WE PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED

By on Sep 3, 2012 in Current Issues, Devotions, Features

As the gospel of Christ crucified cannot be attained through the religious works of sinful men, nor can be attained through the logical thinking of sinful men, neither can it be more effective, more persuasive or more savingly executed through the eloquent proclamation of sinful men.

[T]o suggest such a thing would certainly contradict what the apostle stated prior to his telling the Corinthians that he determined to know nothing among them except the gospel truth of Christ, and Him crucified:

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.1 Corinthians 2:1

Neither excellent speech nor cunning wisdom was used by Paul in declaring the gospel truth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit alone regardless of whether one is on the receiving side or the delivery side of the gospel. Why? God tells us in a verse just prior to what we’ve read in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2,

That no flesh should glory in his presence.1 Corinthians 1:29

GLORY IN THE CROSS
God receives glory from the work of Christ’s crucifixion and He also receives glory from proclamation of Christ’s  crucifixion, in those to whom God is saving, and in those by whom God is using to preach His truth. Therefore, if man’s  chief end, ultimate goal and reason for existence is to glorify God, then we glorify God when our boast is in the crucified Christ, as it is written,

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.Galatians 6:14

When we can boast in anything apart from the redeeming work of Jesus Christ, by His righteous life lived, His prophetic word taught, His heavenly declarations proclaimed, His obedient servitude exemplified, His perfect substitutionary death, etc., we sin, straying from the gospel, departing from its glory and its power.

But we proclaim Christ crucified,
Offensive to the Jews,
And unto Greek minds foolishness:
Rejected by both views.

Yet, for all those whom God has call’d,
Both Jews and Greeks alike,
Jesus Christ, the great pow’r of God
And wisdom from on high.

For God’s apparent foolishness
Is wiser than all men;
And what seems to be God’s weakness:
Stronger than all heaven.

For, brethren, won’t you bring to mind,
God’s calling, ye can see,
Not many wise or strong are call’d,
Noble, too, not many.

But God had chosen from this world
The foolish things to stun
The wise; and weak things He chose too,
Confounding those things strong.

And the lowly and despis’d things,
The world considers base,
God has valued and has chosen;
The lofty He laid waste.

The reason God has done these things:
That no flesh should glory
In His presence― for God’s Word
Knows no other story. ((Jon Cardwell, Christ and Him Crucified [Anniston: Vayahiy Press, 2011], 56-58.))

John Cardwell

Further reading