the example of the cross
Posted on February 8, 2008 by Geoff Matheson
Filed Under Bible Study, Books
I’ve been reading the very very good book “A Community Called Atonement” by emerging blogger/theologian Scot McKnight. I was deeply struck by the following passage:
“We are not being fair to the Pauline texts on the cross if we narrow them simply and woodenly to resolution of my sin problem. The cross addresses our sin problem - “our” in the sense of yours and mine and the Western world’s and the Eastern world’s and the northern and southern hemisphere’s problems. It addresses the world’s captivity by evil” (emphasis Scot’s)
This goes into the basket of “I know it is true as soon as I read it, but I don’t think that’s how I live”. Because I don’t think that I have believed that God’s response to the problem of the Holocaust is the cross. It’s easy for me to see forgiveness as a product of the cross, but I’m not sure that it’s anywhere near as simple or as easy to recognise that a huge part of the work of the cross is in the example of the cross.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” 1 John 3:16
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
What does it mean for us to follow the example of the cross? In the christianese cultural bubble, it is so easy to see these passages as wonderful and lovely expressions of how nice God is to us, but that don’t require us to participate at all. But that can’t be what it really means to be crucified with Christ.
So what does that look like for a twenty-something IT Nerd in his comfortable 21st century existence: to die for those who are still sinners? Does this thought both excite and frighten anyone else? Feel free not to assume that I’m being rhetorical.
About Geoff Matheson
Geoff is a 23 year old database administrator who has birthed amateurtheology.org from some crazy thoughts he had early one Monday morning. Geoff does his best to sound lots smarter than he actually is. He also runs some youth stuff at Yarra Valley Vineyard, and he is married to the very lovely Rebecca.
Geoff's site: http://www.geoffreport.com/wp/
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I was wondering if that book had been released yet.
While I don’t think that your point comes from Scot’s point in the quote (I think he is pointing the other way), the example of the cross is a really challenging/scary notion that to be honest I don’t know how to act upon.
One thing I have been challenged with is: what desires do I have (often time or money) that I can say no to myself in order that I can love, give, etc to another?
An example of this that blew me away is a church building project that says “we lay down or need/desire to have a state of the art building in order to spend the money on the poor and truly needy around us” - see http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/special/building_project/why_have_church_outside.html
A further challenge is how do I do this not just my “friends” but my “enemies”?
Geoff, in a similar manner to St Paul, would you sacrifice yourself and eternal life in order to bring the following people to Christ
a) a homosexual? (only one)
b) a paedophile? (only one)
c) Hitler?
d) Mother Theresa?
My guess is very few people would for A
Very, very few for B
Very, very, very few for C
Many for D
Are we right to sacrifice our life for D but not for C? What would Christ think of our decision? Do you think you could ever come to the point where you would say sacrifice your life for all four people?
I couldn’t come up with an immediate answer to the four questions above. I think Christ would come with an immediate answer. It is in considering these questions that we realise how sinful we are.