Tag: Christ’s saving work

The Message of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the intelligence of the intelligent.Where is the one who is wise? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made the world’s wisdom foolish? For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, because God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength (CSB).

What is the message that the church is to be proclaiming in our time, at the end of the twentieth century? What task should we be seeking to fulfill?

  • Some suggest that the church should be involved in liberating oppressed peoples.
  • Some suggest that the church should seek to correct social “wrongs”: poverty, illiteracy, racism, etc.
  • Some suggest that the church should lead the fight to restore morality. On the other hand, some having seen the failure of this, suggest an alternative escapism.
  • Some suggest that the church should be content with fulfilling ceremonial functions: birth, marriage, death, etc.
  • Some suggest that the church is hopelessly outdated and irrelevant, that it was beneficial in old times, but its best action would be to close its doors forever.

Obviously, if we listen to the opinions of people, we will be running in many directions and acting according to the latest fad. However, as followers of Christ, we have an absolute standard, the Holy Scriptures. What does the Bible, God’s word, teach about our message? It plainly says that the church’s message is the message of the cross.

The message of the cross is a message that the world considers foolishness. The world logically (though incorrectly) rejects it as foolish due to their basic assumptions. It may be terrifying to think about this, but people eventually will make their actions conform to their assumptions.

People of the world have a human-centered view of truth (1:20a, 22b). They assume that humans must verify anything and everything by the standards of human wisdom for it to be considered “true”, if they care to pretend that anything can be true. Humanity becomes its own measuring stick. They also presume that humans can solve all of humanity’s problems by our own wisdom and ability. This results in a very closed system. Mankind does not need God. Anything miraculous or supernatural is impossible by their starting assumptions of a uniformity of natural causes in a closed system. So they have an experiential view of truth (1:22a). Compare Matthew 12:38-39; Mark 8:11-12; John 6:30.

People of the world refuse to receive the knowledge of the truth (Romans 1:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). They suppress the facts that show mankind’s increasing failures. They aggressively suppress anything that teaches responsibility and accountability to God. The worldly-wise person can never really applaud the true Christian. If they do, either one or both has strayed from their basic principles.

The message of the cross is the message of salvation (1:18, 21).

The world does not mind hearing a mild message of reformation or restoration. (“Yes, we agree we should wash our hands and not shake hands. We need social distancing.”) Most people will admit that they and their society have a few problems. Many people go for counseling. They’ll listen to non-judgmental advice. Most people will admit that some changes need to be made in how their lives or their society has been operating.

But to worldly-minded, the message of salvation is intolerable.

  • It is intolerable because it exposes the depth of the human problem (1:18) The cross confronts a person with what they are, and not just what he or she does. By nature we have a sinful heart that produces sinful actions. The cross of Christ confronts a person with the necessity of God rescuing them. The problem is so critical that no one but God is able to solve it. This “insults” human pride.
  • It is intolerable because it speaks of guilt and blameworthiness. The worldly person wants to be seen as a victim, not as a guilty rebel against God. The worldly person does not want to acknowledge that he or she must answer to the Creator. So then, do not try to make God’s message pleasing to rebels against him.

The message of the cross is the message of Christ crucified (1:23)

Consider a striking contrast. If Christians would preach a certain type of Jesus, the world would be content to accept its message. They do not mind “Jesus the social worker” or “Jesus the mild morality teacher” or “Jesus the anti-establishment leader”. A false “Jesus” is readily accepted (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:4).

Back in the 1960s, Francis Shaeffer wrote, “Increasingly over the last few years the word ‘Jesus,’ separated from the content of the Scriptures, has become the enemy of the Jesus of history, the Jesus who died and rose and who is coming again and who is the eternal Son of God. So let us take care” (Schaeffer, Escape From Reason, p. 79).

But people reject the Christ who really lived among us (1:23b).

  • He is a stumbling block to the Jews. He didn’t measure up to what their ideas of what the Messiah should be. “How could someone who died the cursed death on a tree be God’s Messiah?”
  • He is foolishness to the Gentiles. “How could a man dying on a cross do anything for me?”

When we proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ and his saving work, then and only then do we proclaim God’s message.

  • Let us focus on Christ’s person. He is the Savior we humans need. He is able to rescue us from our sinful condition. He (not religion) has power to save. A sinner needs the Savior himself. The reality of what the Savior is explains what he is able to do. The question is not “What good can the death of a man 2,000 years ago do for me?” Instead, the question is “Who died on that cross?” And the answer is “he who is both eternal Son of God and perfect man.” His deity gives power to his work, and his manhood makes him an acceptable substitute.
  • Let us focus on Christ’s saving work. He became a curse for us (Galatians 3:10-13). He turned aside God’s wrath from us by satisfying it (Romans 3:23-26). He reconciled us to God (Romans 5:6-11).

In the proclamation of Jesus Christ crucified, we can see the greatness of God’s wisdom. Human wisdom deals only with the surface aspects of humanity’s problems. This is like useless repairs of potholes when the road needs a new base. But in Christ we can see how God in his wisdom provided a Deliverer who could truly fix the human problem at its core.

The way of salvation is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (1:21b). Why should you continue on your way? It is the way of destruction (1:18a,19). It is a way that cannot succeed (1:25). Turn from your sin and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will experience God’s power for salvation.

Grace and peace,
David

The Struggles of the Believer (Part Twelve)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 ESV).

Currently, we are looking at the struggles that some believers in Jesus Christ have about “that one sin”. They continually fret about how they could ever do such a sin or keep doing it or whether God would ever forgive such a person. So far we have considered that such struggles come from the work of Satan and the spiritual forces of evil and from a failure to apply Biblical teaching about God’s grace. This brings us to a third cause.

The person with this condition may be struggling about actually trusting the Scriptures. Is their confidence in what God says or in what they think about sin, grace, and their reception of it? Some Christians act like prosecuting attorneys against themselves. They refuse to accept a clear promise of God about forgiveness (1 John 1:9) about themselves. In theory, they admit that the Lord will forgive their sins, but they fail to rest in confidence on God’s words. They tell themselves that God cannot forgive them when he has promised that he will. Beware of getting into an argument with God—telling him “no” when he says “yes”. Don’t do what Peter did in a different situation. Don’t argue against God’s words (Acts 10:13-16).

This is another instance in which you may need to stop praying and simply start believing. Merely saying words is not praying in faith. God does not answer people’s prayers because they ritually or franticly or repetitiously pray. Your prayer might be an evidence of unbelief instead of faith. Listen to what God says in his word, pray on that basis, and then act in conformity with God’s promise of forgiveness.

A fourth cause is this. The person who struggles over “that one sin” may be deficient in his or her understanding of Christ’s redemptive work. Earlier in this series, I presented the concept that we are not saved by the amount or clarity of our understanding. Praise God that that is true, or we would all be in serious difficulty! However, knowing, understanding, and by faith acting on the truth revealed in the Bible provides us with a great advantage amid our struggles.

Some people know that it is the sacrificial work of the Lord Jesus on Calvary’s cross that saves them, but they have not fully grasped the significance of what he accomplished. They know enough to be saved, but not enough to rejoice always. They know enough to rely on Christ, but not enough to rest on him. What this person must do is to become intimately acquainted with the truth of Christ’s saving work. Learn the meaning and significance of passages like 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:24-26; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; Hebrews 9:11-15; Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10; etc. As you do, ask the Holy Spirit for his help. “Holy Spirit, help me know the power of God’s love for me expressed in these words!”

A person in this condition may feel unworthy to participate in the Lord’s Supper, but this remembrance of Christ’s death is the very thing that can help them. We need to know the Lord’s Table is not a ritual conduit of grace that works simply by participating in it. No, it is a remembrance of Christ and his saving work that points us afresh to our Lord, who is mighty to save. A woman was once weeping over her sinfulness and felt unworthy to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. Her minister wisely told her, “Take it; it’s for sinners!”

The Lord’s Supper is a proclamation that Christ paid for our sins fully and that now we have a new and better covenant with God. Yet some avoid “Communion Sunday” out of guilt and fear. Please do not make this mistake. Before you go to a meeting, boldly confess your sins and boldly receive God’s promised forgiveness. Then boldly go to worship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord and boldly remember the Savior with them.

We must see that our justification is not based on who we are or what we have done, but on the finished work of Christ. He secured our justification, our righteousness with God, by his saving work. So then, rejoice in what he did for you and find your access to God through him. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2).

Grace and peace, David