“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame – who set their mind on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:18-21.
The cross of Christ comes in many forms, whether as silver, gold, or jewel encrusted necklaces, expensive or plaster wall hangings, or decorative wood carvings, it is understood as an amulet, good luck charm, or family heirloom, but nothing approaches what it really is.
You will find these shiny pieces of jewelry around the necks of prostitutes, movie stars, and gangsters, as well as everyday people. Many of these folk’s lives are contradictory to what the preaching of the cross of Christ stands for.
The cross is also sought out as an ancient relic, or perhaps a sliver of the original cross on which Christ was crucified, what powers it must have, like the Holy Grail.
Alas, it has been said that if all the slivers from the cross of Christ were put together you could construct a tree (or was it a forest?); but if it were real?
If it were real it would have no more supernatural power than if anyone else had been crucified on it, or if it had been a chair Jesus sat in, or a table He had fashioned with His own hands.
Great monetary value yes, great curiosity value yes; much to be desired, I would not want it. To have it is to take our mind off of the Christ of the cross, and Christ is what we need, not a dead artifact.
Elvis Presley was supposed to have had a Bible in every room of his house. Now Elvis was a great singer and apparently a decent man, but unless he read those Bibles, they did him no good.
Religious superstition has no place in Christianity, carrying Bibles and wearing crosses or any other such behavior neither brings us luck nor does it gain favor with God.
It is only in developing a relationship with Him, reading and praying; these things negate the need for luck and superstitious fear. This is what Jesus meant when He said the following.
“…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10b.
Does anyone have a cross on a necklace? Is it a beautiful thing or an heirloom reminding us of our mother or father? Do we enjoy it; do we look in the mirror and think of Jesus, our Savior?
This is what the cross should mean to us, not a talisman, or superstitious icon, just a reminder of the Lord Jesus and His sacrifice, or even just the loving hands that gave it to us.
It should be added that most people have their little quirks; the ballplayer who needs his special bat, the bowler who wears his lucky shirt, we all do goofy things because humans are a bit goofy. In fact, it is kind of endearing.
But to be enslaved to superstition is another matter that will rob you of abundant life. Scripture says of the cross.
“For it pleased the Father that in Him [Jesus] all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and irreproachable in His sight…” Colossians 1:19-22.
Notice in the first sentence that God through Christ reconciles all things to Himself, what becomes apparent is that for some reason all things were not reconciled to Him.
Satan started all this, as stated by the Lord Jesus when He was accosted and threatened by the Jews.
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.
The Bible further speaks of Lucifer (Satan) in this way.
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol [hell], to the lowest depths of the Pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15.
Let us examine this a bit more.
“You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.” Ezekiel 28:15-16.
These two passages in Isaiah 14:4-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 from which the above are taken, are the longest ones dealing with the origin of Satan and while they are a little confusing, they contain a lot.
Just as the cross is thought to have some powers as a talisman, good luck charm, or something that makes you a Christian, so Satan is seen to be many things he is not.
Satan is a created being; he is limited in his powers. He is not omniscient (all knowing), nor is he everywhere, he does not have horns, a pointed tail and carry a pitchfork.
You cannot sell your soul to the Devil; it is not yours to sell!
“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4.
Satan does not run hell; he will not rule in hell, he will be its lowest resident.
Satan is not a major pain in the neck for God; in fact, a gnat would be more annoying. God knows the Devil’s end and his doom.
What Satan is, is a liar, fear monger, and he has great power over those who give him that power.
Satan also rules this world’s system which is why you look around and see what chaos this world is in. This vile person rules the world’s banking, religious, government, and social hierarchy because men gave him that power.
Satan does all these things not only with man’s approval and help, but he is also able to get men to blame God for the horrors he commits.
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.
Even today Jesuit priests in the Catholic Church are attempting to deny that the Devil even exists, rather, he is some sort of social construct. Look around, open your eyes and see his works, he exists!
“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” Attributed to, Charles Baudelaire.
Satan is just a catalyst; mankind is a most willing follower and indeed is not reconciled to God because he willingly rebelled against God at the instigation of Satan the Devil.
“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:18-21.
By one man’s, Adam’s, sin all are condemned; and by Christ’s righteous act, on the cross, “the free gift came to all men”, all men are under condemnation and the free gift is available to all who will accept it.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” Romans 5:1.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God [God incarnate], did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name…” Philippians 2:5-9.
The first sentence says that He, “did not consider it robbery to be equal with God”, simply put it means that though Jesus is equal with God, He did not make a big deal out of it. In fact, He “made Himself of no reputation”.
That Jesus Christ “made Himself of no reputation” is graphically shown in the following verses.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death [on the cross] crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9.
But Jesus, through whom all things were created, suffered even greater humiliation at the hands of His creation.
“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.” Psalm 22:6.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:5.
Going back to Colossians 1:19-22 quoted earlier do not lose sight of the phrase, “having made peace through the blood of His cross” Colossians 1:20b. It is truly a tragedy that men have wandered so far from God that they do not understand the impact of that phrase.
Note that it is the “blood of His cross”, not the cross.
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles [non-Jews] in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands – that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been made near by the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:11-13.
The Cross of Christ, Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 11-4-15, updated on 10-14-24 ck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.