In most of our minds, the cross has become the symbol of false Christianity In our zeal to get as far away as possible from the grievous errors of the apostasy, we may lose the force of what Paul said “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (I Cor 118)
The agony of crucifixion
While the graphic reality of crucifixion is only a hazy concept to the modern mind, in Christ’s day, it was terrifyingly real It was a cruel and horrific death reserved for non-Roman citizens and slaves found guilty of capital crimes Crucifixion was a shameful punishment calculated to instill terror in the hearts of Rome’ s enemies and to serve as a public lesson to those who would rebel against her authority.
Victims were tortured and beaten, then tied or nailed to wooden beams They suffered hours of agony and public shame It sometimes took days for crucifixion victims to die, their bodies often left to rot.
Romans and Jews abhorred it
This form of punishment was regarded with utter abhorrence by Romans Cicero, a Roman philosopher and orator born about 100 years before Christ, said, “Let the very name of the cross be far away not only from the body of a Roman citizen, but even from his thoughts” To the Jew the idea of crucifixion was equally abhorrent Under the Mosaic Law those hung on a tree were cursed (Deut 21 22-23).
In light of the repugnance m which crucifixion was held, it is interesting to consider the emphasis in Paul’s teaching concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Rather than minimize the means by which the Messiah died, he proclaimed it.
The very idea of a crucified Messiah was foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews (I Cor 118-23) How often we read this passage and fail to grasp the significance of Paul emphasizing the manner of Jesus’ death This was not a heroic death as man would reckon it His death was the shameful fate of a common criminal Yet the manner of the Messiah’s death is a key element in understanding our redemption and reconciliation to God.
Note Paul’s emphasis
More than any other New Testament writer, Paul emphasizes this event to explain God’s dealings with man and what man’s response to the Gospel message should be When the apostle reduces his message to its most fundamental terms, he says “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (I Cor 2 1-2)
And Paul personally identified with the crucifixion “I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal 2 20) This is no technical discussion of the atonement for the apostle here There is passion and power in his expression It is intensely personal.
Perhaps Paul’s persecution of the ecclesia before his conversion caused this intense focus on the crucifixion The risen Jesus, appearing to Paul on the road to Damascus asked, “Saul, Saul why persecutest thou me?” Paul’s persecution of the ecclesia was an approval of the murder of Jesus as a mere impostor to the title of the Messiah When Paul realized his error, the crucifixion became an indelible part of his consciousness To Paul the cross was not an academic enterprise, but a vivid reality with all-encompassing implications to the life of the believer. He so closely identifies with the cross that he sees himself as being crucified with Christ and rising to life with him.
Motivation to righteousness
In Romans 6:6 he uses the crucifixion as a powerful metaphor for how the believer should reckon his former allegiance to sin “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” He uses the same imagery in Galatians 5 24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
This would be a graphic image to the first-century believer Do we grasp the significance today?
The crucifixion of Jesus, when properly understood and appreciated, becomes a compelling and motivating force for righteousness and dedication to God “For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus Judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.” (II Cor 5 14-15)
As Jesus completely repudiated rebellion and gave himself in obedience to God, the believer is expected to do the same in renouncing the sinful ways of his past “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2 5-8)
Christ’s obedient life and death show us the way His death on the cross was a public declaration of God’s righteousness and a total repudiation of the flesh (Rom 3 20-26) It was a powerful declaration that if the flesh of a perfectly righteous man such as Jesus was of no profit, what profit could the flesh be to anyone else?
After death, resurrection
If we identify with his death, we shall be identified with his resurrection and life “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us Much more then, being now Justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (Rom 5 6-10)
When we deeply contemplate the shame and terror of the crucifixion and what it meant to the man of the first century, we better understand our Lord’s admonition, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt 16 24) If we would share in the joys of eternal life and a part in his kingdom, we must be prepared to share in his sufferings We must be prepared to fully identify with that shameful death by crucifying those thoughts and actions that are contrary to the divine will We must be willing to publicly declare our allegiance to the cross of Christ regardless of the social consequences Paul did that We probably won’t be called on to suffer in the same way that Paul did, but we must be prepared to sacrifice for the Truth We must offer ourselves to the service of Christ fully His death and his life must be living realities for us, not merely academic exercises in technical detail.
May we likewise share Paul’s conviction when he said, “But 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.” (Gal 6:14)
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One