was assigned a
grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no
violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to
suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see
his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in
his hand. 11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light
of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify
many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I
will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the
strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with
the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:4-12).
Is it any wonder that everyone should boast only in the “cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ”? When one thinks about the following statements, one can only
stand in awe at the unsearchable riches of Christ: “The LORD makes his life a
guilt offering,” “My righteous servant will justify many,” “He will bear their
iniquities,” and “He bore the sins, and made intercession for the
transgressors.” Yes, these pregnant clauses set forth the substitutionary
atonement of Jesus—“the LORD makes his life
a guilt offering” (Isaiah 53:10). No wonder Paul shouts: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Do you not understand why Paul dared not
boast about his salvation except in the cross of Christ? It is as Paul says, “for all have sinned and
fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Again, Paul writes, “God presented him as a
sacrifice of atonement” (3:25).
Jesus died to become your Savior. I
remind each of you, “there is one God
and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as
a ransom for all men” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Once more, Paul’s words are to the point:
“justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ
Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Can you brag about your works? Do you think that your works have put you in
a right relationship with God? Listen
all over again as Paul nails the coffin shut about “works righteousness”:
“Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of
observing the law? No, but on that of faith” (3:27). Paul emphatically states: “For we
maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (3:28).
What does the cross mean to you? Does it
exclude your boasting about your salvation through your own merits? You would
never know salvation from the penalty of sin were it not for the fact that
Jesus died at Calvary. Have you knelt
at Calvary and said, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Galatians 6:14). Where do you stand? Remember that the glory of the cross is the
glory of His person, His purpose, and His power. Will you look at that cross and beyond it to Christ and give your
answer? Do you praise God as the
twenty-four elders praised God in their contemplation of the One slain from the
foundation of the world? Do you too join in praise with the heavenly host—ten
thousand times ten thousand? The song
written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748)—When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (written in
1707)—should reverberate through every heart as one contemplates the marvel of
it all.
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God; all the vain things that charm me most—I sacrifice them to His blood.
See, from His head, His hands, His feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down; did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the
whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small: Love so amazing,
so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
[1]
All Scripture citations are from
The New International Version, (Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984, unless stated otherwise.