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I am amazed when I see people wear a cross around their neck without any real understanding for the message it bears.  Some people treat it like one of those cute little statues of Buddha; neat, cute, goes great on my fireplace mantle!  In truth, we should behold the cross with trembling and with a rather sober appreciation for what the cross actually is.  That is not say that we should not also view it with joy and hope, but that can only be said from the believer’s side of the pond.  If though, we set aside the Christian versus non-Christian dichotomy for a moment, we can discuss the cross from the most basic and raw form possible.  In this regard, we need to understand who died on the cross, why he died, and why it is relevant to us today.

Jesus – Who Was He?

Jesus was a Jewish man and a carpenter born in Bethlehem, but grew up in Nazereth.  He was raised by a mother and father, and had several siblings.  In truth, we know very little about his early life, but we do know that he began his ministry somewhere around the age of thirty.  At that time, he spent somewhere around three years preaching and preparing twelve disciples to carry on the message after he departed.  He spoke to them about his eventual departure and made clear that a time was coming when he would suffer at the hands of men.  He also made it clear that the suffering would result in his death.  And throughout those three years, he provided us with the most amazing insights into mankind, with his words preserved in the book we now know as the Bible.

Even if we don’t immediately grant the deity of Jesus, we know that he was nonetheless no ordinary man.  The problem, however, is that Jesus made claims that prevent us from marginalizing him.  Unlike any of the other major figures in world religions, Jesus was clearly different.  Which makes sense, because the world treats him differently.  It is innate within them that when they learn of the story of Jesus, that they recognize how incredible the story of Jesus is.  The question is, how incredible?  Is it simply too incredible to believe?  Take for instance, the story of Muhammad.   I am not aware of anyone who seriously doubts that Muhammad lived, or that the general description of his life is accurate.  Instead, with the exception of Muslims, they simply discount his claim to be a prophet.  This is true for Buddha and the rest of the false prophets.  But what about Jesus?

I have read numerous accounts of people who even doubt the very existence of Jesus of Nazereth.  I have also read attacks on Christianity that attempt to debunk even the most fundamental aspects of the historical beginnings of the faith.  And what seems painfully clear in all of these is that there is a concerted effort to deny as much of Jesus as possible, at whatever cost.  Again, this is distinct compared to the utter disregard that is felt for the other major religious figures.  You have to ask yourself what is different about this man that causes this.  And to find out, you have to go to the Bible.  There you will find that he was a man who was blameless, without sin, and a man who willingly laid down his life to be crucified so that he could bear the judgment in our stead; a perfect sacrifice.  It is this man we have to contend with if we are to understand the cross.

Jesus - Why He Died

Having established an overview of who Jesus (the man) was, let me now expound on why he died.  In the Old Testament, Jewish people sacrificed animals as a way of atoning for sins.  This is not the same as the type of sacrifices you see caricatured in movies.  The animals were not sacrificed because God craved blood like some volcano you are sacrificing virgins to so that it will not erupt.  Instead, God allowed an animal to take the place of men in His judgment of their sin.  Like it or not in this day in age, the truth was that it was evidence of a merciful God.  And as we transition from this Old Testament practice to the New Testament and the coming of the Christ, we find an act even more amazing. 

Just as an animal was sacrificed for the sins of men, so too did Jesus die for our sins.  This in itself was amazing, maybe even astonishing.  However, this does not tell the full story.  Previously, I told of Jesus “the man.”  As it turns out, Jesus was not merely a man.  Instead, Christian orthodoxy teaches that Jesus was also God come in the flesh.  If that be the case, then we have a mindbogglingly enormous concept to wrap our minds around.  If the God of the Bible, the one true God, a merciful loving God, came to this earth, it would be the crime of all history if He broke so much as a fingernail for the sins of men.  And yet, we find that Jesus was bruised, battered beyond recognition, scourged, nailed to a tree, and ultimately crucified for our sins.  If you don’t feel a chill when thinking about that, you simply don’t understand.

Although I don’t fully understand it, the reality is that God chose to visit His creation, to live in His creation, and finally, to die as a means of reconciling His creation to Himself.  The Bible teaches that those who repent of their sins, who believe in Jesus by faith, and live for Christ, are saved from the wrath of God because Jesus bore our sins on the cross.  Jesus died in our place.  And so as it turns out, why Jesus dies answers why it is relevant to us today.  In fact, there is no greater need today than the need for men to come to the cross with a repentant heart.  It is, in the end, the only hope for the degenerate man.  And so the offensive nature of the cross follows because it offends our very pride, the very core that makes us tick.  Because the truth of the cross is the truth of the depraved man.  To accept the cross, we must first humble ourselves before it.

I would like to start with what I believe the Bible points to as the most fundamental aspect of the gospel as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8:

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 (New International Version)

The Resurrection of Christ

 1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

This scripture is important for a handful of reasons. First, Paul (the author) is indicating here that, “By this gospel you are saved.” Of course, if it is through this message that we find our saving grace, it is here we should start. Second, Paul is passing on the historical account of the gospel that was transmitted verbally from the very earliest points of Christianity.  Finally, this small excerpt from scripture holds an important apologetic relating to the historical account of the resurrection.

The Message that Saves:

As indicated by Paul, this is the essential gospel message.  The key aspect of this scripture is “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.”  The Bible makes clear that anyone who believes through faith that this is true, they will be saved from their sins.  Of course, inherent in this message is not just that they believe that it happened, but they believe in why it happened and seek and accept God’s forgiveness.  By combining the Old Testament and the indications of a coming messiah (found in the OT) with the events of Jesus’ coming, we find the hope of our salvation.  As Jesus in all his innocence was selected over Barabbas (a man who was a criminal if we ever saw one) and died in his stead in a physical enactment of what was to come, so too did Christ ultimately die in our stead despite our own guilt.  For those who come to believe in Jesus and follow him, it is our saving grace.   

The Beginning of the Gospel Message:

In addition to being the gospel message, this scripture documents what was probably the very original gospel message; the testimony of those who witnessed the events.  This would have been passed from person to person verbally from the very earliest points of Christianity.  The importance of this transmission of the gospel cannot be overstated because it leads into the the apologetic that is to follow.  Specifically, it shows that the resurrection was not a later invention, but was believed from the very start. 

An Apologetic for the Resurrection:

For those not familiar with the term, an apologetic is a defense of something.  In this case, the defense that is naturally found in this transmission of the gospel is related to the resurrection.  As indicated, it answers one charge right from the start because it shows how early after the events that the resurrection belief originated.  However, it goes much deeper than that.  It also lists specific events and the transmission is that of the original witnesses.  Given this information, it reflects some very important aspects of the resurrection.  The best argument I have heard derived from this information is from William Lane Craig (visit his site here).  Dr. Craig argues that there are four facts about the historical Jesus that are accepted widely by New Testament historians:

1. “After his crucifixion, Jesus was buried by Joseph of Arimathea in a tomb.”
2. “On the Sunday after the crucifixion, Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of His women followers.”
3. “On multiple occasions, and under various circumstances, different individuals and groups saw Jesus alive after his death.”
4. The original disciples suddenly and sincerely came to believe Jesus was risen from the dead, despite having every predisposition to the contrary.”

These four facts, partly taken from the scripture I have shared, form the foundation of an argument for the historicity of the resurrection that is quite powerful.  The reason it is so powerful is that the only event that explains all four of the events is the resurrection itself.  All other attempts to explain away these facts only explain one of the facts singularly.  For instance, it is widely argued at the popular level that the sitings of Jesus were merely hallucinations of some sort, which really does not make sense.  But, even if you grant the possibility for arguments sake, it again only explains the sitings, but has no bearing on the other facts.  So, to defeat the whole argument, you must string together several hypotheses.  Whereas, the resurrection explains them all.

Conclusion:

As the most fundamental aspect of Christianity, the gospel message of Christ’s resurrection is to be carried to the world.  It is the message that saves and I believe is a defensible proposition (as indicated).  As William Lane Craig states, the only additional proposition that is needed to justify this explanation is a belief in God.  Of course, if you deny God out of hand, then what more can be said? 

At the outset, I would also like to acknowledge the natural tendency of the non-Christian to lambast an attempt such as the one I am now making.  Further, I am also aware that as a Christian, I have to be careful in how I approach such a reality.  There are those who while fully Christian, take an approach to this type of activity with venom and anger.  I aim to steer clear of such antagonism, and instead, hope that I can reflect a gentle, civil approach to evangelism.  That is not to say that there will not be those that ultimately take my message angrily.  It has been my experience that any proclamation of the gospel message, no matter how delicate an approach is taken, is often times met with hostility.

In writing this blog, I hope to take to heart 1 Peter 3:15 when it says, “…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…”  It is my hopes that those who read my writings here will realize – no matter how much they disagree with me – that I desire here to be respectful of those with differing views and not to ridicule.  That being said, I must also be honest from the start and acknowledge, that at least in certain areas, my writings will treat certain topics with disdain.  This will be especially true when it comes to certain aspects of the Christian message and how it interacts with the modern society and cultural norms.  I will not water down the message of Christ for fear of being offensive.  And yet, I will not forget the need to be ever focused on a respectful, clear, and honest proclamation of the gospel.

Finally, let me say a word to those who while reading this for the first time are already angry and ready to set fire to me.  I must ask you, why are you so angry?  Why does the gospel message leave you fuming?  And finally, do you really even know the gospel message and the arguments that support it as being the truth?  I ask these questions in the hopes of getting you to move past your anger and to head one of two directions.  First, if you realize that you really do not know enough to critique the message I am speaking, then I implore you to hold your anger at bay and do some reading; whether here or elsewhere, and most importantly in the Bible itself.  Second, if you are committed to attacking the message of the Gospel and believe you have the wherewithal to do so competently, then you are nonetheless welcome here – I only ask that you commit to communicating with civility.  I will not delete an opposing view on this blog, so long as it is respectful.

One quick note then in regards to what you should expect as far as topics: Everything goes! I completely challenge the current belief system that argues that Christians should stick to the privatization of the gospel, holding it at bay from science, education, culture, and politics. No, in fact, I believe that Christianity should be at the forefront of these topics and therefore, I will not venture away from them.