Just a quick post today. I wanted to share a particularly well written and concise piece on the cross. This is a direct excerpt from Ch. 6 of Worldliness:
"For Paul, the cross was the singular, decisive, existence-altering reality of his life. No category of Paul's existence remained untouched by Christ's atoning death on his behalf.
The cross reinterpreted his past, revealing his sinfulness and the futility of his efforts to earn God's approval.
The cross also defined his present. Now, for Paul, "to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Knowing Christ, pleasing Christ, serving Christ, glorifying Christ - Christ became the very meaning and purpose of Paul's life.
And of course, the cross determined his future - if living is Christ, then "to die is gain" (1:21). All of Paul's hopes and joys lay in Christ, and death simply brought these to their fullest realization.
As a result, the cross was the crucial factor defining Paul's relationship with the world. On the one hand, the world was crucified to him. It held no sway over Paul, nor was he dependent upon it for anything. He didn't crave its approval, embrace its values, or covet its rewards. On the other hand, Paul had been crucified to the world. At his conversion, he was "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20); in his union with Christ, his sins had been forgiven and his sinful nature crucified. Life in this world would never be the same.
How are you and I to view our existence in this world? Through the prism of Christ's saving work on the cross. The cross transforms all the categories of our lives. It answers the central questions of the human predicament.
The cross tells me who I am. Apart from grace, I'm a sinner separated from God and subject to wrath, but through the cross I've been forgiven, adopted into God's family, and transformed by the Holy Spirit to know, love, and glorify God.
The cross interprets the world I inhabit. God made this world good, and although sin severly corrupted it, the cross demonstrates God's commitment to remove sin from his creation and his power to restore it to himself.
The cross transforms my view of people. Although made in the image of God, because of sin they are guilty, corrupt, and liable to punishment before a holy God. However, the gospel offers men and women hope, because on the cross Christ paid for the sins of all who would ever be forgiven.
The cross gives my life purpose. Through the cross I've been purchased by God and restored to his original purposes for me. I now can know him and glorify him in this world, reflecting his character and laboring to see his reign expressed throughout creation.
What part does the cross play in your life? Does it tower over all the other realities of your earthly existence? Does it define who you are and how you live?
When we see our lives in light of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, everything will be different. We won't be enamored by a fallen world that opposes God; it is for such a world that our Savior died. Nor will we ignore the world, untouched by its God-glorifying potential or unmoved by its needs. Rather, we'll take our place in this world, enjoying God's gifts, fulfilling God's purposes, and giving our lives to see the gospel proclaimed, sinners saved, and God glorified."
I pray that you'll be encouraged and challenged to live such a cross-centered life.
Grace and peace to you.
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