GodSprings - March 26, 2016

Is Cross Story too Simple, too Foolish, too Humbling to Accept?

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. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)

Oswald Chambers in one of his devotions on cross said, “All heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, all hell terribly afraid of it, while men are the only beings who more or less ignore its meaning.” Why does the cross of Christ cause some to fall to their knees in worship and others to walk away, shaking their heads in defiant disbelief?

Only two ways are appropriate to look at the cross of Christ: either you see the action upon the cross as the greatest miracle ever exhibited by God toward mankind, or you consider the act to be the most absurd claim ever made by mankind about God. The cross of Christ is both repelling and appealing, horrific and holy, ridiculous and reasonable, outrageous and outstanding, and is both foolishness and wisdom.

The answer is found within the message of the cross. In order for us to understand that message, we must first understand what the cross was all about. Crucifixion was a horrific form of capital punishment used by several ancient nations, including the Romans, whereby the convicted criminal would be nailed to a cross to die a slow, agonizing death by asphyxiation. Crucifixion was incredibly painful, tremendously humiliating, and consequently was reserved for only the worst criminals.  The thought of God using the cross as the instrument of glory through which He would accomplish His greatest work seemed counterintuitive for most and remains that way even today.

The message of the cross is, at its very core, God’s remedy for humanity’s terminal disease of sin. The cross was God’s plan from before the creation of the world. The cross would be the divine tool through which Jesus, His holy Son, would sacrifice his life in a glorious and victorious demonstration of God’s love and power. God knew he would make a bold invitation that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished through His death on the cross would be given eternal life. Despite God’s clear message of love and mercy, some find the story too simple, too foolish, or too humbling to accept.

The Jews were offended at the message of the cross because they wanted a conquering king, not a suffering Savior. The Greeks were offended at the message of the cross because the plan was not polished with rational philosophical sophistication. Others, however, saw in the message of the cross of Christ the perfect display of God’s love and power, a faultless example of His forgiveness, and a genuine display of God’s genius.

Why the message of the cross of Christ has offended people’s sensibilities throughout history is simple; behind every objection to the message and meaning of the cross is the sin of pride. Always and forever, pride calls the message of the cross foolish. Pride believes that mankind’s way must be the right way, that human reasoning must be higher than God’s reasons, that human intellect must be greater than the infinite mind of an all knowing God. But the message of the cross is central to Christianity, and a dividing line between foolishness and faith.

In message of cross, we must never compromise, water down, or eliminate from what we believe, what we stand for, and what we proclaim. Better to be a fool in the eyes of mankind and be found wise in the eyes of God than be considered wise to mankind and found a fool to God.