Dear beloved,
We can easily assume that there has been few things more important in the history of Christendom than the Cross. We can hear it all the time: bring yourself, your burdens, your aspirations, your struggles, your future, etc. to the Cross.
But what says the Holy Scriptures on this vital doctrine of the Almighty? As you may follow our work here at Walk Worthy, you can see that much of what the modern church teaches is actually a mixture of error with some good mixed in. Or, unfortunately, more and more we see the trend toward the antithesis of the very truth of our Lord itself.
A crucifixion on a cross was a heinous and torturous way to die, the state of the art at the time. It is said the origin was possibly from the Phoenicians, but the Assyrians were the main perpetrators. It worked so effectively at suppressing dissent and rebellion by its public example and the resulting fear and shame that the Romans picked it up and used it throughout their empire.
The victim would be stripped naked to ensure the ultimate degradation, along with taunting, and resulting shame. The cross, or upright stake, was affixed with the victim impaled by their hands and feet. The death often took days, thus the order to break the legs to hasten the end.
In order to breathe, the victim needed to force his body upward against the raw stake enduring agonizing splinters. In 
addition, most of them had already experienced a savage beating called the half-way death. Jesus Christ was beaten to an unrecognizable pulp declares the Scriptures. Since He was the King of the Judeans (Jews) and they had a perpetual guerrilla war against the Roman occupation, our Lord was probably treated the worst of all.
Toward the end, the victim lost their bowels in addition to the urination that had been taking place all along. In the case of men, the pain was so excruciating they would have a penile erection being unable to control any body function. Many would die of asphyxiation and heart failure. Martin Hengel’s book on the subject is well known.
The Locals Knew Exactly What The Cross Meant
The hills of Galilee were said to have been lined with the victims of Rome’s enemies. The siege and eventual destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the slaughter of 1,000,000 Judeans then was carried out by the future Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his second-in-command. It is said there were no more trees left for miles since all were used to crucify tens of thousands of souls. Many were affixed savagely on wooden stakes nailed to the walls of the city.
When Jesus said to His followers and onlookers to “take up your cross,” they knew exactly what He meant. Exactly. No modern ethereal distant concept but the bloody reality.
There is much in the New Covenant record on the role of the Cross of Christ. Let us dive in now and see what God chose to leave behind for the Israel of God.
There are 27 uses of the Greek word stauros meaning an upright stake, hence a cross. The root word is histêmi meaning to make to stand. Some of the uses can be doubled up due to the same usage in the gospels.
The Five Wonder-Full Areas of The Cross
A. Jesus’ perfect obedience – This allowed Him to endure and bear on the cross the sins of the entire world for all time. This satisfied the wrath of God against repentant sinners who also walk holy to the end. In addition, the Beloved Son was subject to the naked public display in front of His own mother, family, and disciples, as well as taunting insults.
John 19:25 Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
Mark 15:32 “Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with Him were also insulting Him.
Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Hebrews 12:2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
B. The Reconciliation of all things – The sacrifice of our Lord on the cross reconciled all things to the Father, including Judeans and Gentiles in one body, and canceled out our debt of sin.
Colossians 1:20 …and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Colossians 2:14 …having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Ephesians 2:16 …and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.
C. Disciples are commanded, not suggested, to take up and endure their own cross – This is our own method of torturous and shameful death for the sake of our Lord and Savior. Notice this is a one-time event, for the victim always dies.
Matthew 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Luke 9:23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Luke 14:27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
John 19:17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
D. The world and it’s evil ways are now crucified and dead to us – Thanks to the Cross, we can go and sin no more and walk worthy of God.
Galatians 6:14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
E. Salvation preaching of the cross – Our preaching can be compromised and void its power, is foolishness since it’s a stumbling block and shame, causes persecution for the preacher, and those who reject it are its enemies.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.
1 Corinthians 1:18 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.
Galatians 5:11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.
Galatians 6:12 Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Philippians 3:18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,
The Conclusion Then?
The Cross of Christ is of monumental significance to both our gospel message and daily walk in holiness as we have seen here. But we need to be getting beyond it since it is not the single most important element of the Christian life.
In contrast, the Word speaks unceasingly hundreds of times about the fruitful deeds, the works, we are to produce for God and with His help. The Cross helps make this possible as an event and power that provides the way to this fruitfulness.
But, you might protest, what about the passage in Luke where Christ plainly says we must take up our cross daily? And the Scripture in 1 Corinthians 15 were Paul proclaims he will “die daily?”
First of all, in the context with Paul, he’s describing how he might fight with wild beasts in Ephesus if thrown to them. This is a figurative case of possible physical death. Christian scholar Craig Keener puts it this way in his classic work The IVP Bible Background Commentary.
In this context, “die daily” (KJV, NASB) is figurative speech for Paul’s proleptic (possible upcoming) experience of martyrdom in his repeated sufferings for the gospel.
So in Paul’s case it has nothing at all to do with dying daily to self. After all, he was the one who penned the Spirit inspired works that we’re already dead to sin and alive to God. Hallelujah!
Second, with Christ in Luke, I firmly believe that He meant we must be ready and willing to suffer for Him daily like a real crucified person has done. But the Cross has already “slain” the old man as it slew Christ as a real man in order to be resurrected.
You’re already dead, buried, resurrected, and seated at the right hand of God, dear Christian (Rom. 6-8; Eph.1-2). So, whatever the “daily” part means, it cannot override the fact that we’re dead…already. The old man, the old person, cannot be dead and still on the way to die! It’s a wholesale contradiction of the Word’s doctrine of spiritual death and resurrection.
I believe that daily, as a disciple of Christ, it’s promised we will be persecuted, suffer, and perhaps even be martyred someday for His Name’s sake. Therefore, we must bear and endure that suffering and tribulation daily as a crucified man would.
You’ve already taken up your cross, have been buried and resurrected, and are now following Him as you walk worthy in every circumstance that arises.
Walking Worthy Results in A Life That is Perfected Love
Remember at the beginning of this piece we recounted how we can hear these sort of phrases all the time: bring yourself, your burdens, your aspirations, your struggles, your future, etc. to the Cross?
Where is this found in the New Testament record?
It’s not.
What is found is the admonition and exhortation to bring yourself, your burdens, your aspirations, your struggles, your future…to Jesus!
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
His Holy Spirit is the promise and the power for this life of the resurrected Christ as our brother the apostle Peter proclaims on the day of Pentecost!
Acts 2:33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
Walking worthy is the key ingredient now as we walk in the same manner as He walked! This is God’s love perfected, saints.
1 John 2:3-6 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.
Paul was devout, upright, and blameless. Consequently, God’s love was perfected with him. Again, this is made possible in part by the Cross.
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
We thank the Father and Jesus for the Son’s Cross. This brutal but blessed event provides an integral way on our behalf as His beloved children to allow our entrance into the kingdom to serve Him wholeheartedly!
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A.W. Tozer’s piece on The Old Cross and The New can be found here.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
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You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Marc White, Director, Walk Worthy Ministries, www.WalkWorthy.org
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