The Power of the Cross

The death of Jesus Christ on a cross is an important truth and the message and meaning of the Cross is crucial to the Gospel. Noel Alexander (Hungry for Jesus) says that: There is not a more liberating, redeeming, costly, significant, or glorious work in all of human history than the cross of Jesus Christ.

Yet, in the fast paced, individualistic, self-indulgent world in which we live, the message, meaning and, therefore, the power of the cross seems to have been lost to a great extent. Whilst we could conjecture as to why this has happened, I contend that one of the primary reasons is that the church has tended to neglect the message for other ‘more relevant’ messages seemingly more suited to the times in which we live.

Clearly, Scripture says that the message of the cross seems absurd to many but it never says that it is irrelevant. Paul’s message to the Corinthians is timely in our day. For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God. (1 Cor. 1:18 AMP). Those words were relevant then and they are relevant now. The cross has never lost its power, though it may be looked upon as a foolish thing in the eyes of perishing people.

Jesus spent much of His teaching time explain to His disciples what must happen in order for humankind to have any chance of redemption, and that teaching centred on His death on the cross. From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. (Matt. 16:21)

Jesus understood, more than anyone else, the power of the cross and was at pains to explain this to His disciples. It was, then, and con-tinues today to be vital for Christians to understand the power of the cross; the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the son of God, who willingly went to the cross in order to accomplish and finish the will of the Father – the way of redemption for humankind. The cross is the FINISHED work – once for all!.

Don & Julie
With you on the journey