The Beauty of the Cross in a Humanistic World

THE CENTRALITY OF THE CROSS AND GOD’S LOVE

Keeping the Cross is central all the more today amidst a growing message within the Church that portrays a happy-go-lucky God, who doesn’t really care about sin, only about loving people unconditionally. This is not the gospel, this is called humanistic universalism. It is heresy, a doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:1), an anti-christ spirit (1 John 4:3). The Church must resist this ecumenical sentiment in just unifying around a vague love of God. He loved us so much, but hated sin so much, that the steepest price conceivable was paid- He crushed His Son and shed His precious blood to reconcile us to Him (Heb. 9:16).

God is not a generic God of love, He has unmistakably and exclusively distinguished Himself as Christ Crucified. A love of God that is not rooted in the Cross is not a Gospel at all! Just as Hebrews 9:22 states that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”. All who set aside the grace of God (the Cross, Heb. 10:28-29), or come short of the grace of God (Heb. 12:15)) will perish in a Lake of Fire.

Thus, as a Body of Christ, we must unite around the gospel of Christ Crucified (1 Cor. 2:2) and bear the Cross imitating Christ in His meekness and humility (Phil. 2), sacrificial giving and love, (Eph. 5:1-2) perseverance and faithfulness (Heb. 3:2-3), in His righteousness; in turning the other cheek, in going the extra mile, in giving of His cloak (Mt. 5); in His suffering, in blessing those who persecuted Him, in praying for His enemies, in restraining from wrath, in forgiving His debtors, in joyfully enduring the Cross and scorning its shame (Heb. 12:2). A cruciform heart, mind and life is the authentic mark of a follower of Christ.

WHAT THE CROSS HAS PURCHASED

It’s through the Cross  that we can have peace with God though we were once at enmity. We can receive mercy though we deserved wrath. We can receive love and intimacy though we hated Him. Fellowship though we grieved Him. Friendship though we rejected Him. Sonship though we ran from Him. Heirship though we were poor. Priest-ship though our sins were as scarlet. Kingship though we were lame beggars. 

It’s through the Cross we have been purchased, and sealed by the Holy Spirit for redemption, and given an inheritance that will neither perish, spoil, or fade (1 Pe. 1:4). One that cannot be defiled, one that moth or rust can’t corrode, not thieves break in and steal (Mt. 6). It’s through the Messiah’s work on the Cross alone that we will be raised from the dead in bodies of glory (1 Cor. 15), freed from the bondage of the dread of death (Heb. 2:15), rescued from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10) and delivered into the everlasting Kingdom of His beloved Son (Col 1:13), a home of righteousness (2 Pe. 3:13).

The glories of the coming age, and our appearing with Him in glory (Col 3:4), our sharing the riches of His glory (Col. 1:27), our receiving glory, honor, praise at the revelation of Christ (1 Pe. 1:7) were all purchased on the back of a Suffering Servant. God raised Jesus from the dead (Rom. 10:9) and poured out His Spirit (Acts 2:33) as a divine stamp of approval upon this Man’s work to bear the sin of man upon His shoulders (Is. 53:11). For this reason we have a hope made more certain (2 Pe. 1:19), we have a hope that will not disappoint (Rom. 5:5), a hope as an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil (Heb. 6:19).

THE CROSS - THE PLEASURE OF GOD

The breadth (all people), the length (for all of history), the depth (sin we can’t perceive), and height (sin we can perceive) of man’s sin was overcome by the breadth, the length, the depth, and height of God’s love revealed most perfectly in Christ Crucified. Consider this, the Cross was so marvelous in the eyes of God, the blood of His Son so valuable, His sacrifice so esteemed that it wasn’t enough to simply acquit man of all his transgressions. His pleasure was not fully spent and exhausted yet. So God determines that for unending ages the surpassing riches of His grace and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus will only increase with unrelenting intensity (Eph. 2:4-9), until the Church is finally brought into the Father’s deep delight in the Son (Eph. 3:16-19). The Redeemed will be so astonished as they with unveiled faces consider the glory of the Cross, that the New Heavens and New Earth will be utterly consumed by doxologies.

Have we as followers of Christ Crucified pushed past the stigma of suffering and rightly considered the glory of the Cross? If we have, we will bear an authentic and divine stamp, lives that are crucified with Christ.

 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (NASB Galatians 2:20)