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 (Manna 7)
The Cross and Us

THE CROSS AND US

            For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  (1 Cor 2:2)

In I Corinthians 1: 18 Paul said, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” Here we can see that Paul cherished the cross of the Lord Jesus and often preached about it. This does not mean that he idolized it, however. Rather, the cross he talked about was not the cross of wood, but the crucifixion and death of Christ. Because it was there that the Lord Jesus died for him, it meant a lot to him. The mercy, sufferings, and great love of the Lord must have come to his mind whenever he thought of the cross, and this so moved him to say, “Jesus loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal ).

What, then does the cross mean to us? Here are a few points for our mutual exhortation:

His Love and Suffering - Our Remembrance

Whenever we remember the death of our Lord, we cannot but think of his love and suffering. Undeniably, Jesus went through the most painful type of death by being crucified. But for our sake, He was willing to do this, and as Paul said in Phil. 2:8, Jesus became “obedient to death, even death on a cross”. If we ask ourselves, “Why has Jesus shown such great love to me, to ransom me with his own precious blood? Who am I that he should undergo such agony on the cross, to die for me?”, we may begin to see just how much Jesus has loved us and done for us. We often feel grateful when a friend has done some small kindness to us, and try to repay him as best as we can. How much more should we feel grateful to the Lord, who has given us everything, even himself! And how shall we repay him? The new commandment Jesus gives to us in John is that we love one another as He has loved us. And this love should not be shown only to those who love us, but to all men, for the love Jesus has shown us is deep, unconditional, and everlasting. If His love fills us and controls us, it will motivate us to love others in the same way, and we shall all be as one in Christ Jesus.

His Crucifixion - Our New Creation

There is no life without a sacrifice, as Jesus said in John 12:24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit”. So by the death of Jesus, many souls are saved.

The cross brought reconciliation between God and men (Eph 2:6). He conquered death and brought life. The precious blood He shed washes away our sins, and we become part of Him. Called out of the bondage of sin into freedom, we are a new creation. Romans 6:4-11 tells us that a new creation must walk in the newness of life. By belonging to Christ we crucify our flesh with all its passions and desires, and strive to live a new life worthy of our Lord.

His Commission—Our Duty

Since we have been redeemed by Him, let us also bring salvation to all men; this is our commission. Preaching the gospel is a “necessity” to the apostle Paul (I Cor -17). This should also be our attitude towards preaching, for Jesus has told us: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation”. When others receive the glad tidings, they too will rejoice with us.

Our “cross” that the Lord speaks of in Matthew 10:38 signifies our responsibilities and commission. It also implies our share of sufferings and toils. Thus, carrying the cross may be difficult and painful at times. But as this is our responsibility, let us not be discouraged in the face of hardships since we serve God, whose grace is sufficient for our use.

At the thought of the cross, we remember His love and sufferings for us. Let us do the same for Him. The cross reminds us that we are a new creation. Let us be transformed by His Word. We remember our commission. Let us carry our cross to the very end.

 

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