Boasting In The Cross

In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul declared, “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.” The resurrection is the power behind the Christian’s faith, for it was by the resurrection that Jesus overcame sin and death; and through our faith in Christ, we too overcome sin and death by the power of the resurrection. But we must never forget His sacrifice on the cross. Paul said it was the cross in which he boasted.

The cross is where Jesus made atonement for our sins. “Atonement” means He satisfied the debt that we owe. According to Romans 3:23, each and every person in the world is a sinner; and Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death,” referring to eternal separation from God. But Jesus paid our debt, so that we can have spiritual life. He died on the cross for each of us; for “our” sins. In Colossians 2:14 we read that “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us . . . He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

When we preach the cross we remind people of the consequences of their sin and how they need a Savior. So, the cross should be central to our preaching, or witnessing efforts. In our passage today, Paul speaks about “preaching” the cross; but let me remind you that when the New Testament talks about preaching, it is simply referring to “witnessing,” “sharing our faith,” or rather “evangelism.” Therefore, Paul’s references to preaching are not just directed at pastors; but to every believer who has made a commitment to pick up the gauntlet of the Great Commission.

In our sermon this morning, we are going to learn some things from Paul about how to better testify and share the message of the cross. So, let us stand at this time in honor of God’s Word as we read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5:

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

The first thing that Paul said is “when I came to you” (v. 1). Paul’s arrival in Corinth is described in Acts chapter 18. He came there and met a Christian couple named Aquila and Priscilla who were tentmakers, and he joined them in their work. Paul ministered in Corinth for more than a year and a half, supporting himself by tentmaking, or by holding down a regular job. Tentmaking was something that Paul “chose” to hopefully eliminate a possible excuse that this pagan audience might have in refusing to listen to his message – and money is often a huge stumbling block. Now, some of you here today hold down a regular job; and so, Paul’s words may be of some help to you.

Paul began describing how he did evangelism. He said, “I did not come with excellence of speech” (v. 1). He did not come to people as a philosopher or a salesman; he came as a “witness” declaring to the Corinthians the testimony of God. Paul was someone who could reason and debate persuasively, being a Pharisee and basically a seminary-educated man, but he did not use that approach in sharing the message of the cross. You see, Paul was an ambassador, not a salesman.

Commentator William Barclay says, “Paul had come to Corinth from Athens. It was at Athens that . . . Paul had attempted to reduce Christianity to philosophic terms. There, on Mars Hill, he had met [with] the philosophers and had tried to speak in their own language, and to use their own terms, and to quote their own authorities (Acts 17:22-31); and it was also there that Paul had one of his very few failures. His sermon, in terms of philosophy, had very little effect (Acts 17:32-34). It would almost seem that Paul had said to himself, ‘Never again!’ From [now on] I will tell the story of Jesus in all its utter simplicity.”(1)

In verse 2, he said, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” When he said “I determined” (v. 2), this meant that he made a conscious decision to put the emphasis on Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. In taking this approach, Paul understood that he was not catering to what his audience wanted. In the workplace, the marketplace, or even in the pulpit, I am sure that people would rather become engaged in a philosophical debate, rather than hear about Jesus; but Paul gave people the message of the cross anyway.