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.
This news challenges any human-created pathway to God, and people find it very offensive. They don’t want to hear that Jesus is “the [only] way, the [only] truth, and the [only] life” (John 14:6). People would rather build their own pathway to God; for then, they can tailor a religion that caters to their own wants and desires. For instance a person could say, “I will go to heaven if I am kind to other people.” Then they do a good job being kind to people, while all the while they are out drinking, being sexually promiscuous, gambling, and committing all kinds of sin. The message of the cross becomes offensive to people, because it challenges their self-created methods of gaining salvation.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The apostle Peter stated in Acts 4:12, concerning Jesus Christ, that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” The offensive message of the cross is that Jesus is the only way to heaven, and we can’t get to heaven by any religious actions that we do on our own; and people don’t want to hear this, for the message of the cross causes people’s own philosophies to come crashing down around them.
Paralyzed by a Fear of Tolerance
Here’s the thing about the message of the cross: It’s very offensive to people, yet in the “Great Commission” Jesus commanded all His followers to go into all the world and preach the message of the cross. How many of us are actually doing what Jesus commanded? It seems like not very many, and the reason why is because we live in a society that says you are not supposed to offend people. Popular media says that we are supposed to be “tolerant” of each other’s ideas, and that we are not supposed to force our own ideas on someone else.
We live in what is called a postmodern era, and postmodern belief holds that truth is subjective, and that “all beliefs are equally valid except those that claim to be true.”(6) In other words, “I can believe what I want to believe, just don’t expect me to believe what you believe, and especially don’t tell me that your belief is the truth and the only correct view.” With this thinking pervading our society we fear sharing the gospel message, which claims that there is only one road to heaven.
The thing about “tolerance” is that our society tolerates every faith, belief, and practice except Christianity. We are afraid of offending people and being pushy with the gospel, but how many other faiths and viewpoints are being pushed on us, and the rest of the world? Are homosexuals afraid of offending people? Go to the Southern Baptist Convention or a Promise Keepers rally and you will see gays picketing and protesting. Is the nation of Islam hoping that we will adopt its faith through friendship with Muslim believers? No, the adherents of Islam are trying to take the world by force!
You can find Buddhism, and any other religion you want to find in our school history books, and these beliefs are being taught to our children, but Christianity is gradually being erased from the pages of our textbooks every single year. Is the ACLU in any way timid in promoting its views? No, it is actively seeking to destroy the very fabric of Christianity in this country. We are taught that we should be tolerant of other people’s beliefs, but people tolerate every belief except Christianity. They not only tolerate other faith systems, but they feel that these other beliefs should have the right to promote their viewpoints, whereas those of the Christian faith are supposed to remain silent.
The Gospel Is Offensive by Its Nature
We fear offending people; however, the very nature of the gospel is offensive. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 10:34-39: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” First of all, Jesus shows us that those who take a stand for the gospel will see members of their own family turn against them; and secondly, Jesus said that if we are not willing to take a stand and risk losing our family, then we are not worthy of Christ and His salvation.
Many of us reason that if we come on too strong with the gospel that we will offend people and lose any future opportunity of witnessing to them. We are afraid of losing our friendships and relationships with people whenever we share our faith with them. We reason that it’s better to be their friend and hope that we can win them over to Christ through our example. Friendship evangelism has an important place in the role of sharing one’s faith; however, just trying to win someone to Christ by example without ever sharing the gospel will never lead an individual to a life-saving faith in Christ.
Romans 10:14 says, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Our Christ-like example will do no good unless we share the gospel, and allow the Holy Spirit through the words of the Scripture to lead an individual to repentance and faith in Christ. We often attempt to show people that we care about them through our acts of love and kindness, but if we truly care about people then we will share the gospel with them.
Let me share with you the difference between tolerance and love. Author and speaker Josh McDowell writes, “Tolerance says, ‘You must approve of what I do.’ Love responds, ‘I must do something harder: I will love you, even when your behavior [is sinful].’ Tolerance says, ‘You must agree with me.’ Love responds, ‘I must do something harder: I will tell you the truth, because I am convinced the truth will set you free.’ Tolerance says, ‘You must allow me to have my way.’ Love responds, ‘I must do something harder: I will plead with you to follow the right way, because I believe you are worth the risk’.”(7)
The Gospel Can Be Offensive to Believers
Some of us are afraid to share the gospel because it is actually offensive to us. It offends us because we realize that preaching the gospel will compromise our comfortable way of life. We know that when we share the gospel that people will begin to despise us and hate us, and they will label us as fanatics. Jesus promised us nothing less, for He stated in Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Jesus also stated in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”
Whenever we become offended at the gospel for fear of others, then we become ashamed of the gospel, and in Mark 8:38 Jesus stated, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
It is important for us to realize this morning that the gospel is going to be offensive by nature, and that we should not refrain from preaching it just because we are afraid of hurting people’s feelings, or because we are afraid that people will think we are crazy. We must present people with the “Offense of the Cross.” If people are never offended or confronted, then how will they ever have the knowledge concerning their sins and a chance to repent?
Time of Reflection
In Matthew 11:6 Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” The person who is not offended at the gospel is the one who willingly hears and believes the message. What message must he believe? The message that Jesus saved us from dying for our sins when He stepped in and took our place by dying for us on the cross. He not only died for us, but He rose from the grave to show that He had power over death, and power over the sin that has been reigning in our life. If we believe this then we are truly blessed, for we will inherit eternal life in God’s kingdom forever and ever.
Paul called it the message of grace through faith. We obtain God’s grace, or His free gift of salvation, by simply having faith to believe that Jesus paid the price of our sins. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, Paul said, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” To those who don’t want to hear and who don’t believe the message of the cross, it becomes offensive; but to those who do hear and believe, it becomes the power of God unto salvation and eternal life. I want to invite you to lower your defenses this morning and allow the gospel to become “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16) for you this very day.
NOTES
(1) John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuch, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc., 1983, 1985), taken from Logos 2.1f on CD-ROM.
(2) Noah Webster, “Scandalous,” 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 2002).
(3) Ibid., “Offensive.”
(4) Max Anders, “Galatians,” Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville: Holman Reference, 1999), p. 70.
(5) Kenneth S. Wuest, Galatians in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1944), p. 146.
(6) Brian McLaren, Reinventing your Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998), pp. 170-171.
(7) Josh McDowell, Focus on the Family Magazine (August 1999).
