THE WAY OF THE CROSS - Part 1

THE WAY OF THE CROSS - Part 1

The two topics which have been on my heart are “God-Centeredness” and “The Way of the Cross”. These two topics are very much connected. We have discussed “God-Centeredness” and found its antithesis to be “Self-Centeredness”. It is this “self-centeredness” which the “Way of the Cross” addresses. While it is more than this, the Way of the Cross is God’s solution to self-centeredness. I say it is “more than this” because self-centeredness is a human problem which originated at the Fall, while the Way of the Cross is the outworking of the Divine Nature, and therefore, an eternal principle.

But, why is it that we are naturally self-centered when we were actually created to be God-centered? Let’s begin at the beginning where it all began. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Book of Genesis, we read about the Fall of Man. I will paraphrase the story: God said, “I have given you a paradise here. There is the Tree of Life, and there is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I would like for you to eat of the Tree of Life, but not from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Of course, in order for you to love Me, as I have defined love, I have given you a free will; and you can disagree and disobey Me.[1] But, from My point of view, it would be a good thing for you not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I have the Knowledge of Good and Evil and I have created you in My image and likeness. You have been created to be LIKE Me, but not AS Me. The difference is this: As God, I have the Knowledge of Good and Evil and I can handle it - you can’t.”

Then along came the Adversary – the one who hates us, and wants to steal, kill and destroy us. He said to Eve: “Sure, God said that He loves you and wants the best for you, but He must be holding something back from you and Adam, if He won’t let you eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Come over here and just take a look at this tree from my point of view: This is beautiful food that will make you wise.” So Eve took a look at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And from her point of view, this looked like a good deal. So, she and her husband ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In so doing, they in as much said to God: “Lord, thanks very much for this paradise, but we feel that if we can just decided for ourselves what we think will be good and evil for us, we will be able to make an even better life for ourselves.”

We see the results of their choice in the same chapter: they realize they are naked, and now feel like they cannot stand before the Lord, and try to hide from His presence. In the next chapter we see that their son, Cain, kills his brother, Abel. When God confronts him about this, his response is: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In others words, he was acting out of his self-centered point of view. Well, as they say: “The rest is history” – the history of Humanity’s hopeless attempt at living independent of God.

Our essential spiritual need is a change from a self-centered to a God-centered point of view. This “change” is theologically referred to as repentance. The Greek word translated repentance is: metanoeo[2]. It is a combination of two words: meta, which means to change; and noeo, which means to perceive. Fundamentally, we need a change of perception – we need to change our point of view – from a self-centered to a God-centered point of view. And the Way of the Cross has been provided by God to accomplish this work in fallen humanity.

I’ve long taken note of the list of characteristics the apostle Paul gives in his letter to Timothy describing people who are living in the last days.[3] The list begins with “lovers of self”.[4]
I do think this characterizes our generation. The Church and those who lead it are far from being exempt. Yet, the displacement of self-centeredness to God-centeredness is a defining characteristic of Christ and therefore of true Christ-likeness. But because self-centeredness is so intertwined in our fallen human nature, what is required is that we be regularly reminded of the message of the Way of the Cross asking the Holy Spirit to apply it afresh to our lives.

What Do We Mean By “The Cross”?

But what exactly do we mean by “The Cross”? The first mention of “the cross” in the Bible is spoken by Jesus Himself:
“And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].”[5]

Jesus is “the Author and Perfecter of faith”[6] and He defined “the cross” in terms of “denying self”. According to Jesus, a second aspect of the definition of “the cross” is that it is “for the glory of the Father”. He said:
“Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name " Then a voice came out of heaven: "I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again."[7]
One insidious danger associated with desiring to walk the Way of the Cross is falling into the trap of taking pride in our self-denial. This does not glorify the Father, but instead, ironically, leads to self-glorification. This type of spiritual pride is in direct contradiction to the Way of the Cross.

A third aspect of the definition of “the Cross” is that it is “daily”, as Jesus said that we were to “take up our cross daily and follow Him”. That is, the Way of the Cross is not some kind of single special act of spectacular sacrifice which may even bring popular notoriety; but rather, the Way of the Cross is a daily life style of self-denial – usually in ways that may go totally unnoticed except by God.

We need to make a distinction between the “Work of the Cross” and the “Way of the Cross”: The “Work of the Cross” is Christ’s sacrificial work on the Cross as “the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the World”.[8] The message of the “Work” of the Cross is directed to the unconverted – the “old man”.[9] The “Way of the Cross” is Christ’s example which He gave to “any person wills to come after Him…and follow Him.[10] That is “cleave steadfastly to Him, conform wholly to His example”[11], and “take the same road with Him that He takes as a habit of life”.[12] The message of the Way of the Cross is directed to the “new man”.[13]

WHY The Way Of The Cross?

Why is the “Way of the Cross” necessary? It is God’s way. From eternity past to eternity future, it is the only way God does things: In Revelation 13:8 it is written:
“All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”[14]
From this verse we see that both the “Work of the Cross” and the “Way of the Cross” were established in God’s heart and mind, and in God’s plan and purpose from before the beginning of the world.

Also at the end of the Book of Revelation, in the new heavens and the new earth, in the midst of the New Jerusalem, we see “the throne of God and of the Lamb”.[15]

God’s eternal plan and purpose was accomplished only by the Lamb through the “Work of the Cross” and the “Way of the Cross”. In his vision into eternity, this is the truth the apostle John saw and heard declared by angels, the living creatures and elders at the throne in heaven:
“I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; and one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals." And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. "You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth." Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."[16]

The apostle John also wrote this in one of his epistles:
“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”[17]

Why the “Way of the Cross”? It is God’s way. From eternity past to eternity future, it is the only way God does things. This is so, because both the “Work of the Cross” and the “Way of the Cross” are perfect expressions of the very essence of God’s nature - His self-denying love.

[1] Humankind is free to love or not love God. Jesus said: “IF YOU LOVE ME, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) Many would ask: “Why would God create humankind knowing that they would fall into sin and suffer the sorrowful consequences of sin?” Because He freely chose to create and love us, He wanted us to freely choose to love Him, even at the risk of our choosing not to, for He had a plan of redemption already in place before the fall into sin. (Revelation 13:8, Ephesians 1:3-6)

[2] Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible # 3340 and Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words.
[3] II Timothy 3:1-3
[4] II Timothy 3:1-3
[5] Luke 9:23 The Amplified Bible. The Amplified Bible was the first Bible project of The Lockman Foundation. It attempts to take both word meaning and context into account in order to accurately translate the original text from one language into another. The Amplified Bible does this through the use of explanatory alternate readings and amplifications to assist the reader in understanding what Scripture really says. Multiple English word equivalents to each key Hebrew and Greek word clarify and amplify meanings that may otherwise have been concealed by the traditional translation method.
[6] Hebrews 12:2
[7] John 12:27-28
[8] John 1:29
[9] Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9
[10] Luke 9:23
[11] The Amplified Bible
[12] The Wuest Expanded Translation
[13] Ephesians 2:15, 4:24; Colossians 3:10
[14] New International Version. Now, there are alternative translations for this verse. Some are communicating that it was the “names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” from (before) the creation of the world. Others, like the NIV, are communicating that it was the “Lamb slain” from (before) the creation of the world.[14] I favor the later. Admittedly, both views are logically problematic, requiring a worldview and faith in spiritual realities existing before empirical human history. There is an interesting phrase in Hebrew 9:14 which I think could be seen to give added support to this concept of “the Lamb slain from the creation”: “… how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” ( Hebrew 9:14) “… through the eternal Spirit (He) offered Himself”: The simple understanding is that Jesus was able to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. This sacrifice was taking place through the agency of the Holy Spirit. That can mean a number of things – one of which is that this sacrifice was taking place in the spiritual dimension. And because it was taking place through the eternal Spirit, it could have very well been taking place in “eternity past”, or “from (before) the creation of the world”. This concept is also supported in I Peter 1:19-20: “… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” In these verses, the apostle, Peter, is clearly stating that the Lamb was foreknown before the creation of the world. So from the Scriptures we know that Christ existed before the creation of the world, and that He was foreordained, if not “slain” - before the creation of the world. So, the Lamb “became flesh”, came into the world, and was physically slain during human history; but there also seems to be the spiritual reality that He was slain in an eternal, spiritual dimension “from (before) the creation of the world”.

[15] Revelation 22:1 & 3
[16] Revelation 5:1-13
[17] I John 4:9-10