3.
The Word of the Cross
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also
received, that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised
on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas,
then to the twelve. (1 Corinthians 15.3-5 NASB)
The
death of our Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary is the foundation of the faith
of all who believe in this day, and these few words, penned by Paul, the
apostle of the nations, sum up the evangel by which one is saved. One
commentator has stated that there are seven glorious accomplishments of the
cross: repudiation of sin (Hebrews 9.26), inactivation of death (2 Timothy 1.10),
inactivation of Satan (Hebrews 2.14), justification of mankind (Romans 5.18),
subjection of enemies (1 Corinthians 15.25), reconciliation of all (Colossians
1.20), and vivification of all (1 Corinthians 15.22). [1] I
would add one more, and that is glorification (Romans 8.30).
These
are the accomplishments of the death of the Son of God on a cross that will
ultimately extend to all mankind and all God’s creation. The first to come into
the full joy of these
accomplishments in the next eon is the body of Christ.
This
is the glory of the cross that has been, and yet will be, one hundred percent
successful in undoing all that was wrought by the one transgression of the
first Adam. In the last Adam, shall all be
made alive (vivified). We could say that the riches of Christ are discovered in
the cross of Christ.
Now,
in his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul used a phrase that is not used in
any other place in Scripture, and he used it not only in reference to the past
finished work of the cross but also as a present work for all who believe.
For the word of the
cross to those indeed perishing is foolishness, and to us—those being saved—it is the power of God…. (1
Corinthians 1.18 YLT)
The
word of the cross is the power of God. To understand what Paul meant by this
phrase, it is best to start at the beginning of his epistle to see the issue
that he was trying to address with the believers in
Hallowed
in Christ Jesus, called saints.
Paul,
a called apostle of Christ Jesus, through the will of God, began by declaring
the position that the ecclesia of God in
To the ecclesia of God which is in
Some
translations use the word sanctified
in the place of hallowed, which means
“to make holy” (holyize). Either way,
Paul reminded them that they were set apart for or consecrated to God. No
matter where they were in their spiritual walk in Christ, they belonged to God,
along with all the other believers in every place that named the name of the
Lord Jesus. We could say that this is an objective truth for all who believe
and all who call on the name of the Lord. It is not dependent on the details of
our theology or whether we have differences with one another; it is dependent
on Christ, in whom we have been sanctified or hallowed. Christ is our
sanctification. This is something that we need to be mindful of in any dealings
with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Grace
and peace.
Then,
Paul proceeded by blessing the brethren with grace and peace from God, our
Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. This beloved apostle had some stern and
corrective words for the ones he loved, and they would need the grace of God to
receive his word and the peace of God to remain in fellowship with their apostle,
who died daily for them (1 Corinthians 15.31). This should be another reminder
to all who serve the Lord’s people.
Thank
my God concerning you.
Next,
Paul commended the brethren. It is so much like our old humanity to tear down
others rather than build them up. However, Paul, as our example, revealed the
way of the spirit of God in dealing with the ecclesias, even when there are
deficiencies in their service and understanding. The order is first to commend
our brethren by encouraging them in the good that they have done or that they
have in Christ, and then, in love, to correct them. Paul’s goal was always to
build up and not to tear down (2 Corinthians 10.8; 13.10).
I am thanking my God always concerning you over the grace of God which is being given you
in Christ Jesus, for in everything are you enriched in him, in all
expression and all knowledge, according as the testimony of Christ was
confirmed among you, so that you are not deficient in any grace, awaiting the
unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who will be confirming you also until the
consummation, unimpeachable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is
God, through Whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ,
our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1.4-9 CV)
What
faith in a great God is expressed through this beloved man! Regardless of the
challenges that he faced with the Corinthians, he saw through all that to the
God who is faithful. He thanked his God for the grace given to them in Christ
Jesus that was enriching them in Christ to the point that they were not
deficient in any grace or spiritual gifts as they were looking forward to the
day in which Christ is unveiled. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will confirm
them to the consummation or the end, making them unimpeachable or blameless in
His day when He appears to all His people. Until then, God is faithful, and He
called the Corinthians into the fellowship of His Son.
Oh,
that we would look at our brethren in Christ and commend them in such a
glorious way!
I
am entreating you—Christ is parted!
Now I am entreating you, brethren, through the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all may be saying the same thing, and there may
be no schisms among you, but you may be attuned to the same mind and to the
same opinion. (1 Corinthians 1.10 CV)
In
spite of the good that he saw in this ecclesia, Paul, nevertheless, also saw
something that was a great danger to them. There were schisms or strifes among
those who are called saints. They were dividing into camps based on men. Some
said they were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas and yet some of Christ.
For this, Paul indicted them: “Christ is
parted!” They had divided into camps, which to Paul was like parting or
dividing Christ. Paul retorted to the Corinthians: Not Paul was crucified for your sakes! See 1 Corinthians 1.12-13.
They had taken their eyes off Christ who was crucified for their sakes. There
was only one ground upon which they were joined together, and that was Christ
and Him crucified. Any other ground was schism, for it parted Christ.
Evidently,
one of the issues that led to the schism or division among the saints was who
baptized whom. The saints were claiming that they were baptized in the name of
the brother who performed the baptism. Paul refused to allow anyone to claim
that they were baptized into the name of Paul. Why? Because they were baptized
into Christ alone! In fact, in his later epistle to the Colossians, Paul
declared that we are complete in Christ, in whom we were circumcised also with
a circumcision not made by hands, in the stripping off of the body of flesh in
the circumcision of Christ; and were entombed together with Him in baptism, in
whom we were roused together also through faith in the operation of God, who
rouses Him from among the dead (see Colossians 2.10-12). In other words,
Christ’s circumcision and baptism became our circumcision and baptism, just as
we are identified with His death, burial and resurrection. Consequently, Paul
removed all the emphasis on the physical requirements, including water baptism,
and placed the emphasis on Christ and Him crucified.
Today,
there are so many emphases throughout Christendom; countless divisions based on
the teaching of men and their ministries, their names, their titles, their books,
and the list goes on and on. One group of believers emphasizes one thing and
refuses to have anything to do with others who emphasize something else, and
vice versa. Many even continue to debate and divide over the whole matter of
baptism. If he were on this earth today, surely Paul would declare: Christ is parted! We have divided Christ
in so many ways that, outwardly, the body of Christ seems to be a disjointed
body with parts scattered all about.
Paul
would have none of this sectarianism, for according to his evangel there is
only one ground upon which the ecclesia is to stand and be united, and that is
the cross of Christ.
For Christ does not commission me to be baptizing,
but to be bringing the evangel, not in wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ may be made void.
(1 Corinthians 1.17 CV)
The
cross of Christ is the foundation of Paul’s evangel. Truly, there are many
great truths and even secrets (mysteries) revealed in Paul’s evangel, but at
the heart of it all is the cross, not the wisdom of words (cleverness of
speech). In this verse, Paul wiped aside everything that divides and conquers
the heart of man and even the Lord’s people and focused straightaway on the
heart of the matter. Man uses words liberally, as if in his words are great
truths and wisdom, and presents them in clever ways to persuade others for his
own glory. To hear people claim that they were baptized into a man’s name is a
great boast in the one doing the baptizing. Oh, the pride of man!
We
could say that men can produce their own evangel with the cleverness of their
speech, but Paul stood against such a thing lest it void the cross of Christ,
that is, make the cross into something less than what it truly is. Paul severed
all that would make void the meaning and value of the cross, causing it to lose
its effectiveness. Standing against the
wisdom of word, Paul introduced for the first time the phrase the word of the cross. In doing so, he
contrasted two groups; one is perishing and the other is being saved by the
power of God.
For the word
of the cross is stupidity, indeed, to those who are perishing, yet to us
who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1.18 CV)
The
word of the cross refers not only to the finished work of the cross that will
ultimately reach all mankind; but also, it refers to the practical action or
outworking of the cross in the life of those who believe. The finished work of
the cross refers to that which was accomplished on the cross and will never be
repeated. The word of the cross includes this but also goes beyond it to refer
to that which is ongoing and which will be operative until the consummation of
the eons. We could say that the word of the cross speaks of the action to bring
about the purpose of the eons, for the word of the cross speaks of the active
power of God to save believers.
Perishing and being
saved refer to a present action and not a past act that is finished. There
is no practical effect of the cross on those in unbelief. The cross is
stupidity to them and consequently they are
perishing. [2]
However, for those who believe, the cross has the opposite effect. The word of
the cross is a daily active force in their lives. They are being saved by the power of God.
The
cross severs.
What
is the word of the cross? Or, we could ask: What is the message of the cross?
In its simplicity, it means that the cross severs all that is of the old
humanity until one is brought into all that is new. This is what Christ
accomplished on
It
is most appropriate that Paul was the one to reveal the word of the cross, for
his whole life is a testimony of the severing of God, even beginning at his
birth.
Now, when it delights God, Who severs me from my mother’s womb and calls me through His grace, to
unveil His Son in me that I may be evangelizing Him among the nations….
(Galatians 1.15-16 CV)
Some
translations use the phrase set apart,
which means that the calling on Paul’s life was set by God even before he came
into this world through his mother’s womb. He served God as a Hebrew of Hebrews
and a Pharisee and was so zealous for the traditions of his fathers that he
became the enemy of God in trying to destroy His people. But this all changed
on the road to Damascus when he met the risen and glorified Christ seated in
heaven at His Father’s right hand. On that infamous day, Paul was severed from
all that he had been defending and upholding. Paul was severed from holding one
of the highest ranks in Judaism to become one of the lowest as a slave of
Christ n God’s kingdom.
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, severed for the evangel of God. (Romans
1.1 CV)
He
was severed from all that he once held so that he could take the evangel of God
to the nations, which began in some measure when he was severed for the work.
Now, at their ministering to the Lord and fasting,
the holy spirit said, “Sever, by all
means, to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts
13.2 CV)
The
Holy Spirit severed Barnabas and Saul (Paul) for a special work to which they
were called. This represented something new. The twelve apostles had failed to
reach the heart of the entire nation of
In
reading Acts, it is important to keep in mind that it is the history of a transitional time that started with
Pentecost. We should not view the record of Acts as only the beginning of our
present era of the body of Christ. Rather, it also should be viewed as the end
of an era that involved the Jews according to the flesh.
Consider
how Acts ends.
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some
disbelieved. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed after
that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the
prophet unto your fathers, saying, Go thou unto this people, and say, By
hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; and seeing ye shall
see, and shall in no wise perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross, and
their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest, haply
they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand
with their heart, and should turn again, and I should heal them. Be it known
therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles: they
will also hear. (Acts 28.24-28 ASV)
We
could say that it was at this point that Paul turned from his fellow Jews and
took his evangel to the nations or gentiles. However, we must not think that
Paul never tried to reach a Jew again, for it seems that his longing for them
never left his heart. Actually, historical records seem to indicate that Paul
traveled to
Finally,
in reference to Paul being severed, there is one more proof as recorded in his
epistles.
Whoever are wanting to put on a fair face in the
flesh, these are compelling you to circumcise only that they may not be
persecuted for the cross of Christ Jesus. For not even they who are
circumcising are maintaining law, but they want you to be circumcised that they
should be boasting in that flesh of yours. Now may it not be mine to be
boasting, except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a new creation. (Galatians
6.12-15 CV)
Circumcision
was a hot topic among even the believing Jews; after all, they were given the
seal of circumcision through their father Abraham. But what did this seal mean?
Circumcision is the cutting away of the flesh. It is a severing from the flesh.
Of course, the Israelites missed the significance of this act and saw it purely
as a physical act that placed them in a position beyond the nations. It was the
boast of the Israelites, a boast in the flesh. However, Paul proclaimed that
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision was of any value. Why? All boast in the
flesh was severed at the cross.
Paul
saw himself crucified to the world and the world to him. He was severed from
the world and its boast in the flesh, and the world was severed to him who had
no boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, Paul is
our example of one who is severed for Christ, and it is in this context that we
can and must understand Paul’s use of the phrase the word of the cross.
The
word of the cross severs all of the old humanity or, we could say, the old creation.
However, there is one more aspect of this word that we must understand in light
of Paul’s evangel, and that is, it removes all the boast of the heart of the
old humanity that is filled with pride.
No
boasting in the flesh.
What
were the Corinthians doing when they claimed that they were baptized in the
name of this man and in the name of that man? They were boasting not only in
the name of the man who baptized them but also in the fact that they were
baptized. It is as if they were saying: “Look at me; I was baptized and Apollos, that great man of God,
baptized me.” It was the very same thing of which the circumcision was
boasting. “Look at me; I am of the circumcision. We have the seal given to us
by God through our father Abraham. This makes us special.”
They
were all boasting in the flesh, something that Paul detected like a hound dog
on a fox hunt that smells the scent of the fox. To Paul, it was the foul odor
of the flesh trying to exalt itself and take credit for what it did. Nothing of
the sort was allowed to enter the evangel with which Paul was entrusted to
discharge to the nations. The word of the cross severs the flesh from boasting
of any kind.
So that no
flesh at all should be boasting in God’s sight. (1 Corinthians 1.29 CV)
The
word of the cross removes all boasting in the flesh and places all boasting in
the Lord.
He who is boasting, in the Lord let him be boasting. (1 Corinthians 1.31 CV)
Anytime
we start to boast in anything or anyone other than the Lord Jesus Christ, we
are boasting in the flesh and we are parting or dividing Christ. This is a real
danger in the ecclesias of our day. Some boast in their pulpit (the message
coming forth) and pastor to the point that it is what could be called “pulpit
worship” or “pastor worship,” which amounts to idolatry.
As
we have seen, in his opening salutation to the Corinthians, Paul greeted the ecclesia of God, hallowed in Christ
Jesus, called saints, together with all in every place who are invoking the
name of our Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1.2 CV). In spite of all their sectarianism and other faults, Paul declared
them to be saints, which means holy or one who is consecrated or set apart for
God. Being set apart for God severs one from the world and the flesh.
Obviously, the Corinthians had not learned this lesson. They were immature and
Paul could not feed them solid spiritual food.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
spiritual, but as to fleshy, as to minors
in Christ. Milk I give you to drink, not solid food, for not as yet were you
able. Nay, still, not even now are you able, for you are still fleshly. For where there is jealousy and strife among
you, are you not fleshly and walking
according to man? For whenever anyone may be saying, “I, indeed, am of Paul,”
yet another, “I, of Apollos,” will he
not be fleshly? (1 Corinthians 3.1-4 CV)
When
the flesh boasts, it divides brethren from one another. When the flesh is
severed, there is no boast and there is unity with one another. We can be
assured that when the cross has not worked in a life to sever the flesh, there
will be boasting and there will be parting or division. By contrast, we can
also be assured that where the word of the cross is active, there is no
boasting or parting.
Now,
let us return to the text of Corinthians and fill in some detail.
The
perishing.
For the word
of the cross is stupidity, indeed, to those who are perishing, yet to us who are being
saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1.18 CV)
Paul
applied the word of the cross to two groups of people; one is perishing and the other is being saved. Again, note that it is a
present action, not a past act. To one group, it is stupidity; and to the other
group, it is the power of God. What a contrast!
Obviously,
the perishing are those who reject the message of the cross. Why do they do
such a thing? To them, it is stupid to believe in Christ crucified, for they
see no wisdom in a man dying for them to save them. To them, how can life come
from death? It is even greater stupidity to them to know that the cross would
sever them from their old humanity, which they adore. This is folly to them but
to God their wisdom is stupidity.
For it is written, I shall be destroying the wisdom
of the wise, and the understanding of the intelligent shall I be repudiating.
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the discusser of this eon? Does not God make stupid the wisdom of this
world? (1 Corinthians 1.19-20 CV)
The
world, which represents the world (kosmos)
system in which mankind operates, has a wisdom of its own, apart from the
wisdom of God; however, this wisdom never leads to knowing God. In fact, it
yields the opposite result.
For since, in fact, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom knew not God,
God delights, through the stupidity of the heralding, to save those who are
believing, since, in fact, Jews signs are requesting, and Greeks wisdom are
seeking, yet we are heralding Christ crucified, to Jews, indeed, a snare, yet
to the nations stupidity…. (1
Corinthians 1.21-23 CV)
It
is as if God turns the whole matter right on the head of mankind and delights
in heralding what they call stupidity and saving those who are the least
accepted by the world, even what we would call the “down and out.”
The
Jews viewed the word of the cross as stupidity, for they were requesting signs
rather than cutting off their love of the flesh. Why were signs important to
them? First, we need to be reminded that the outward sign of the flesh was the
boast of the Jew. Second, their fathers were miraculously delivered out of
The
Greeks were another class of people in Paul’s day. They were not representative
of all the nations. We could say they were the intellectuals of the day that
took pride in their philosophy, which was their boast. They put great trust in
their mental capacity to explain the universe and mankind. They had wisdom on
all the great matters of life, and the word of the cross was stupidity to their
intellectual minds.
According
to Webster’s dictionary, philosophy
is “the processes governing thought and conduct; theory or investigation of the
principles or laws that regulate the universe and underlie all knowledge and
reality.” This is the thinking and wisdom of man and not the wisdom of God.
Christ is not philosophy, and the cross does not present merely another view of
death and life. It is the very explanation of all the wisdom of God.
Paul
continued by contrasting man’s wisdom with God’s wisdom.
Yet to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of
God, for the stupidity of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is
stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1.24-25 CV)
For you are observing your calling, brethren, that
there are not many wise according to the flesh; not many powerful, not many
noble, but the stupidity of the world God chooses, that He may be disgracing
the wise, and the weakness of the world God chooses, that He may be disgracing
the strong, and the ignoble and the contemptible things of the world God
chooses, and that which is not, that He may be discarding that which is…. (1 Corinthians 1.26-28 CV)
Man’s
thinking and strength cannot even approach the lowest level of God’s thinking
and strength, if there is even such a thing. In His wisdom, God has not taken
the high and lofty of society to prove His wisdom and power. He has taken the
least from among mankind so that He can prove the utter folly of man and his
ways. This is the wisdom and power of God.
Man
is always seeking to justify himself, to defend himself, to commend himself, to
exalt himself, to glorify himself. Look around; listen to or read the daily
news reports. It does not take very long to see that this is the heart of man,
and this is exactly what the word of the cross exposes.
How
will the “good” of the world respond
when told that in the sight of God there are none good; all are sinners and
their goodness will not save them? Most people think that they are good since
they have not done anything really bad. After all, they will say: “I haven’t
killed anyone or robbed a bank.” Their boast is in their goodness. To these
self-proclaimed good people, the word of the cross is foolishness.
How
will the “comfortable” of the world
respond when told that a comfortable life apart from God will not save them?
After all, they have all the money they need, good health and can do whatever
they want. The world would say, “They have it made.” They have no needs, most
of all the need of a Savior. Their boast is in their riches. To these “I am
rich and in need of nothing” people, the word of the cross is foolishness.
How
will the “philosopher” of the world,
a lover of man’s wisdom and knowledge, respond when told that his wisdom is
foolishness, mere child’s play, and it will not save him, for God’s wisdom is
in His Son who died on a cross? Their boast is in their wisdom and knowledge.
To the philosopher, the word of the cross is foolishness.
How
will the “religious” of the world
respond when told that works and outward piety through sacraments and rules
that subdue the flesh will not save them? Their boast is in their religion. To
the religious, the word of the cross is foolishness.
What
is the purpose of the word of the cross? Paul nails it!
So that no flesh at all should be
boasting in God’s sight. (1
Corinthians 1.29 CV)
The
cross reduces everyone down to the lowest level where the flesh is completely
severed and no one has any ground upon which to stand, and then raises up all
mankind to the highest level where Christ is all in all. In the consummation of
the eons, no one will be able to boast, for all will boast in God’s Son as
every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father. Praise God for His wisdom!
But
there is more, for God’s wisdom is not even on the same plane as man’s wisdom.
God’s wisdom is in the Person of His Son and not merely in another set of
rational thought. To those who believe, Christ has become the very wisdom of
God.
In
Christ.
Yet you, of Him, are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us wisdom from God, besides righteousness
and holiness and deliverance, that, according as it is
written, He who is boasting, in the Lord
let him be boasting. (1 Corinthians 1.30-31 CV)
Have
you grasped the glory of these words? Christ is not only our wisdom but our
righteousness, our holiness and our deliverance. Oh, how can we refrain from
making our boast in the Lord? We do not need the wisdom of man; we need Christ
who is the wisdom of God. We do not need our own righteousness; we need Christ
who is our righteousness. We do not need our own holiness; we need Christ who
is the Holy One. We do not need to turn to the world to deliver us by its
power; we need Christ who is our Deliverer and the power of God.
Dear
brethren, all that is in Christ comes through the cross where our Lord Jesus
was crucified. For this reason, Paul wrote:
For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him
crucified (1 Corinthians 2.2 NASB). The world
will have nothing to do with such a determination and we can expect nothing
else from it, apart from the spirit of God moving upon hearts. It is folly to
the mind of the old humanity.
The
word of the cross is the sum total of the accomplishment of the cross, which is
both an historical fact and a present and future reality. The accomplishments
of the cross are the entire foundation of the word of the cross, but the glory
of an historical fact extends throughout the eons and will be proven fully in
the consummation of the eons. It is a present power for those who believe. We
could say that the word of the cross is God’s power in action.
Who
are being saved.
The word of the cross …. to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1
Corinthians 1.18 CV)
When
we first believe, we are saved. Let us not doubt for a moment that when the
spirit of God took up residence in us and we were sealed in Christ with the
Holy Spirit of promise as an earnest of our inheritance of glorified bodies
(Ephesians 1.13), we were forever saved and can never lose our salvation. Many
will tell us otherwise, but this is due to faulty understanding of Scripture.
However, once we are saved, according to Paul’s evangel, we are also being saved. Saved from what? Saved from
the flesh that sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh (Galatians 5.17)! Saved from our old humanity that will rob us of the joy
of serving God in this life and of being enjoyers of our future allotment!
Paul
declared that the power of God is for salvation for those believing. This is
not a reference to the lost being saved but to the believer being saved. To the
Romans, Paul declared: For not ashamed am
I of the evangel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who is
believing (Romans 1.16 CV).
In
other words, according to the evangel, the power of God is the word of the
cross. What does this mean? Simply, the power of God is the cross being applied
to the life of believers to sever them from all that is of the old humanity,
from the first man, Adam, and to bring them into all that is of the new
humanity, in the last Adam, Christ.
The
power of God conquers the old creation and the old humanity. It is a present
power for one being saved, the believer, so that his or her life is severed from
the flesh and any boast in the flesh, and thus is united with the person of
Christ so that all boasting is in Christ.
Dear
brethren, do not think for a second that you have your own power to conquer the
flesh of the old humanity. If you believe, you are a new creation in Christ,
who is your wisdom and power. His life in you is the life that conquers the
flesh and its boasting.
Being
saved is a daily saving from our flesh that would exalt itself by taking glory for
itself rather than giving all the glory to God. Do not fool yourself; it is in
all of us to want glory for ourselves and to receive it from man and even our
brethren in Christ. Just listen to the words being spoken all around you and it
won’t be too long before you hear the self-exaltation of man. It may come over
the airwaves, on the street corner or even from the pulpit. Only the action of
the cross in our lives will keep us from such folly.
I
die daily.
Again,
Paul is our example of the daily action of the cross.
Why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour? I protest by
that glorifying in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die
daily. (1 Corinthians 15.30-31 ASV)
For
the ecclesias of God, Paul died daily. Is this not what the cross is all about?
Most assuredly, at times, Paul’s flesh must have tried to rise up to take
charge on occasion as he was beaten, hounded by the messenger of Satan, hungry
and cold, and as he endured many hardships. Each day he faced all sorts of
perils that would have crushed most people. Thank God; the cross was operative
in Paul each day he went forth to bring the evangel to the nations, even when
he was imprisoned for the sake of the evangel. He died daily!
To
the Corinthians, Paul made a statement that most people, even many believers,
would consider foolishness. He stated: It is my ideal rather to be dying (1
Corinthians 9.15 CV). This sums up the word of the cross.
Now,
knowing how some people take words like these literally, in this verse, Paul
did not desire death, the state of unconsciousness. He desired to die to
anything and everything that would have hindered his service in the Lord.
Are you not aware that the workers at the sacred
things are eating of the things of the sanctuary? Those settling beside the
altar have their portion with the altar. Thus the Lord also prescribes that
those who are announcing the evangel are to be living of the evangel. Yet I do not use any of these things. Now I
do not write these things that it may be becoming thus with me, for it is my ideal rather to be dying, than
that anyone shall be making my boast void. (1 Corinthians 9.13-15 CV)
Take
note that Paul willingly severed himself even from what was legitimately his so
that his boast in the cross would not be made void. He had every right,
according to Scripture, to be living of the evangel. So, why did he not use
this right?
For, being free of all, I enslave
myself to all, that I should be gaining the more. (1 Corinthians 9.19 CV)
Being
free of all was being severed from all, even what was legitimate, so that he
could be a slave to all. Is this not the word of the cross in action? Can you
imagine many of the men today who have great ministries forgoing their
legitimate compensation for their work for the evangel of Christ so that the
boast of the cross would not be made void? Oh, where are the men of our day who
are examples of the life of Paul? Who of us wakes in the morning proclaiming
that our ideal is to be dying so that our boast is in the Lord?
Old
humanity crucified with Christ.
What
is the key to dying daily? It is
reckoning that our old humanity was crucified together with Christ. If we have
been crucified with Christ, then the life we live has to be that of Christ. How
else are we to live?
For if we have become planted together in the
likeness of His death, nevertheless we shall be of the resurrection also,
knowing this, that our old humanity was
crucified together with Him, that the body of Sin may be nullified, for us
by no means to be still slaving for Sin, for one who dies has been justified
from Sin. (Romans 6.5-7 CV)
The
old humanity is called the body of sin, which is the source of all boasting in
the flesh and exalting oneself and standing against the wisdom and power of
God. If we have believed in the Lord Jesus, then we know that we died with
Christ. In other words, our old humanity died on the cross with Christ. He took
our old humanity to the grave with Him and left it in the grave that we might
walk in newness of life, His life.
The
word of the cross begins with reckoning what Christ has done for us on the
cross in relation to our old humanity.
Jesus
directed His disciples to deny self, take up their cross and follow Him
(Matthew 16.24). I won’t deny that there is truth in our Lord’s words for us
today; however, I believe that our walk with the Lord, as members of His body,
goes beyond taking up our cross. According to Paul, who was given great
revelation by the risen Christ, we do not have a cross of our own; we have the
cross of Christ, for this is where our old humanity was dealt the death blow.
Consequently, I believe that we are not to embrace our own cross but to see
that when Christ died on a cross for our sin, He also took our old humanity with
Him. We are to reckon that we have died with Christ and that we now live by His
life, by His faith and through His grace. It is true that we must not live by
our old humanity, but we are never told by Paul to deny it. Rather, we are told
to reckon it dead by faith.
The word of the cross
tells us that we have died with Christ, for I am
crucified with Christ, and no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me; but in that I now live in flesh, I live
by faith, the faith of the Son
of God, who has loved me and given himself for me (Galatians 2.20 DNT).
Here
the flesh is spoken of in a neutral way. It simply refers to the body in which
we live and not the old humanity. Notice that it is Christ through and through—crucified
with Christ, Christ lives in me, the faith of the Son of God. This is where the
power and wisdom of God are revealed and where the cross is operative.
How
do we attain to it? By the faith of the Son of God! How is it operative in us?
Through the grace of God!
Paul’s
instruction to the body of Christ is to put off the old humanity and put on the
new humanity (Ephesians 4.20-24; Colossians 3.9-11). How do we put off the old
humanity? Again, by reckoning that it is dead! If by faith we know that it is
dead, then it is not a question of denying it but of reckoning it dead. Another
has died on our behalf, taking our old humanity with Him. All we must do is
strip it off and not participate with it. How do we do this? By grace!
Again,
Paul’s life is very instructive to us. He was given such tremendous revelation
of Christ and the purpose of the eons that he was in danger of his old humanity
rearing its ugly head and causing him to boast in himself. To protect him from
such boasting, he was given a messenger of Satan. Three times Paul asked that
this thorn or splinter in the flesh be taken from him. Instead, the word of the
Lord came to him.
My grace
is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Paul responded to this, not by running from or complaining
about it, but by embracing it.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore I take
pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses,
for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12.9-10
ASV)
Is
this not the very heart of the word of the cross? In weakness, we discover the
power of the cross. In weakness, the grace of God is most operative. This is the
wisdom and power of God. Christ is the power of God. In a day in which strength
is idolized, who is willing to glory in weakness in order to experience the
power of Christ and to bring honor and glory to Him alone?
Dear
brethren, how are we to live by the word of the cross? It is by grace working
through faith.
Fellowship
of His sufferings.
There
is one more matter in relation to the word of the cross, and that is in
relation to where the cross leads us. When it is operative in our lives, we
know that the cross will sever us from all that is old and in Adam and all that
is of the world. It will lead us to weakness in the eyes of the world and all
that are living according to the old humanity. It will also lead us to
suffering for Christ.
Again,
Paul is our example.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of
the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him,
not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of
faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead. (Philippians 3.8-11 NASB)
Here
we see that Paul was severed from all that he had at one time considered of the
utmost value to him. However, when he met the risen and glorified Christ, Paul
counted all that was of value as loss in view of the surpassing value of
Christ. In other words, Christ was of such greater value than anything of the
world or that the flesh could offer that he willingly suffered the loss of all.
Is
this not how it should be for any of us who have seen the surpassing greatness
of our Lord? Nothing compares with Him and nothing should compete with Him in
our hearts. Let us sanctify Christ as
Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3.15)!
Paul
not only saw it all as loss but also as rubbish so that he might gain Christ.
This was the goal of Paul, and it involved a full severing so that he would
gain Christ and be found in Him. But Paul did not stop at this point, for he
desired to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death.
What
did Paul mean? Paul meant that he was willing to enter into the type of
suffering that Jesus had prior to the cross itself. Surely, Paul could not die
the death for the sin of the world as his Lord had done, but he could enter
onto that sacred ground of suffering the humiliation and shame that Christ
endured at the hands of man. Without a doubt, the Lord exemplified dying daily
as He headed toward the cross. Rather than doing His own will, Jesus
continually denied His will to do only the will of His Father, even to death on
a cross.
Paul
desired to follow in the footsteps of his Lord. He desired to be so conformed
to the death of the Lord that he would know nothing but Christ Himself. Does
the import of this grasp your heart? Paul wanted to be so severed from
everything so that all that remained was Christ. This is the action of the
cross in one who is serious about gaining and knowing Christ, and of one being saved.
Now,
notice the outcome that Paul sought. It was to attain to the resurrection from
among the dead. The word in the Greek should actually be translated as the out-resurrection from among the dead.
If by any means I might arrive at the goal, namely,
the out-resurrection from among
those who are dead. (Philippians 3.11 WAET)
Surely,
Paul knew that he would be resurrected from the dead one day. Even the Jews of
his day knew that. So, what was Paul trying to attain?
Paul knew that only
those who conquer or overcome while living in their bodies of humiliation or of
death will be counted worthy of the first resurrection (Revelation 20.4-6) that
will lead to reigning in the
Paul
was seeking to attain to the age to come by being considered worthy of that age
and the resurrection from the dead. The use of the word from is a clear indication that this resurrection will not include
all the dead, even all the dead believers. Only those considered worthy of the
next age will be resurrected. The rest will remain dead until the end of the
millennial kingdom, at which time they will appear before the great white
throne (Revelation 20.11-15). The believers that will be resurrected at that
time will be saved, yet so as through
fire (1 Corinthians 15.15 NASB). Paul was not seeking for this resurrection but for the one that
comes 1,000 years before.
Paul
was seeking to enter the sufferings of Christ that fully and unequivocally
severed him from everything so that he would fully gain Christ. There would be
absolutely nothing left of Paul’s old humanity, and he would enter fully onto
the ground of the new creation that will come about for the body of Christ in
the out-resurrection. In other words,
Paul saw the possibility of gaining Christ in his life in such a way that he
would be living as if he was actually resurrected, not in a glorified body, but
in character, clothed in Christ’s perfect righteousness. This is why he wanted
to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death. It was in the fellowship of His
sufferings that he would be conformed to His death; and in attaining to this
death, he would know Christ in the power of His resurrection.
Why?
In Christ, death must lead to resurrection life!
Paul’s goal was so great
that we can imagine only a few people even start down this path. By his own
admission, Paul declared: Not that I
have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Philippians
3.12 NASB).
Paul
was seeking to lay hold of Christ in every way he could; he sought the
perfection of Christ. How was this possible? Only through the word of the
cross! The cross had laid hold of Paul and he sought to lay hold of it in
Christ Jesus. When he wrote this epistle, Paul had not laid hold of it, but he
continued to press on toward it. How did he do this?
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it
yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what
lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.13-14 NASB)
Notice
that Paul had but one thing to do, not many but one. He forgot all that lay
behind him; that is, he severed himself from all of his past, even the good
past when he was zealous for the things of God and his conscious was perfectly
good before God (Acts 23.1). He reached forward to what lay ahead. What was
ahead for Paul and all who enter into the sufferings of Christ?
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are
children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs
with Christ, if indeed we suffer with
Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. (Romans 8.16-17 NASB)
If
we suffer with Christ, we will be glorified with Him. Suffering leads to the
first resurrection or the out-resurrection, and glory! This is the goal for the
prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. It is to be glorified as our
Lord is glorified.
For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only
to believe in Him, but also to suffer
for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now
hear to be in me. (Philippians 1.29-30 NASB)
Paul’s evangel does not promise a life of smooth sailing.
His life was nothing of the sort, and he did not indicate that it will be any
different for those who are being saved by the power of God, which is the word
of the cross. Being severed is a suffering, a suffering that leads to glory.
Beloved
in Christ; the world despises the word of the cross; it is an enemy of the
cross. But for us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Let us allow the
word of the cross to sever us from all so that we might know and gain Christ
and live in these dark days as if we are on resurrection ground as we press on
toward the out-resurrection in which we will be glorified as He is glorified.
The
cross severed the Lord Jesus from this world and it will sever us as well. At
the consummation of the eons, there will be only one boast, and it will be to
the glory of God as every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus
Christ is Lord. All will praise God’s Son, the Beginning and the Consummation
of the eons.
No
man or creature will boast that they had any part in their arrival at the
consummation of the eons. There will be one mighty voice going forth throughout
creation: Grace! Grace! God’s grace!
Grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1.17 CV).
Let
our boast be in the Lord!
[1] The Word of
the Cross, Arthur C. Lamb, Concordant Publishing Concern.
[2] Perishing
is not for eternal destruction or torment. It is entering into death, either
the first death (of the body) or the second death (of works) for the eons of
the eons, thus missing out on the glory of those eons or ages.