The Preaching of the Cross
Paul,
in the first chapter to the church at Corinth
penned a profound but crystal clear truth:
“The preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness, but
unto us who are saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:18).
The word “preaching” literally means the
full extent of all the truth found in the doctrine of the Cross. A more literal
translation would also emphasize “being saved” or “being delivered” focusing on
the overwhelming truth of the effects of the Cross to deliver the born-again
believer from the power of sin in everyday life.
The passage at hand is focusing upon the
heavenly wisdom of God vs. the worldly wisdom of man. His heavenly wisdom has
bestowed within the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross the marvelous truths of
our complete liberation from the practice, power and presence of sin. Romans
6:1-23 provides the doctrine for these truths and is a must for the victorious
believer if they are to utilize God’s wisdom when dealing with sin.
The “preaching
of the Cross” is literally displaying the fullness of the truth of what the
Cross of Jesus Christ has accomplished for His Father and especially for all those
who will receive Him by faith. The elements that liberate man into an existence
where sin has been cancelled by the work of Christ on the Cross must ever be
proclaimed to the saved in order for them to obtain victory and give the
maximum glory to God.
That we, the saved, have been freed from
sin and its damning and deadening effects must be the centerpiece of every
invitation after the preaching of the Word of God. Just the other evening I
attended a meeting at a local county prison where forty or so men came into a
chapel to hear the Word.
And, instead of live preaching a video was
presented on the topic of attitudes. The speaker over and over made this
statement: “It takes a long time to change your attitude” never mentioning the miraculous
and liberating power of the Cross of Christ over the practice and principle of
sin according to Romans 6:1-23.
This is why Paul proclaimed in his
inspired writings:
“For Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel: not with
wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For
the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us who
are saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:17, 18)
“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and
unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”
(I Corinthians 1:23)
“For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and
Him crucified.” (I Corinthians 2:2)
“I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ
lives within me and the life which I now live I live by the faith of the Son of
God who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
(Galatians 6:14)
In Romans 6 the Cross of Christ is
prominent even though the word “Cross” does not appear in the text. But,
references to death, dead, died etc. are found a dozen times because the
believers union with Christ on the Cross has in effect brought about the death
of sin and its effects over the believer.
However, the key to bringing these
miraculous truths to pass in the life of the believer is found in one
word…FAITH!! The same faith that bought us by His Blood must be exercised in
order to gain complete victory over the practice and principle of sin for “Without faith it is impossible to please
God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
Victory will not be found in the efforts
of self-energized plans or solutions.
But, deliverance comes
by faith in our loving Savior’s
ability to deliver us from the power of sin by His Holy Spirit. While this
supernatural work may seem unattainable at first glance, deliverance is only
effective as full trust is placed in the hands of the Savior!
The text must be consumed and digested
thoroughly in order for faith to come to life and be energized by the Holy
Spirit. “Faith is energized by love”
(Galatians 5:6). Love for the Lord Jesus and His great sacrifice on the
Cross which demonstrated His supernatural love for us “while we were yet sinners.” (Romans 5:8)
It is through this action of the Lord that
we in fact receive liberty from sin. He in essence canceled the power of sin through
His sacrifice which paid the penalty for sin and all of its effects on the
child of God. All we need to do is believe the foundational truth taught in
Romans 6:1-10 and practice the formula for personal holiness Romans 6:11-14 and
believe the facts found in the last section of the chapter which explains the
functioning of personal holiness.
I. The Foundation for Personal Holiness (Romans 6:1-10)
A. The Believer has Died with Christ (v.2,
3, 6, 7, 8)
B. The Believer was Buried with Christ
(v.4a)
C. The Believer has Risen with Christ
(v.4b, 5, 8, 10)
*Result: The believer has been
freed (v.7) from the power and the very principle of indwelling sin by FAITH
II. The Formula for Personal Holiness (Romans
6:11-14; Galatians 2:20)
A.
Truth Engrafted (v.11) Reckon to be So by FAITH in the
miraculous power of the Savior
B.
Truth Energized (v.12) Reject the Rule of Sin by FAITH
in the miraculous power of the Savior
C.
Truth Expected (v.13, 14) Receive the Rule of Savior by
FAITH in the miraculous power of the Savior
*Actions: Reckon Death and Resurrection
to be true, Reject Rule of Sin, Yield to God by FAITH
III. The Functioning of
Personal Holiness (v.15-23)
Worshipping the Lord becomes effective
when we realize that presenting a spiritual sacrifice unto God is necessary in
order to come into His presence. We have an altar (Hebrews 13:10) and a
Sacrifice which are both found in the Lord Jesus Christ’s supreme sacrifice on
the Cross.
Our altar is the Cross and the Sacrifice
is Christ Himself as we utilize His Name and His Blood in order to gain access
into the very presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-22). This is where the power of
God is found. In the Cross! But, the Scripture records many spiritual
sacrifices (I Peter 2:5, 9) that we can offer unto Him:
- Sacrifice of righteousness (Psalms 4:5, 51:19)
- Sacrifice of joy (Psalms 27:6)
- Sacrifice of a broken spirit (Psalm 51:17)
- Sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50:14; Hebrews 13:15)
- Sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15)
- Sacrifice of doing good (Hebrews 13:16)
- Sacrifice of communicating/sharing (Hebrews 13:16, Philippians 4:18)
- Sacrifice of uplifted hands (Psalm 141:2)
- Sacrifice of the body (Romans 12:1)
- Sacrifice of martyrdom (Philippians 2:17; II Timothy 4:6)
So, as we offer up the sacrifice of praise
to God continually (Hebrews 13:15) we in essence are told to live in the
presence of the Cross which is our altar, the place of offering up sacrifices
to God as we abide in the place of God’s glory where Jesus gave His Father the
opportunity to display the maximum glory ever seen by man.
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