Traditionally, the cross has been a symbol of
Christianity. It has been used on the
exterior of churches to identify them as Christian places of worship. Inside or outside our churches, the cross reminds
us that Jesus died in our place for our sins. The cross prompts
us to remember that He died for us so that we may have eternal life.
In Roman times, crucifixion was a method of execution that was reserved for criminals and traitors. For example, Spartacus and his fellow rebel slaves were crucified. It is a slow, agonizing death, and those who were crucified were looked upon with contempt.
In the United States, the cross has recently become controversial … a hot button that has been the focus of court cases. Atheists, demanding “freedom from religion,” have sought to remove it from public view, and persons of other faiths have declared it to be offensive. Christian, these difficulties are just a preview of things to come, and a sign that the Rapture is drawing near.
To keep from giving offense, many churches are removing crosses from the exterior of their buildings, and from sanctuaries and other places inside the church that are dedicated for worship. For reasons best explained by their members, some sects have never displayed the cross on or in their houses of worship in the first place.
Among Christians, churches with large congregations are generally seen as desirable. It is viewed as a sign of evangelical success. Many so-called “megachurches” have been able to grow because they give people the truth in love, rightly teaching the Word of God. Others have attracted large numbers of congregants by becoming a kind of self-help resource and a place for social contact. The latter type of church teaches about the love of Jesus, but they avoid subjects that some people might find to be upsetting; like end-times prophesy, the torture and crucifixion of Christ, calls to holy living, Hell, the persecution of believers, Christ as the only way to salvation, the cleansing Blood of Jesus, and the Cross of Christ.
In the spirit of providing truth in love, there are some Bible verses that shed light on the attitude the believer should have toward the cross:
For the word of the
cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved
it is the power of God. (1Corinthians 1:18 NASB) *
For I have told you often before, and I
say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows
they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for
destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and
they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of
heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him
to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies
like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under
his control. (Philippians 3:18-21 NLT) *
And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, ’If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.’ (Mark 8:34 NASB) *
‘Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names!
But
don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when
everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be
made known to all. What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when
daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to
hear!’
‘Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.’
‘Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.’
‘If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.’ (Matthew 10:24-27, 32-33, 38-39 NLT) *
I am not advocating that believers have an “in your face,”
confrontive attitude toward others. We
must be humble. I am saying, however,
that we must not hide who we are, what we believe, or on whom salvation
depends. Our faith will show itself by
our actions. (1John 2:3-6, Ephesians 2:8-10)
When I survey
the wonderous cross
On which the
Prince of glory died,
My richest
gain I count but loss,
And pour
contempt on all my pride.
(When I Survey
the Wonderous Cross, by Isaac Watts)
In the cross,
in the cross, Be my glory ever,
‘Til my
raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river.
(Near the
Cross, by William H. Doane and Fanny J. Crosby)
So I’ll
cherish the old rugged cross,
‘Til my
trophies at last I lay down,
I will cling
to the old rugged cross,
And exchange
it some day for a crown.
(The Old
Rugged Cross, by George Bennard)
