“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14) The Cross is not a side issue of God’s truth. Instead, it is the centerpiece—God’s majestic opus. The Cross is where the justice of God meets with the mercy of God… where the propositional truth of God meets with the living ‘Word’ of God… where the holiness of God meets with the sinfulness of man… where the accountability to God meets with forgiveness from God.
As the Apostle Paul said, the scandal of the Cross is the message of salvation to all mankind. There is no other way to the Father except through His Only Begotten Son—Jesus Christ. Water baptism will not get you there, church membership will not get you there, and reading your Bible will not get you there. We are only redeemed through repentance and faith in the finished work of Calvary. We partake of water baptism because we are saved—not to get saved. We join a local church because we are saved—not to get saved. We faithfully attend church because we are saved—not to get saved. In our preaching, we must be careful to not get the cart before the horse.
Any message that doesn’t have the Cross at its centerpiece is not the message of the Gospel. It may be filled with ‘God words’ and religious platitudes, but apart from the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, it is only a fool's message offering false hope. We behold the Cross because of its beauty to both convict and save us from our sins. It is God’s eternal platform of Divine Grace.
The Gospel of Christ is not moral reformation. Instead, it is spiritual transformation. Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good or immoral men moral. No, no, no! He came to make dead men alive. The answer to man’s dilemma is not another set of rules and regulations. The answer is that we need ‘life from above.’ Through the ‘new birth’ in Christ, we become better and moral men. However, especially in the South, thousands of people are trying to claim they belong to Christ by ‘being a better person.’ There is no amount of ‘good works’ that can bridge the gap between man and God. We deserve God’s judgment, but through the Cross of Christ, we are offered deliverance, rescue, redemption, and LIFE!
Millions of well-meaning people will descend into hell because they attempted to be 'better' but never repented from sin and genuinely turned to Christ. It is the Cross that provides eternal salvation. Our deeds are only ‘filthy rags’ before a God. There is an old hymn that says, “I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.” Have you taken that old Cross by faith? Have you turned from the ways of this world and trusted Christ? If not, I pray you run to Jesus. He is waiting… at the Cross!
