The Message of the Cross
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: The X-Files
The Message of the Cross
by Mitchell Skelton
1 Corinthians 1:18–31
Once there was a little girl who always wore a
bright, shiny cross around her neck that she
proudly displayed for all to see. One day she was
approached by a man who said to her, "Little girl,
don't you know that the cross Jesus died on wasn't
beautiful like the one you are wearing? It was an
ugly, wooden thing." At this the little girl
smartly replied, "Yes, I know. But don't you know
that whatever Jesus touches, he changes?"/1
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, the church in
Corinth was in a sad condition. Among their many
problems were division, pride, idolatry, and
sexual immorality. Paul's remedy for their pitiful
state was redirecting them to the cross. He
brought to remembrance "the message of the cross"
which is the power of God.
"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 Cor. 1:18).
The Greek word translated "message" in this verse
is "logos," which actually means "word." While
some Bible versions translate this phrase as "the
preaching of the cross" it is more accurately
translated, "the word or message of the cross."
Paul often changed his method of preaching (1 Cor.
9:22). Yet he never changed the message (Gal.
1:8), because there is only one message (1 Cor.
2:2).
The Foolishness of the Cross
The cross hinders some people. They cannot let
themselves believe that God actually became human
and gave himself to die in such a demeaning
fashion. The message of the cross is lost in such
men. The "wisdom" of man seeks to conform God to
their image. "Jews demand miraculous signs and
Greeks look for wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:22).
The Jews of Christ's day missed the message of the
cross because Jesus did not fit into their image
of the Messiah (John 1:10–11). Still today, many
miss the message of the cross because they try to
make God fit into their image of him.
The "wisdom" of man also seeks to complicate the
message of the cross. The simplicity of the gospel
has been corrupted by man's wisdom. Many have lost
the "Berean Spirit" (Acts 17:21) of examining the
scriptures and instead try to wrap the scriptures
around their own "wisdom." However, the "wisdom"
of man fails when confronted with the cross. "But
we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to
Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 1 Cor. 23–25).
The Power of the Cross
A well-known preacher once gave the following
advice to a group of Australian churches
concerning their approach to evangelism:
"Don't tell people about the cross, it doesn't
work. Too many evangelistic efforts fail because
they focus too much on the cross. Just tell them
God loves them and has a plan for them." He
continued, "The message of a crucified Jew is
ridiculous to the modern mind. So move on to
something better. A crucified Messiah is stupid,
but promise them prosperity, give them emotional
experiences, provide them with self–esteem and
then you'll fill the pews."/2
Avoiding the cross and catering to people's
external needs might indeed "fill the pews," but
they will be pews filled with people still dying
in their sins. Without the cross, the Bible is
just another neat story book. Without the cross,
Christianity is no more than a self–help seminar.
It was in the cross that God displayed his wisdom
and power.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes" (Rom. 1:16).
Christ's work on the cross is the means of our
salvation. "It is because of him that you are in
Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from
God, that is, our righteousness, holiness and
redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30).
The world says that it is not rational to believe
that a virgin can give birth to a child. The world
says that it is not rational that an all–powerful
God left his home in heaven to become human. The
world says that it is not rational that God would
allow His Son to suffer the shame, scorn, and
death of the cross. The world says that it is not
rational for a man who has been dead and buried
for three days to come back to life.
The message of the cross says, "You see at just
the right time, when we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will
anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we
were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom.
5:6–8).
__________
/1 Illustration taken from Melvin Newland @
sermoncentral.com
/2 Ibid.
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