The Weight of the Word

THE GLORY OF THE CROSS

  "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" (Gal. 6: 14). These words were spoken by a mean ho might well have gloried in many things, yet it was the cross of Christ that stood out predominantly before him. The glory of cross shown upon his pathway so bright that it blinded him to everything else. It was the cross upon which his savior died, the cross upon which salvation was purchased. It is little wonder that this man of God should make such a statement. He looked life squarely in the face and found that the cross of Christ and the Christ of the cross had lifted him from the realms of Òmine own righteousness" to the high plane of the righteousness of God by faith," and from that time on he rejoiced in the love of God and testified, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." This is as great a testimony man can give.

  If our hearts are right with God and we enjoy that heavenly peace that comes to those who know him, we can be happy even though the whole world be set in against us. It was the events on Golgotha, the cross, brought this peace to the hearts of mankind and made possible the Apostle PaulÕs testimony and other millions to give the same testimony. This, I believe, is the outstanding reason why we should glory in the cross. It was through the cross that God worked out his great plan of reconciliation. Man in the beginning disobeyed the commands [Page 73] of God, and fellowship was broken, and he went into the darkness of sin and was driven from the presence of God, no longer to enjoy the fellowship with his Creator in the sense he did before the transgression. In due time Jesus went to the cross and died that ignominious death that we might be reconciled to God and restored to the high plane of holy living and fellowship with God as before Adam transgressed. We have nothing in ourselves in which we can glory; itÕs all in the cross. Jeremiah spoke long ago and said, ÒThus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exerciseth loving kindness, judgment , and righteousness, in the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.Ó Men today are glorying in their wisdom, the are glorying in their might to subdue their foes, they are glorying in the abundance of their riches, but all of this glory will fade away as the blossom of flower and the grass of the field. He that hath come contact with the Christ and has a vision of the cross and tasted of its efficacy can never glory in anything else without sustaining great loss to his soul. The greatest blessing ever to come to the human family came through the cross. Being reconciled unto God and receiving pardon for our transgressions, thereby having peace with God, is manÕs greatest blessing and his greatest need. Men are seeking every way to satisfy the longing of their hearts, trying everything that offers any promise of soul rest, yet they find it not in those things of earth. Why, Oh, Why! not turn to the cross and find rest to your souls? The [Page 74] cross is GodÕs provision for sinful men. It was at the cross that I found pardon and mercy and went away with the peace of God in my heart, and it will be at the cross that you will find it and the millions of the earth seek soul rest. Yes, Lord, we glory in the cross, for at the cross we found our need.

  In Eph. 2:15-16 we find another reason why we glory in the cross. The Apostle is speaking of the Jew and the Gentile, and of the enmity that existed between them. And we might say here, that not only the Jew and Gentile of long ago had enmity between them, but it still exists today among men. We have tried mediators, peace treaties, peace pacts, and various ways to settle our differences and erase the enmity but all to no avail. Nations have spent millions on war machines, ammunition, anything to destroy their enemies. What is the hope of mankind? Can we find any solution for our problems? Men are racking their brains for an answer to these questions. There is but one answer, and that is the cross of Jesus. In the second chapter of Ephesians Paul deals with subject and says, "Jesus is our peace." Now we know that Jesus did not reconcile the entire Jewish nation to the entire nations of the Gentiles, but only those Jews Gentiles who received him were all reconciled unto God and also reconciled unto God and also reconciled unto each other in one body by the cross. Jesus broke down the middle wall of partition between them, and their enmity was erased, and they loved each other. Therefore, the cross not only reconciles us to God but to our fellowman. Regardless of how much enmity may exist in the hearts of men, when they come in contact with the regenerating power of the blood of Jesus that enmity is all taken away. They can go then [Page 75] and place their arms around the man they hated a ask his forgiveness. There comes within that heart a and an attitude which will do no harm to anyone, but a love arises there for all mankind, regardless of what race or creed they may be. It takes a genuine experience with God to retrace your steps and straighten up the crooked places and ask forgiveness and restore the pledge and speak to that one you know hates you and also to carry back the things you have stolen. Yes, friend to be right with God means to be right with our fellowman. Praise God for a plan of salvation that not only reconciles us to our Creator but also sets us right with the world. Can you glory in the cross? Have you knelt at foot of the old rugged cross and obtained that experience that removes all enmity from your heart? If the blood of Jesus brought the Jew and Gentile to the place where both had access by one Spirit unto the Father, it will surely erase the differences between men today. Then is the prophecy fulfilled in our lives, "They shall their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more." After we have visioned the cross and experienced the Christ in our hearts, we no longer war with our fellowman but at peace with all the world.[Page 76]

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