A dear friend and mentor (who I never met personally) graduated into glory last week while I was away on vacation. I first picked up John Stott’s “The Cross of Christ” when I was a third year seminarian overwhelmed with doubts and discouraged by many aspects of ministry and dealing with people in general. I had a New Testament theology paper due and I decided to mine the book for quotes as I had heard it was a good source.
As I looked over the book, the opening pages were compelling and convicting. I “wasted” an entire afternoon reading and enjoying the book. At one point I happened on this quote:
To “preach the cross” (as in Gal 3:1) is to preach salvation by God’s grace alone. Such a message is a stumbling block (1 Cor 1:23) because it is grievously offensive to human pride; it therefore exposes us to persecution.
To preach salvation by good works is to flatter people and so avoid opposition. To preach salvation by grace is to offend people and so invite opposition. This may seem to some to pose the alternative too starkly. But I do not think so. All Christian preachers have to face this issue. Either we preach that human beings are rebels against God, under his just judgment and (if left to themselves lost, and that Christ crucified who bore their sin and curse is the only available Savior. Or we emphasize human potential and human ability, with Christ brought in only to boost them, and with no necessity for the cross except to exhibit God’s love and so inspire us to greater endeavor.
The former is the way to be faithful, the latter the way to be popular. It is not possible to be faithful and popular simultaneously. We need to hear again the warning of Jesus: “Woe to you when all men speak well of you” (Lk 6:26). By contrast, if we preach the cross, we may find that we are ourselves hounded to the cross. As Erasmus wrote in his treatise On Preaching: “Let him (that is, the preacher) remember that the cross will never be lacking to those who sincerely preach the gospel. There are always Herods, Ananiases, Caiaphases, Scribes and Pharisees.”
As Stott so eloquently reminded us, all ministry is about what Christ has done, not what people are doing.
“For, whether we like it or not, we are involved. Our sins put him there. So, far from offering us flattery, the cross undermines our self-righteousness. We can stand before it only with a bowed head and a broken spirit. And there we remain until the Lord Jesus speaks to our hearts his word of pardon and acceptance, and we, gripped by his love and full of thanksgiving, go out into the world to live our lives in his service.”
Thank you for doing just that John. I am so glad you are now with the Savior that you taught me so much about. Even though I feel like I know you, I look forward to meeting you someday.
