Why Preach the Cross?

WHY PREACH THE CROSS?
November 22nd, 2008 (from www.claytonking.com/blog) This seems to be the underlying question among so many younger Christians today, particularly those in college who were raised in church and are now in theology classes where they are taught to question everything they have ever heard, read, or been taught.

Recently at a regional seminary, there was a great debate in a class on the cross of Christ. The professor informed the class that the traditional, orthodox teaching on the cross (that it was brutal and bloody and necessary for our salvation and for God's wrath against sin to be averted and satisfied) was antiquated and outdated. The professor then said that the cross was simply an example of a willingness to serve humanity; an example Jesus gave us to follow so that we might live the rest of our lives serving others.

This is correct insofar that the cross beckons us to die to selfish desires, shallow materialism, and arrogant pursuits. But is that it? Is that all? Is the cross MERELY AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW?

Maybe we should ask the apostle Paul that question. He made the cross of Christ the central element of his gospel message. Consider what he said in Colossians 1:20 when he stated, "...hrough Him to reconcile all things to himself on earth and in heaven, making peace through His blood, shed on the cross."

If the cross is merely an example to follow, then Paul missed he point by emphasizing the blood of Christ too often. The fact that the blood of Christ is made central simply points to the unjust brutality of His murder, the debt that had to be paid as required by Old Testament law, and the severe nature of the crucifixion of Christ on calvary. I don't believe the blood was magic, as some ancient sects would have declared. But I do believe it was perfect; perfect in a way that allowed God to accept it as a sacrifice worthy of all His forgiveness and grace. The blood magnifies the cross, and the cross is paramount to our preaching and living the gospel.

It is counter-intuitive to our human nature to put such importance on such a gross, disgusting and unsettling theme. But that is exactly the reason why we MUST preach the cross of Christ; the very nature of that cross is to unsettle us, to disgust us at the reality of our own sin and wickedness, and to see how very serious God was about dealing with our sin and reconciling us to Himself. And as strange as it seems to our post-enlightenment brains (which tell us to preach common sense and make people feel good), when we preach the cross and make a big deal out of the scandal of His crucifixion and resurrection, God mysteriously touches hearts and minds and lives are undone, convicted, changed and regenerated.

Without the cross there is no Christianity, no hope, nothing to believe in, and nothing to live for. Without the cross, Jesus is not the Christ and becomes a lunatic claiming insanities about Himself that He never proved. And if that is the case, we are hopeless. But by His work on the cross, we have life, God proves His love for us and His perfect way of dealing with sin, and Jesus is glorified and magnified as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Thank God for the cross!

Why Obama? Why???

I can agree that it must be important to African Americans to see someone rise to the position of President. A good friend of mine told me that the reason he was black had had no significance to how he voted. In fact we discussed the fact that people voted only because of that and not because of the issues. I am a Christian! Not a part time one, but a full time one. The special significance to me is to protect the sanctity of life. That is more important to me than any color of skin, sex, or party. The issue of life and the fact that we can not play God! When Obama said "it was above his pay grade" when asked about when life was considered sacred that is when he lost my vote. Yes, am a Republican, but first I am a follower of Christ. When are we going to get past all of this racial stuff. That has been a problem this whole election. Just because I didn't vote for Obama or agree with him as president doesn't make me a racist. How can anyone who calls themselves a Christian support killing babies. I have heard many people talk to me about going to church or about being a Christian and yet they voted for this guy. Someone please help me to understand how there is a more important issue than this!