The Cross-Centered Life

 

One of the things I love about C. J. Mahaney’s little book is the way he speaks of the gospel and the cross. Maybe you were taught that the gospel is just “the ABC’s of how you get saved,” or that the cross is just the starting point for our journey of faith. Mahaney gently reminds us that the gospel, centered in the cross, is the key to fruitful, godly living every day.

As Paul said, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14, ESV).

Maybe I can whet your appetite with some Mahaney quotes.

The Bible tells us that, while there are many different callings and many possible areas of service in the kingdom of God, one transcendent truth should define our lives. One simple truth should motivate our work and affect every part of who we are.

Christ died for our sins.

If there’s anything in life that we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate in thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be. (pp. 20-21)

When we look inward, we live by the subjective, the temporal, the ever-changing, the unreliable, the likely-to-be false. When we look outward, to the gospel, we live by the objective, the never changing, that which is perfectly reliable and always completely true. (p. 51)

Reminding ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves in these truths every day. No days off allowed. (p. 54)

It’s a matter of sitting yourself down, grabbing your own attention, and saying, “Hey, self, listen up! This is what matters most: You’re forgiven! You have hope! Your hope is based on the sacrifice of Jesus. So let’s not view this day any other way. Let this day be governed by this one defining truth.” (p.55)

I hope you’ll order a copy for yourself.

What's So Wonderful About the Cross?

Would you wear a miniature hangman’s noose around your neck? But of course many followers of Christ wear crosses.

The cross is a common symbol for Christians. We wear crosses and display crosses on our buildings. In some traditions, Christians make the sign of the cross. At our church we often sing “The Wonderful Cross.” But what’s wonderful about a brutal instrument of capital punishment?

Of course it’s not the cross as a means of execution that we revere. It’s the cross of Jesus and all it means to us. We admire Christ so much, love Him and worship Him, because He went to the cross.

The other night I jotted down what the cross means to me.

• The cross is where my Savior died in my place.
• The cross is where my sins were placed upon Him.
• The cross is where my debts toward God were nailed (Colossians 2:14).
• The cross is where God’s wrath was poured out and where God’s justice was satisfied (Romans 3:21-26).
• The cross is the low door through which the one true King stooped in order to rise in conquering power in the resurrection.
• The cross is the great subject of our preaching (1 Corinthians 1:23).
• The cross is offensive to prideful people, but beloved to humble ones.
• The cross is foolish and weak to those who don’t believe in Jesus, but wise and powerful for those who do.
• The cross is the only reason I should boast (Galatians 6:14).
• The cross is the way we are reconciled to God and to others (Ephesians 2:16).
• The cross is how much God hates my pride, my selfishness, my rebellion.
• The cross is how much God loves His people, including me.
• The cross is weakness, failure, shame and rejection.
• The cross is power, success, honor, and acceptance.
• The cross is the end of everything.
• The cross is the beginning of everything.

The cross is far more important in the New Testament than it is to the average church or the average Christian. Paul said, But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world  (Galatians 6:14).

So I’ve been thinking, how can I live a more cross-centered life? Here are a few steps I’m trying to take. Maybe you’d be interested, too.

1. Memorize Galatians 6:14.
2. Pray that God would help me learn the meaning of the cross and the meaning of a cross-centered life.
3. Study “cross” and “crucified” in the New Testament. (Use your concordance.)
4. Read C. J. Mahaney’s wonderful little book, The Cross-Centered Life. It’s tiny, only 85 pages, but packs a huge blessing.

And in case you’d like to sing or listen to “The Wonderful Cross,” click here. (I'm having trouble embedding videos, so for now I'm stuck with giving you the link.)