The Relevancy of The Cross
By Toby Crowder
Mitchell County
John 12:32-33 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die.”
Many of the writers in this publication are Pastors; men who stand regularly and try to connect with their congregation in a real and meaningful way. They desire to see sinners come to Christ and for those who are saved to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Pet 3:18.) We recognize that in this day, our listeners desire to hear something relevant; something that will “make a difference” in the day and time in which we live. If you were to look in a modern dictionary at the word relevant, you would find this definition: “having a significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand; having social relevance.” Sadly, many church members have heard the message of the Cross so many times that they do not consider it relevant, or needful in this day, but can I assure you from the Word of God that the message of the Cross of Christ is still relevant and powerful in this day and time!
The Cross serves as a powerful and relevant reminder to us of several things. By it, we learn the awfulness of sin. It was our sin that separated us from God and demanded payment on a Roman cross. We live in a society today that refuses to acknowledge sin in almost any form. A broad definition of sin is any thought, word, or deed that falls short of God’s standard of holiness. Sin can also be defined as an act of disobedience to the will of God, the absence of righteousness, or a nature of enmity towards God. It is our inborn strife against God and His authority. Regardless of how it is that we understand sin, we must understand that the effects of sin are being seen all over our world and have great consequences. As devastating as these consequences are, the greatest and most awful effect of sin is that it separates us from God, and if we die lost in our sins, we will spend an eternity in Hell and forever separated from God. This is RELEVANT! Consider carefully your standing with God… Have you been saved from YOUR sin?
The Cross is also a reminder to us of God’s affection for sinful man! Jesus came as a ransom… He was the propitiation for our sins… He came to abolish sin. In v.31, John lets us know that from this event on, Satan had no power over us… nor did death. If we take even a casual glance at the world around us, we certainly have to admit that sin is relevant in this day! Even though the world, in general, denies it as a problem, our sin means that we cannot approach God as we are. The wages of sin is death… it always has been and always will be. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Yet even as we realize the relevancy of that statement, we also learn from the pen of Paul that “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) … Thanks be to God, for His divine affection for sinful man!
Finally, The Cross revealed that God did not intend for Satan and sin to have victory… He provided an answer! Here we see the relevancy of this answer. Jesus said in v. 32, that through His death He would draw all men unto Him. Jesus made a similar statement to Nicodemus earlier in John’s Gospel John 3:14-15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus is making a twofold statement to Nicodemus but is focusing on the cross and what must take place at Calvary to pay the debt of sin. Through Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, we are the recipients of this eternal life!
Are you looking for something relevant in this day and time? Are you looking for something “having a significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand?” I encourage you to consider the glorious and relevant Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!
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Toby Crowder serves as Pastor of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Spruce Pine. He and his wife Leslie have been married for 26 years and have two daughters, Emilee, and Katy. He can be contacted via the church’s website MCfamilyforChrist.org or mtcarmelsprucepine@gmail.com
You can read more good Christian news at www.blueridgechristiannews.com.
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