Offense Of The Cross

In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.” How many of us can actually declare, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ?” How many of us truly believe that the gospel is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes?” Many of us will readily say we believe these things, but does our daily walk reflect what we say we believe? Do we walk the walk, or do we only talk the talk?

Some Christians live a life that demonstrates that they are ashamed of the gospel of Christ for they never share their faith. They refrain from giving their testimony for fear of offending people, but Paul said that the gospel is the “power” of God. If you haven’t already noticed, power is something that is very invasive, and more than likely power will offend people. I am here to propose to you this morning that the gospel is very powerful, and that the gospel is supposed to be offensive; as we look at the “Offense of the Cross” as found in Galatians 5:11.

The Offensive Message (Galatians 5:11)

11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.

The first part of this verse is not hard to understand. Paul tells us that if he were indeed preaching that a person could only make it to heaven by being circumcised and by adhering to Jewish practices, then why were some of the Jews (Judaizers) still persecuting him? Now, the second part of this verse appears confusing until read in its context with the beginning of the verse. Paul was saying, “If I am still preaching circumcision, then I must not be preaching the offensive message of the cross.” Paul was declaring that if he were really preaching that a person could only be saved through Jewish practices and the law, then why were there so many people acting as though they were still hearing the message of the cross? The message of the cross must have been preached faithfully if it were still offending people, and if people were still persecuting him.

The offense of the cross is the “offensive message” of the cross of Christ. It is the “message” that offends people. The original Greek word for “offence” is skandalon, meaning, “stumbling block,”(1) and this is where we obtain our English word “scandalous,” which means, “giving offense.”(2) For those of you who understand sports and know military strategy, you are likely familiar with the words “offence” and “defense.” “Defense” is where you block the attacks of the enemy, whereas “offense” is where you mount an attack and strike back. The word “offensive” means, “assailant; invading; and making the first attack.”(3) Therefore, the message of the cross is invading to people’s lives.

We find this Greek word skandalon in two other places in the New Testament. 1 Peter 2:7-8 states, “Therefore, to you who believe, He [or Jesus Christ] is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense’.” Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:23, in the Amplified Version, “We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.” Whenever people hear the message of the cross they become “tripped up” in their worldly reasoning, and what they hear becomes very offensive.

What was the content of the message that caused people to become offended, and which resulted in their own worldview or philosophy becoming “tripped up?” In the Holman New Testament Commentary, Max Anders says, “The cross of Christ is offensive to men. As an instrument of torture and punishment, its presence causes revulsion. Because it is associated with criminals, it causes the natural mind to wonder how it could possibly be an instrument of salvation. The very thought of it insults human pride. How can human salvation occur without human action?”(4)

The offense of the cross runs deeper than being a repulsive torture devise. Kenneth Wuest tells us, “The cross was offensive to the Jew therefore because it set aside the entire Mosaic Law, and because it offered salvation by grace through faith alone without the added factor of works performed by the sinner in an effort to merit the salvation offered.”(5) The offense of the cross is stated clearly in Ephesians 2:8-9, which tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” The message of the cross, or the message of the gospel, proclaims man’s total inability to contribute anything to his own salvation.