the importance of the cross

is when Holy God took not only the punishment of death for our sins, but also took the shame, guilt and defilement that comes hand in hand with sin. The cross not only had to be a murder, but also had to be one of the most shameful ones ever committed for this process to work. So, for a pastor to be able to speak of the crucifixion and smile prompts me to ask if he really knows how brutal the cross was. However, this view of the Cross is under attack by modern scholars and even some so called Christians. They believe that the cross was too bloody and violent, therefore it can't be of a loving God. If we see the true meaning behind the cross however, propitiation and Have you ever seen a preacher stand in front of the congregation and say, "Jesus died for your sins." Then smile? I recently listened to a Mark Driscoll sermon which changed my view on this subject. Don't freak out on me just yet! I still very much believe that Christ went to the cross for our sins, what bothers me is the preacher being so nonchalant about it. In his sermon entitled "Death by Love," Mark talked about how we have lost the shame of the cross in cultural context. He gave a detailed explanation of how shameful a crucifixion was. When a man was crucified he died of asphyxiation. The weight of the men's bodies would cause their lungs to eventually stop functioning after being beaten and bleeding for days. They would build a small seat under the butt of the man to keep him alive as long as possible so that he would suffer the maximum amount of time. Men then began to slump off their seat so they would die faster. So to combat this, they would nail the man's penis to the cross because they were crucified naked. This was all done in the most public place they could find, the market. Our equivalent would be in front of the main entrances to the local shopping mall. Sometimes it would take days for the men to finally die. In the mean time, bums and other low lives would sit at the bottom of their cross mocking and throwing things at the men. The pain often became so unbearable that the men would be come incontinent, and crap all over themselves and their cross. When you finally died they would just throw your body in a burn pile or dump. The reason that all of this must be discussed is because as an evangelical culture we all understand propitiation, or the forgiveness of our sins, but tend to ignore expeation. Expeation is the act of taking the shame and guilt that comes hand in hand with sin. Jesus not only took our punishment for sin, but also cleansed us from the guilt and defilement that comes with it. This view of the cross is being attacked in our culture today because some believe that it is too violent and bloody to be from a loving God. If taken in context however, the crucifixion was the greatest example of love that we have on the earth today. Now, I wish that God had done things in a way that weren't so bloody or gross. However, in Romans 11:33-36 Paul asks who can question these things, "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen." We may not understand why God chose a bloody cross, but the fact remains that he did. Galatians 5:11 calls the cross offensive! God himself knew that it was gross, but it was his plan. Therefore, we should not question the crucifixion, but embrace and love it. God forgave us and cleansed us with the cross, do not take away from it's real, brutal, beautifully offensive reality! Preach it hard and long!