Sunday Sermonettes | The Offense of the Cross

Sunday Sermonettes #101

The offense of the cross is a phrase in the Bible that caught my attention a few days ago. I tried to think about what it means.

Paul uses the expression “the offense of the cross” in Galatians 5:11.In another place, Paul says that Christ crucified is “a stumbling block” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Both expressions help us understand why the cross is offensive to so many people.

First of all, the cross is not popular. It is God’s way of salvation. To come to God, we have to come by way of the cross where the Son of God shed His blood.

There is no other way. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Peter also said, “Nor is there salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12).

Therefore, the cross is an offense because it leaves no room for human pride, self-righteousness, or boasting. Our own ways of finding salvation are not acceptable to God. There is only one way—His way, the way of the cross.

Secondly, the cross is an instrument of curse and shame. In the ancient world, a person hung on a tree was regarded as being under a curse. The Bible says that Christ became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). It also says that He endured the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

So following Jesus and His cross is an invitation to bear that same reproach (Hebrews 13:13). Reproach means that when you stand for Christ, you may experience shame, rejection, or dishonour because you have chosen to identify with him above all else.

Therefore, the cross is an offense. It reminds us how ugly our sins are and how great the cost was for the Son of God to die for the sin of the world.

The offense of the cross is that it leaves us with no other way to God. That is why the message of the cross remains a stumbling block to many, yet to those who believe, it is the power of God for salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18).

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