And because he held forth this truth, and insisted upon its vital importance in determining the mutual relations of Jew and Gentile in the Christian Church, therefore it was that he drew upon himself the peculiar unrelenting enmity with which the Jews pursued him. The expression, the offense of the cross, sounds rather strange to us today because on every church I suppose in Glasgow, whether it's Protestant or Catholic, we see a cross. Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. Now what is the reason for this? Then I gave her the story of salvation as it relates to the cross. I hope many here can unite with me in saying that there is nothing in the Bible that offends us, and there is nothing in the gospel that offends us now. The Offense of the Cross by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Τί ἔτι διώκομαι;); why am I still persecuted? Colossians 1:20, "We have peace through the blood of his cross". Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
They will be expecting their belief in Him and their wonderful works will help save them. We don't hear much about judgment and hell. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? The gospel has been revealed and the terms of God have been set. The offense of the cross means to come to God just as you are, "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling. Billy Graham - The Offense of the Cross ». " Much use has cheapened it; it has been abused and made commonplace. There were two thieves, two crosses.
Am I still being persecuted? At this point during a crucifixion, the victims labored to breathe as their body went into shock. It is God's method of making men good, but God does the work. In his very winsome manner, Dr. Anderson presented the plan of salvation to the young man and told him about the wisdom of God and how it was above the wisdom of man. It's an assault on human pride with an implied statement that we cannot solve this condition by ourselves. The offense of the cross scripture. And then Festus, who was a governor, he said, "Paul, you're mad when you talk about this Jesus dying on the cross and rising from the dead". NT Letters: Galatians 5:11 But I brothers if I still preach (Gal. I do not imply that any of us can fully perceive our sins as God sees them; but unless the prospective church member is confronted with the reason for the Cross (the enormity of sin and the price of redemption), the condition of his heart, if he is unregenerate, continues as a barrier to God. It was not the pretty white cross that we see on the tops of our churches and in our decorations today. Holman Christian Standard Bible. 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'. In conclusion, the offense of the cross, is not just the fact that Jesus died on the cross, but that it cuts to the root of human merit in the matter of justification, whether in the form of legal observance, or holy dispositions, or good works.
If Christ had not shed his blood upon the cross, there would be no forgiveness of our sins. The cross is so much more than an instrument of death as it is the very place God chose to save humanity. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; …. The cross of Christ is a display of the grace of God. This modern scientific age in which we live is a tribute to the ingenuity of mankind; someone has said that science is the triumph of man's sagacity over the strategy of nature. The reason is not in man, but God finds it all in Himself. Done away; the same word as that which is translated "become of no effect" in Galatians 5:4. The troubler amongst the Galatians had said that Paul himself preaches circumcision, as is shown by having Timothy circumcised in Acts 16:3 "Paul wanted to have him go on with him. The offense of the Cross centers in the fact that the sin with which all men are infected is so serious in nature and in effect that nothing less than the death of the Son of God could have made atonement for that sin. Drink the ocean, if thou canst; more likely, thou wilt sink in it, and so it will drink thee. Why is the cross an offense. Only as we understand the depths from which we are saved, can we appreciate the steps God took to make our salvation possible. Church attendance would mean that more folk would come to Christ, but going to church builds up no deposit on salvation. This is good, provided the one doing personal work identifies himself as a sinner saved by God's grace.
That ugly cross tells the greatest story; it sings the sweetest music; it brings the best news and the most glorious truth; and it whispers the infinite love of God to your heart and to my heart. The offense of the cross verse. ", because all of the conformity to their rites was of no avail, and that they can only be saved by the merits of a crucified Savior, would have been done away with. Then it's the blood of forgiveness. The phrase, "preach circumcision, " is like that of "preaching the baptism of repentance" in Mark 1:4; it denotes openly declaring that men should be circumcised The force of ἔτι is best explained by supposing that the apostle is quoting the assertion of this gainsayer - "Why, Paul himself up to this hour still preaches circumcision, just as he did when he followed Judaism. "
And then it's the blood of entrance to God's ear in prayer. The apostle means that the cross would not be to Jews the stumbling-block that it was if it had been preached in conjunction with the obligatoriness of circumcision together with the observance of the ceremonial law, upon those who believed in Christ. It is bad enough as it is. " Many years ago in the city of Washington, in one of the leading churches there, the pastor who had served for many years resigned, and a young man was called. Fourthly, the cross is an offense because it claims to be the power of God unto salvation. Then the stumbling block of the cross has been removed. If you don't have persecution, you better check and see if there's something wrong in the way you're living. It shows us the amazing love that God has for us as He recognized we were dead in sin and there was nothing we could do about it because if obedience to laws could help save us, those laws would have been instituted (Galatians 3:21). The 'Offense' of the Cross | Christianity Today. Time elapsed and the mother-heart of this woman yearned to see the baby who was now a little girl of five or six. After they had gotten up from prayer, Dr. Anderson said, "By the way, what did you think of my sermon yesterday? There needs to be a renewed emphasis on this matter of sin and our salvation from it. It is a hard thing to get that away from men. Are you ready for that? Then is the offence of the cross ceased (ἄρα κατήργηται τὸ σκάνδαλον τοῦ σταυροῦ); then the stumbling-block of the cross hath been done away.
Two pieces of wood laid crosswise is not the Scriptural picture of the cross. New King James Version. This belief is only pride and self-righteousness blinding you to your true state before God, which is a sinful person in need of the saving grace Christ offers only at the cross. Depend upon it, Satan does not like the gospel any better than he did, and the world does not like the gospel any better than it did; and if there is not, nowadays, so much persecution and hatred as there used to be, it is because men do not proclaim the plain, simple truth as their forefathers did. Under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, German soldiers crucified Jews at Dachau by running bayonets and knives through their legs, shoulders, throats, and testicles. Truth is one, and that which opposes it must certainly be error and falsehood. Galatians 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
"Well, you go ahead, but take Jesus along with you, too. They say this; but when we write to them, they reply, "Oh, we are as sound as you are! " But it is the fashion to try to blend the two things together. Does the doctrine you believe teach a completely different message of salvation which includes obedience to laws, works, moral conformity or personal righteousness to truly be saved? He who should place himself before Juggernaut's car to be crushed, would be as wise as you who are opposing the gospel. —"In the Cross of Christ I Glory, " words by John Bowring. Pride is a terrible sin, but religious pride is the most terrible sin. He does not come as a customer to the counter with something to offer God for so great salvation, but he comes as a beggar to the back door of heaven to receive something for nothing. If you ask them whether they believe all the great cardinal truths of the gospel; they say, "Oh, yes, certainly we believe them; but we do not think they ought to be preached to the common people. "
Our fleshly minds yearn to assist in our salvation by adding things such as works, obedience to laws and personal righteousness. He can bring you peace and quiet that troubled heart, if you let him. He preaches but very little truth who does not set the old lion roaring against him. " Yes, it is an aesthetic offense yonder at the cross; but God, at the very beginning, set a line of demarcation leading to it. Such things are said to be true, and sinners must believe them, or else be damned. Paul was deeply committed and passionate about sharing what a saving faith looked like and was crystal clear in that the entire message of his ministry was the preaching of the cross. She did the same with her mother's face and thanked her from her little childish heart for what she had done for her. Do you see how many new people are here tonight? God wants to save you as a sinner in order to make you good. 1Wilbur M. Smith, The Incomparable Book (Minneapolis, Minn. : Beacon, 1961), 9–10. Maybe you did as a child, maybe you've said the catechism and, in some churches, maybe you've been confirmed, but you're not sure how you stand before God and you'd like to make sure. The cross makes moral and immoral persons go to heaven by the same road; the cross makes rich and poor enter heaven by the same door; the cross makes the philosopher and peasant walk on the same highway of holiness; the cross procures the same crown for the poor creature with one talent that the man with ten talents shall receive. Galatians 2:3 But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised: Acts 16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
There are three ways in which the cross of Christ is an offense to modern man, but Paul had reference to only one of them. David expresses this thought in these words: He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. The cross of Christ says to every one of us, you're a sinner and you need to repent. And then the thief was condemned also, but the thief repented at the last minute. You know, we don't hear much about that anymore. Naked and embarrassed, the victims would often use their remaining strength to seek revenge on the crowd of mockers who had gathered to jeer at them. The race that is of faith, love, and obedience where we experience its graces, enjoying its privileges and performing its duties.