The Message of the Cross

1^st Corinthians 1:18 says the message of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to us that are being saved it is the power of God.

This is a fascinating statement that points us to what we desperately need. The power of God is quite literally the key to victory. And the verse tells us that the message of the cross is the power of God.

What exactly is “the message of the cross?” Some may assume the message is that Jesus went to the cross and rose again, but it goes deeper than that.

Today we’ll explore the message of the cross, and how it is the power of God.

The Message

Since we are told that the message of the cross is the power of God it is crucial for us to know and understand that message. The cross is the central focus of why Jesus came, and the instrument through which He completed His sacrifice and His work. 

Many Christian’s look to the cross as equal parts horror and rejoicing, because of the sheer brutality and the salvation that ultimately came from Jesus’ sacrifice. And that is a key point. It’s vital to not look at the cross in an abstract way only, but as a personal event with real and tangible effects.

Consider Romans 6:8-12:

“ ⁸Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

⁹Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him.

¹⁰For in that he died, he died to sin once: but in that he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹²Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.”

There are several crucial details to notice here about the message of the cross. The first is that it was a one-time sacrifice, with eternal effect.  Jesus does not need to repeatedly; He died once for all. And His sacrifice does not wear out, grow old, or become weaker over time. What this means is that you can be completely confident in what Jesus accomplished.

Next we see that He died to sin, but lives to God.  Now you might be thinking, wait a minute! If Jesus was perfect and sinless, then how could he die to sin?  That’s a great question! And it’s the right question to ask. This detail goes to the very foundation of the message of the cross. Write the references down, Isaiah 53:6 and 1^st Peter 2:24. God did not condemn Jesus on the cross, all of our sins were laid upon the body of Jesus (that’s why he was torn apart more than anyone else) and God condemned sin in the body of Jesus. So Jesus died to sin. But when He rose again, He did not rise with the sin still there… no the sin is completely gone and done away with; now He lives to God and this tells us that a change has occurred.

Third, in verse 11, we see that Jesus’ sacrifice was not done in isolation, but it was for you and for me. His sacrifice was not something to merely observe as a spectator, but is the foundation of your spiritual identity. The verse says to likewise, reckon yourself dead indeed to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Likewise, means in the same manner.  Just as all of our sins were laid upon, imputed on the body of Jesus on the cross, so too was all of His righteousness and perfect holiness imputed to us. Reckon is an accounting term, it means to record it as a completed transaction. Identify with this being true in your life, now.

Divine Power Through the Cross

Now as you recall the scripture I quoted in the opening (1^st Corinthians 1:18) mentions that those those being saved, the message of the cross is the power of God. And now, can see more clearly how this is true.

The final detail that I have to share with you today is in verse 12 of Romans 6, notice that it says Let not sin therefore, reign in your mortal body.  The word therefore  is critical to understanding the point , although we often drop it in our casual reciting. In-fact, In most Christian theology today we often try to skip the previous three points that I put on the slides here. We try to jump straight to point number 4, and we tell people that they need to conquer sin, without explaining to them the message of the cross at all— so we’ve sent people into the spiritual fray without giving them any weapons! We’ve told them they need to fight a battle, but they are powerless without the cross, so they are left confused, frustrated, and utterly defeated.  No wonder so many people give up! But it’s not their fault, and it’s not God’s fault, that one is squarely on the pastors and leaders, who aren’t teaching the very fundamentals of the gospel— the message of the cross that gives people the power that Jesus paid for them to have.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body; how? It happens through living your spiritual identity. And please hear me clearly on this, I’m not talking about your effort, your willpower, or your works. Those of you who have been longtime subscribers, you know that would never do a bait and switch like that, I’m just making it clear for the first-time viewers. This is not about your works.

When I say “living your identity” I’m talking about the complete realization of your new nature in Christ. Taking it from a mental concept, into the totality of your being. You don’t wake-up trying to be a Christian. Your first thought in the morning isn’t “Gee, I hope I don’t sin today. ”  Instead it’s “Father, thank you so much I’m completely righteous, holy and blameless because of what Jesus did, and I am accepted and fully loved by you and this day is already amazing because you and I are in complete union.”

You can say that sincerely from your heart because of what Jesus accomplished on that cross and it has absolutely zero to do with your performance, effort, or works.

That is the message of the cross, that is your power, and that is why sin cannot reign in your mortal body, because when you truly own your new identity, sin’s power is crushed— not by your efforts, but by the power of Christ in you, and it happened, through the message of the cross.

Be blessed.