Images of the Cross - Relationships

8/7/2019 Images of the Cross - Relationships

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Images of the Cross

Relationships

2 Corinthians 5.11-21

06 March 2011

Introduction

Pakistan Death of Shabbaz Bhatti Minorities minister

An unusually sombre start to a sermon for me. However, it clearly links us

back to Robs introduction of last week.what are you willing to die

for?.. and also takes us forward to this week when we are thinking about

the search for search for reconciliation which inevitably carries a cost.

Here was a man who not only believed the Gospel, but lived it, walking

closely in the footsteps of Jesus Christ Himself. As I understand it,

Bhattis concern was not simply the plight of his fellow Christians, but for

the whole of Pakistani society, that there should be freedom of conscience

for all and that all people should live together peaceably. He was, then,

not simply a Christian, but a Christian committed to the task of

reconciliation and he paid for is with his life. Sound familiar?!

Talk comes easy. Living it out is far more difficult

A theologian is born by living, nay dying and being damned, not by thinking,reading, or speculating. Martin Luther

Before moving along, allow me a few words of introduction to the series

as a whole


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The Cross. speaks for itself. Images of the Cross needs expanding

o It impossible to confine an explanation of the cross to one approach!

Quote Ronald Wallace from Tidball pp.20,21

We must beware the danger of becoming one club golfers which I am

afraid, to a considerable degree, Conservative Evangelicals have. We

thrash away with our favourite club of penal substitution nothing

wrong with that, its a good club, as Rob was saying last week however

its a pity when there are a number of others in the bag!

The Lord has more truth and light to break forth from His holy wordJohn Robinson

o Why would you want to do that anyway?

Evangelical spirituality is grounded on a meditation on the Cross in a way

that other spiritualities, even Christian ones, are not. At its heart are the

great hymns, songs and prayers that sustain and enrich our spirits. Im

afraid that it is something of a clich, but a diamond makes the point

perfectly. If we dont give ourselves the space to view the cross in its

full glory then our faith will become dull and lifeless.

Of course, as bible believing Christians we will demand that any image we

use is anchored in scripture. But we are surely also interested in what one

might term the pastoralsignificance of the cross how a particular image

connects with the concerns and needs of Christian people. To take an

obvious example, the image of Christ as a slain, but victorious lamb used

in the Book of Revelation clearly spoke to the readers of that book. We

will surely also be seriously interested in the missionalsignificance of theCross. For example, images of victory, which we will be thinking about

next week, worked well in the early Christian centuries when Christians

faced conflict and persecution. Images of the satisfaction of debt and

honour worked well in the Middle Ages when there was a feudal society.

Judicial or legal images worked well in the time of the Reformation when

people thought very much in those sorts of categories and so on. But none

of those, necessarily, speak to people in the same way today.

c.f. John Drane the Gospel and a Jazz band


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I. The biblical background

Where is this image of reconciliation found in the scriptures?

o

We could go back all the way to Genesis 3

Adam where are you?...

o We could trace the linked idea of Gods forgiveness through the

Pentateuch, the Psalms and the Prophets e.g. Psalm 103

o We could most certainly think about how reconciliation was taught

and practised by Jesus Christ on both the horizontal and the vertical

levels

His most famous sermon Blessed are the peacemakers

His most famous story The lost Son

His most famous visual aid Holy Communion

His most moving words Father forgive

However, as in so many cases, it is Paul who articulates and works out the

detail of this doctrine in several key passages of teaching

o In Romans 5.1-11, Paul speaks of the peace resulting from Christs

death on behalf of those who were Gods enemies

o In Ephesians 2, Paul describes the reconciliation that the cross has

brought about between Jew and Gentile

o In Colossians 1, he outlines the implications of reconciliation for the

whole cosmos

o In 2 Corinthians, Paul uses the image of reconciliation to describe thenature of his ministry and, in effect, the shape of the Gospel

Reconciliation is mentioned five times in these verses


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The logic of reconciliation, as Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians and

elsewhere, overlaps quite heavily with the logic of justification from last

week, but is a much more personal image, hence the title of the sermon.

o

God loves uso There is a problem

o God has done something to remove the problem

o The result, potentially, is peace

o Therefore respond to the good news

o God loves us

I think that Rob made this point last week, but in case he didnt or youveforgotten, let me repeat it, the cross did cause God to love us. He always

has loved us and always will love us even when we stand under His

judgement

e.g. Genesis 3 = no curse on humanity, though definitely judgement

Tom Wright in one of his books compares what happened on the cross to

an extinct volcano. Was Calvary like that, a one off, a massive explosion,now concluded? The Cross certainly was a one off, but that one off is

indicative of a massive eternal love lying constantly under the surface.

Though some dont like it, love for the sinner, but hatred for the sin sums

this truth up perfectly for me. We are Gods enemies, but He is not ours!

o There is a problem

: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,not counting peoplessins against them

Part of the problem lies on our side. We dont want God as Rob was

explaining last week. But part of the problem lies on Gods side. He loves

us as I have said, but cannot condone our sin. Hence we stand under

Gods judgement as well as His love


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o God has done something to remove the problem

He has reconciled the world to Himself in or through Christ, that is,

through his death. Notice the stress on Gods action in the followingverses

18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us theministry of reconciliation:: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting peoplessins against them

He did it by taking the sin of the world upon Himself

21God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might becomethe righteousness of God.

This sheer, magnificent grace.

6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for theungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a goodperson someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love forus in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5

o The result is new creation (peace)

17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, thenew is here!

1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with Godthrough our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith intothis grace in which we now stand.

Peace, of course, represents not simply the absence of enmity, but the

possibility of a new depth of relationship and a new way of living. Which

is why the Gospel is about far more than the forgiveness of sins, important

as that is!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%205&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28049ahttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%205&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28049a


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o Therefore believe the Good News

The reconciliation Paul speaks of is not automatic. Christ has paid the

penalty of our sins, but to suggest, as some do, that this means that I amnecessarily forgiven is to think in too mechanistic terms. Reconciliation

concerns people, it is personal, thus there must be an acceptance of the

offer of forgiveness by the one to whom it is offered or the process of

reconciliation will not have taken place.

1 As Gods co-workers we urge you not to receive Gods grace in vain.2 For hesays,

In the time of my favour I heard you,and in the day of salvation I helped you.[a]

I tell you, now is the time of Gods favor, now is the day of salvation.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians+6&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28901ahttp://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians+6&version=NIV#fen-NIV-28901a


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II. The implications

a) We should be at peace with reconciled to God ourselves

God has made the most amazing offer. Have you and I accepted it? Likethe prodigal or lost son, have we made the journey home? Or at least have

we started down the road. Becoming a Christian is not a matter of simply

placing a tick in the box to say that we accept Christ as Saviour, it is a life

changing encounter with the living God. And so, as much as it is about

coming home, it is also about enjoying home, about feeling the strong and

warming embrace of those arms on our back.

The example of Dialogical personalism

Martin Buber I and Thou

God is not object, but subject


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b) We should be at peace with reconciled to others

In 2 Corinthians we see clearly that Paul draws no hard and fast line

between the vertical and the horizontal in terms of relationship though it

is, perhaps, a little more complicated than that as Paul is an apostle and sorepresents God nevertheless, taken in the round, reconciliation in Paul

and the bible, is clearly something that should and must extend out to

others.

We should seek to be at peace with others in our relationships in general

at work, with friends, wives and partners, our children and our relatives

etc. though, of course, we can only remove the barrier from our side, we

cant make others be at peace with us (and so, when you face that pain andfrustration, remember how God feels!)

Within seek to be at peace with others within the church in particular

3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

The Celtic v Rangers match

This is a very important outworking of the Gospel. Without it we might aswell not bother with seeking to preach a message because it will never be

heard. The church is a living community not a business

Have you build up a barrier against another person? Ask God to help you

take it down! It will not be easy, quite the opposite, it will be painful, for

reconciliation is always based on truth and we usually prefer not to face

that.

Quote from Moltmann biography


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c) We should be peace makers seeking to reconcile others to

God and to one another

Which means, first and foremost, that we should be evangelists, tellers of

the Good News0 We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appealthrough us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God.

How we do this is as important as that we do it

Quote Tidball pp.225, 226

But not just evangelists. In the name of Christ, we should seek to beagents of reconciliation and peace in a broken and divided world.

Fair Trade

Sentamu quote

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