THE CROSS THAT OFFENDS
There is nothing in this world more beautiful—and nothing more offensive—than the cross of Jesus Christ.
The apostle declares in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 that 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. And in that single sentence, the Spirit divides humanity—not by race, nor by rank, nor by intellect—but by response to a crucified Savior.
The cross offends human wisdom. It announces that education cannot rescue the soul. It proclaims that philosophy cannot reconcile man to God. The Greeks sought wisdom, systems, eloquence. But heaven answered with a bleeding Redeemer. God did not send an argument; He sent His Son.
The cross offends human morality. It declares that even our best works cannot erase guilt. The religious man stands tall in his discipline and charity, yet the cross insists that he must be saved the same way as the thief—by mercy alone. Pride trembles before such a verdict. Self-righteousness recoils. For the cross leaves no room for boasting.
Humility is not optional in the Christian life—it is the very entrance into it. And nothing humbles like Calvary. To look upon Christ crucified is to see the end of self-confidence. The nails preach against our pride. The thorns expose our vanity. The pierced side reveals what our sin required.
If the cross does not wound your pride, it has not yet healed your soul. For before it becomes precious, it must first become personal. Before it comforts, it confronts. It tells every man, “Your sin did this.”
Yet herein lies the glory: what offends the flesh redeems the sinner.
God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise. He has chosen what appears weak to overthrow the mighty. A crucified Messiah—rejected, mocked, executed—is the very wisdom and power of God. The instrument of shame has become the throne of grace.
The cross offends because it removes all ground for comparison. At its foot, kings and beggars kneel alike. The scholar and the laborer are equally silent. The only language permitted there is repentance and faith.
And still today, the offense remains.
Preach morality without blood, and many will applaud. Preach spirituality without repentance, and crowds may gather. But preach Christ crucified—substitutionary, exclusive, sovereign—and you will find the dividing line. For the natural heart prefers improvement to crucifixion.
But we must never polish the cross to make it palatable. Its rough edges are its glory. Its offense is its power. For only what kills pride can raise the dead.
Let us cling, then, to the very message the world resists. Let us glory not in eloquence, nor in influence, but in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. For what humbles us most will exalt Him highest—and what wounds our pride will heal our souls.
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Crucified Lord, Bring us again to the foot of Your cross. Strip us of every boast but You. Let the offense of Calvary slay our pride and silence our self-trust. Teach us to love the message the world rejects and to find our wisdom in what it calls foolish. Make us humble, grateful, and bold—never ashamed of Your wounds, never weary of Your gospel. May we decrease until Christ alone is seen. Amen.
BDD
