Good Friday...Living out the Life of the Cross by TIm Orr

As I am writing this blog I am reflecting on the meaning of the Cross, which is a truth has been by and large lost in America Christianity. The truth that Jesus died for the sins of the world may be embraced, but it is what the cross represents to us today, the reality of which must be lived out in our lives that has been lost. Jesus said, “If anyone comes after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Instead we have chosen in our day to let moralism to take its place. Conservatives have chosen family values, while liberal Christians have chosen social justice. Consequently, to be Christian, echoing the Deist Thomas Paine, is simply “to do good.”

When America Lost its Way

American Christianity lost itself in the malaise of moralism following the Second Great Awakening. It was there where the shift from theology to morality began, and the reason for this shift was because of the rise of non-denominationalism. Protestants of all stripes sought to lay down their gauntlets and vowed to work feverishly for a Christian America. Since Christians of all stripes wanted to bring about this end, doctrine needed to take a back seat, and common ground had to be sought. After all, how could the issue of infant baptism or Armenianism vs. Calvinism be reconciled? Those issues had to be laid aside in order to pursue the greater good.

Is it Really about Moral Values

All of this begs the question: Is Christianity simply a set of moral values one is to live by? Our de facto response to this question is, unfortunately, a resounding yes. However, moralism puts confidence in the flesh, which was the very thing that the Apostle Paul warned Christians not to do. This is precisely what G. K. Chesterton had in mind when he said, “The cross cannot be defeated, for it is defeat.” Defeat in that we die to self and now rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life, rather than by our own fleshly efforts. This means that, as the Apostle Paul points out in Galatians, our goal in the Christian life is to be crucified with Christ and seek to die so Christ can live through us. Combating the idea of moralism to the exclusion of the cross, C. S. Lewis points out, “Jesus did NOT come to make bad people good, He came to make DEAD people live!” What Christianity is about, and what Jesus desires to do, is to transform each individual to reflect His character and nature.

It’s about Transformation

The cross is the entry point by which this transformation comes about. However, the life of the cross has been redefined. As A.W. Tozer so eloquently stated, “The old cross slew men; the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.” Maybe this outlook of what the cross represents is why American Christianity has made so little an impact in the last several decades.

The Message for Today

Yet, it is the life of the cross that enables Christians to live out the reality of the resurrection and thus bring change to individuals and churches. When this takes place, the nation is changed. The point of the life of the cross is to grow to the point where self denial no longer becomes self-denial, but rather fulfillment. What we need today, to quote Vance Hayner, is men [and women] of the cross, with the message of the cross, bearing the marks of the cross.”

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Thanks, Tim. Good Word. See everyone Sunday morning!

-Pastor Randy