The despised Cross of Christ

[InChrist]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day... 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking and confronts human pride and the sinfulness of human nature. In today's market-driven or contemplative churches , this gospel is overshadowed by an enticing counterfeit gospel. In the place of the cross, many of today's most popular churches are celebrating their visible "good deeds" -- the kind of "works" and ethical or spiritual living that draw man's applause, not God's approval. [Galatians 1:10] People prefer to feel good about themselves and think they can earn their pardon from sin, their place in heaven, or attain their own spiritual advancement. The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

But the scriptures point to the work of Christ alone; His death on the cross and resurrection to new life as complete and sufficient.

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

Salvation by faith alone (and, conversely, eternal damnation by disbelief) is one of the worst ideas in history. Were I the type to believe in "the antichrist", I'd certainly call that his doctrine.

 

[wizanda]

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

Without following Yeshua's teachings, you won't get anything.

 

[metis]

Salvation by faith alone (and, conversely, eternal damnation by disbelief) is one of the worst ideas in history. Were I the type to believe in "the antichrist", I'd certainly call that his doctrine.

I agree as it doesn't even make for any logical sense. Plus it's highly dangerous as it may lead one to believe that nothing else is required of them but to just have a single politically-correct belief.

 

[Nietzsche]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day... 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking and confronts human pride and the sinfulness of human nature. In today's market-driven or contemplative churches , this gospel is overshadowed by an enticing counterfeit gospel. In the place of the cross, many of today's most popular churches are celebrating their visible "good deeds" -- the kind of "works" and ethical or spiritual living that draw man's applause, not God's approval. [Galatians 1:10] People prefer to feel good about themselves and think they can earn their pardon from sin, their place in heaven, or attain their own spiritual advancement. The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

But the scriptures point to the work of Christ alone; His death on the cross and resurrection to new life as complete and sufficient.

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

A single good work by one person has more impact, and more meaning, than a declaration of belief by hundreds of millions.

 

[Fool]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day... 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking and confronts human pride and the sinfulness of human nature. In today's market-driven or contemplative churches , this gospel is overshadowed by an enticing counterfeit gospel. In the place of the cross, many of today's most popular churches are celebrating their visible "good deeds" -- the kind of "works" and ethical or spiritual living that draw man's applause, not God's approval. [Galatians 1:10] People prefer to feel good about themselves and think they can earn their pardon from sin, their place in heaven, or attain their own spiritual advancement. The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

But the scriptures point to the work of Christ alone; His death on the cross and resurrection to new life as complete and sufficient.

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

Matthew 12:7
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.


the cross, or swastika, is one of the oldest symbols in humanity. to be noted in this passage.

Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.


http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/ctg/swas.htm

 

[Riverwolf]

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

That depends entirely on what it represents to who.

For me, it represents puritanical doctrine. I very much despise that, because of the toxic effect it's had on our culture. It labels as "sinful" things which bring joy and happiness for completely arbitrary reasons, and imposes unrealisitc expectations of "perfection" while simultaneously declaring that only "God is good" and so you are bad. It reinforces self-loathing and depression in certain types of people, making them more vulnerable to the empty promises of "forgiveness", and thus easier to seduce into the "fold".

I've seen firsthand the effectiveness of such doctrines bringing about depression and self-loathing, even on non-Christians and non-puritanical Christians. Including myself, in fact, and I was not raised Christian at all.

However, EXCEPTION: the Celtic Cross represents, to me, my Irish ancestry. I do not despise that at all; I have a Celtic Cross that absolutely has a place on a shrine if I ever get around to setting one up.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

That does not reflect more than your own beliefs and that of various evangelical groups with a lot of specialist extra-Biblical jargon required to make it sound cohesive, but it really is not.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day.

Anyone who has read 'The Scriptures' referred to in the quoted passage knows or should be able to discern that this is talking about Judaism (or some form of it), since there is no prediction anywhere of the premature death of a messiah. Contrarily there are numerous prophecies of the resurrection of Israel. By taking it out of its cultural context the verse you quote dies and becomes dead words. For Paul, Scripture refers to the Jewish canon, which refers to the resurrection of Israel which Paul is calling Christ. The real problem is you than claim that Paul is teaching you about an afterlife, which he plainly is not doing and by insisting upon a story that cannot in any way be consistent with 'The Scriptures' if it is about afterlife or the reanimation of one man. The passage plainly states "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures," the very scriptures which do not predict the resurrection of any individual but of Israel's community. In other words, the scriptures to which Paul refers are themselves not saying what you say that he is saying that they are saying. Then to prop up your claim you refer to the gospel stories about Jesus, but a simple study of the gospels shows that they, too, cannot be taken literally as they also are about fulfillment(s) pertaining to Judaism or Israel and not a man. You have a contextual void, and in that you work your magic.

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking

Refusing the cross is Paul's way of describing the refusal to deny ones self and become part of the body of Christ, no longer being an individual but part of Christ. This is the thing that many people have trouble doing. They refuse to fellowship with people that disagree with themselves, who are of a different personality or color or culture, have a different social status and so forth. It is the battle of christ versus antichrist that rages in society, not a battle having to do with humanism. This is about the unique challenge of bringing everyone closer together and is not against humanism. Humanism is not spite for the cross.

The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

In this way you take young children and tell them that they aren't good enough and point out the splinter without seeing the log. You talk about "Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible" without having accepted it yourself. You have stumbled upon the very stumbling stone which the gospels warn about, calling out other people as fakes and trying to dictate what the spirit says. You have demonstrated that you don't think the spirit can work without you.

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

I have attempted here to explain to you that the cross of Jesus Christ is not what you seem to think and that humanism is not its enemy. Consider what great damage has been done by all the churches which have preached what you have just tried to preach, because they just like you have preached in a contextual void without respect for the very passages of scripture that Paul refers them to. Then instead of unity they have both preached and demonstrated division. Some of the most obvious examples are glaring at us in the history of the churches in the US with many thousands of hostile divisions. Preachers have reacted to the spirit of division by trying to repel borders and grab greedily for parishioners, because they have not understood the nature of their enemy. It certainly appears you have invited me to a hopeless mess rather than the cross of Christ.

 

[SpeaksForTheTrees]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day... 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking and confronts human pride and the sinfulness of human nature. In today's market-driven or contemplative churches , this gospel is overshadowed by an enticing counterfeit gospel. In the place of the cross, many of today's most popular churches are celebrating their visible "good deeds" -- the kind of "works" and ethical or spiritual living that draw man's applause, not God's approval. [Galatians 1:10] People prefer to feel good about themselves and think they can earn their pardon from sin, their place in heaven, or attain their own spiritual advancement. The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

But the scriptures point to the work of Christ alone; His death on the cross and resurrection to new life as complete and sufficient.

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

I celebrate the life not the death, I recognise it ,do my 40 days most years , quietly not so you would notice,my other half asleep out cold to the world ,my time my own right now.
The cross a symbol , could of been a crown of thorns ,is a symbol doesn't mean much .
However the possibility that a man of Jesus s stature walked this earth , well that has a totaly different meaning .

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I believe the gospel is the "good news" of the historical event of Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection to save and redeem human beings for eternity.

I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day... 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

In the world where humanist mindset prevails that all are inherently good the cross is despised because it is contrary to such thinking and confronts human pride and the sinfulness of human nature. In today's market-driven or contemplative churches , this gospel is overshadowed by an enticing counterfeit gospel. In the place of the cross, many of today's most popular churches are celebrating their visible "good deeds" -- the kind of "works" and ethical or spiritual living that draw man's applause, not God's approval. [Galatians 1:10] People prefer to feel good about themselves and think they can earn their pardon from sin, their place in heaven, or attain their own spiritual advancement. The pseudo-Christian groups that claim to accept the Bible and Christ are no different in that they, too, even while acknowledging Christ's death, despise the cross as insufficient and needing the addition their own efforts, rules, rituals, and "good works".

But the scriptures point to the work of Christ alone; His death on the cross and resurrection to new life as complete and sufficient.

"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

I embrace it. When I took the sacraments and was baptized and died to myself in Christ, it meant something real to me. I can never despise a friend even if we decide not to see each other anymore.

 

[Sunstone]

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

I neither despise nor embrace it, I merely see it as spiritually ineffective (at least for me), and therefore, irrelevant.

Furthermore, the notion we're born sinful and bad seems to me to be a speculation that is largely meaningless. How would you actually go about demonstrating that?

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Whoever you are, whatever you believe, do you despise or embrace what the cross of Jesus Christ represents?

I despise vapid preaching.

 

[Taylor Seraphim]

Matthew 12:7
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.


the cross, or swastika, is one of the oldest symbols in humanity. to be noted in this passage.

Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.


http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/ctg/swas.htm

Man, I thought I was going to find proof.

How FOOLish of me!

 

[InChrist]

Salvation by faith alone (and, conversely, eternal damnation by disbelief) is one of the worst ideas in history. Were I the type to believe in "the antichrist", I'd certainly call that his doctrine.

Thanks for your thoughts. Would you mind elaborating on the reason(s) you you feel the way you do?

 

[InChrist]

Without following Yeshua's teachings, you won't get anything.

Do you think that when or if one decides to follow the teachings of Yeshua at a certain point in their life this then erases all their past sins? I think according to the scriptures when one places there faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross then they become a new creation and Christ's workmanship, thereby wouldn't they be following Christ's teachings?

 

[Paleo]

Sure, the cross is chill. I have a few as gifts from family and back when I was Christian I really had a strong attachment to what they stood for.

Now though? Well I mean...they're just like many other Abrahamic symbols to me. A sign of my past spirituality but not something I really use or anything.

 

[InChrist]

I agree as it doesn't even make for any logical sense. Plus it's highly dangerous as it may lead one to believe that nothing else is required of them but to just have a single politically-correct belief.

Thank you for sharing your perspective. I think if one is led to believe that only a single politically correct belief is required then they probably never actually placed their belief in Jesus Christ and submitted their life to Him because according to the scriptures faith in Christ's death on the cross and resurrection brings about death to the old nature and new life to the person in Christ..

 

[InChrist]

That depends entirely on what it represents to who.

For me, it represents puritanical doctrine. I very much despise that, because of the toxic effect it's had on our culture. It labels as "sinful" things which bring joy and happiness for completely arbitrary reasons, and imposes unrealisitc expectations of "perfection" while simultaneously declaring that only "God is good" and so you are bad. It reinforces self-loathing and depression in certain types of people, making them more vulnerable to the empty promises of "forgiveness", and thus easier to seduce into the "fold".

I've seen firsthand the effectiveness of such doctrines bringing about depression and self-loathing, even on non-Christians and non-puritanical Christians. Including myself, in fact, and I was not raised Christian at all.

However, EXCEPTION: the Celtic Cross represents, to me, my Irish ancestry. I do not despise that at all; I have a Celtic Cross that absolutely has a place on a shrine if I ever get around to setting one up.

Thank you for expressing you thoughts about the cross. I just don't see the hope of the gospel or the work of Christ on the cross as having any connection to labeling things which bring joy as 'sinful" or how the true gospel message could possibly bring about depression or self-loathing. I once heard it said or read it somewhere, that God humbles, but Satan humiliates. If someone finds themselves in a state of self-loathing or depression then that tells me they have believed a lie of the enemy of humanity, whether it is a twisted version of the gospel or anything else. God is in the business of lifting people up, setting them free, and pouring His love on them.

 

[InChrist]

Sure, the cross is chill. I have a few as gifts from family and back when I was Christian I really had a strong attachment to what they stood for.

Now though? Well I mean...they're just like many other Abrahamic symbols to me. A sign of my past spirituality but not something I really use or anything.

Thanks for sharing your your view. I appreciate it.

 

[InChrist]

I have attempted here to explain to you that the cross of Jesus Christ is not what you seem to think and that humanism is not its enemy. Consider what great damage has been done by all the churches which have preached what you have just tried to preach, because they just like you have preached in a contextual void without respect for the very passages of scripture that Paul refers them to. Then instead of unity they have both preached and demonstrated division. Some of the most obvious examples are glaring at us in the history of the churches in the US with many thousands of hostile divisions. Preachers have reacted to the spirit of division by trying to repel borders and grab greedily for parishioners, because they have not understood the nature of their enemy. It certainly appears you have invited me to a hopeless mess rather than the cross of Christ.

Thanks for expressing your perspective. I don't have time to address all the your points right now. I don't agree with the way you seem to look at the scriptures, but I do appreciate you sharing your thoughts.