Читать книгу The Covenant of the Torch - Abraham Park - Страница 13
ОглавлениеChapter 1
Jesus Christ, the Center of God’s Administration of Redemption
When God created man, He created him in His own image (Gen 1:26–27) and entrusted to him the ownership and dominion over the entire universe (Gen 1:28). However, Adam and Eve, the ancestors of mankind, were proud, lacked faith, and disobeyed the Word. As a result, they lost the power to subdue and rule over the world. God had commanded Adam, “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:17), but he listened to the words of the serpent through Eve rather than the Word of God. This caused the fall of man and their banishment from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24).
Created in God’s likeness, man was to commune with Him and live eternally (Prov 3:32; Eccl 3:11); however, they fell to the status of beings destined to die as a result of sin (Rom 5:12; 6:23; Eph 2:1; Col 2:13; Heb 9:27). Mankind became subordinate to the devil who holds the power of the expanse and is the object of God’s fearful wrath (Eph 2:2–3).
Redemption achieved through Jesus Christ was the only means to save fallen sinners. The word redemption refers to the act of saving a person or people from severe distress, illness, or great danger. It can also refer to the act of saving by means of giving a ransom payment. In other words, it is the recovery of ownership or a freedom from oppression after making a proper payment. Redemption is the act of removing bondage and confinement.
1. Jesus Christ, the Center of the History of Redemption
The word redemption is written in different forms in Greek: (, “to redeem” [Luke 24:21; Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 1:18–19]), (lytron, “ransom” [Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45]), and (, “redemption” or “atonement” [Luke 1:68; 2:38; Heb 9:12]). The underlying meaning of these words concerns the act of making the proper payment to obtain ownership. But these words take on a profound meaning when they are used in connection with Jesus Christ.
First, Jesus Christ paid the ransom for all sinners whom God had predestined according to His plan for redemption, so that they may be saved and become His children in Christ (Matt 22:14; Rom 8:29–30; 11:5; Eph 1:4–5, 11; 1 Pet 1:2). This is the absolute predestination determined before creation (Eph 1:4–5; 3:11; 2 Tim 1:9). Absolute predestination is not based on a person’s good works, meritorious deeds, or effort. It is determined only by God’s sovereign will. Jesus Christ paid the price on the cross and redeemed the people who are predestined for salvation.
Second, Jesus Christ paid the price with His blood. The price that Jesus Christ paid to redeem us from sin and death was His own precious blood. We were not saved by perishable things like precious gold or silver, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, unblemished and spotless as that of a lamb (1 Pet 1:18–19).
Third, those who are redeemed are Jesus Christ’s own possession, they are bought with the cost of His precious blood (1 Cor 6:19–20; 7:22–23). History did not flow aimlessly after the fall of mankind, but worked for the purpose of redeeming the saints chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). Thus, the focus of the administration in the history of redemption is the salvation of fallen mankind, with Jesus Christ standing at the center of that work. Jesus Christ is the only true Savior who can save His chosen people (Matt 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 4:12; 5:31; 1 John 4:14).
When Jesus Christ came to this earth through the virgin Mary (Isa 7:14; Matt 1:18–21), He possessed both perfect divinity and perfect humanity (John 1:14; Phil 2:6–8). Jesus the incarnate God—the Word which became flesh—is both perfectly God and perfectly man (John 1:1, 14, 18). Jesus Christ is the sacrifice of atonement (Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2) and the Lamb who takes away the sins of His chosen people (John 1:29).
The history of this earth is centered on Jesus Christ, fulfilled through Him, and will be completed through His Second Coming. The Bible refers to Jesus, who stands at the center of God’s history of redemption, as God’s mystery (Col 2:2). Colossians 1:26–27 reveals four things about this mystery.
Colossians 1:26–27 … that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
First, this mystery has been hidden (Col 1:26). The word mystery is (mysterion) in Greek and signifies an unrevealed truth or a truth hidden to the outside world. The word hidden is (apokekrymmenon) in Greek, a perfect passive participle form of (apokrypt). It reveals the truth that God is the one who has hidden the mystery. Thus, it cannot be understood by human wisdom or ability; it can be understood only when God reveals it. This mystery is the profound mystery of God’s redemptive work made known to His people through revelations. It is the will of God (1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; Eph 3:3). In the Bible, God’s holy work of salvation, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God, the gospel, and so forth are part of the mystery (Matt 13:11; Mark 4:11; Eph 6:19; Rev 10:7; cf. Amos 3:7).
Second, this mystery has been hidden from past ages and generations (Col 1:26). Here, the word ages is the plural form of the Greek word (ain), meaning “eternal,” and the word generations is the plural form of the Greek word , (genea), meaning “generation.” Thus, the phrase “past ages and generations” means “from eternity and each continuing generation” and can be used interchangeably. Ephesians 3:9 uses the phrase “from the beginning of the world” (KJV), while 1 Corinthians 2:7 uses “before the ages” (NASB).
Third, this mystery has now been manifested to His saints (Col 1:26). Here, the Greek expression, “but…now” in the verse, is (nyn de). This means that the mystery of God, which has been hidden until now, has been manifested (Rom 16:25–26). On the other hand, the word manifested in Greek is (ephanerothe), a passive form of the verb (phanero). The mystery of the work of salvation through Jesus Christ can be understood only when God reveals it to His believers.
Fourth, this mystery has to be richly manifested even among the Gentiles. Colossians 1:27 states, “To whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The word Gentiles refers to all people not of Jewish descent, including those who serve other gods (Rom 11:11; 15:9; Gal 2:8). The Gentiles were originally excluded from the covenant of God, but God gave them the precious gift of salvation through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ (Acts 26:17–18; Rom 11:11, 25; Gal 1:16; 3:8, 14; Eph 2:11–14; 3:6). There are numerous prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the glorious salvation of the Gentiles (Gen 22:18; 28:14; Isa 54:2–3; Mal 1:11).
God’s work was centered on the Jews until the coming of Jesus Christ. However, God’s work expanded to include the Gentiles after Jesus’ atoning work on the cross. Romans 2:28–29 states that an outward Jew is a Jew by lineage, but an inward Jew transcends the boundaries of lineage and is one who confesses faith in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:7–9, 26–29). Now, Jew or Greek, slave or free, man or woman, all people are one in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:28). The gospel of the cross became the power of God that gives salvation to all believers—both Jews and Gentiles (Rom 1:16).
The riches of the glory that the Gentiles receive through salvation is known as the “glory of the mystery” (Col 1:27). This is why the apostle Paul confessed that he is honored to be called the servant of Christ for the Gentiles (Rom 11:13). We must also preach this mystery of the gospel to all the people so that the glory of the mystery may be richly manifested on the earth.
2. Jesus Christ’s Work of Atonement
The work of atonement refers specifically to the work of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. It is the work of paying the price of our sins according to God’s plan and providence for the salvation of mankind. This work of atonement is the height of God’s work of salvation and the essence of the Christian gospel.
(1) The redemptive work of the cross and God’s will
Sinners must receive the forgiveness of their sins in order to be saved (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14). Jesus Christ came to this earth for the complete redemption of the chosen people (John 1:29; Heb 9:26; 1 John 3:5). This redemption was achieved when Jesus Christ came to this earth, shed His blood and died on the cross (1 Pet 1:18-19). He spoke publicly to His disciples about how His suffering on the cross and His death were predestined as part of God’s plan of salvation.
Matthew 26:24 The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.
Luke 22:22 For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!
During His public life, Jesus spoke four times regarding the redemptive work to be accomplished on the cross through His death (Matt 16:21–28; 17:22–23; 20:17–19; 26:1–2). Every time He warned about His death on the cross, He used the Greek word / (dei), meaning “for certain,” “it is necessary,” “must,” and “ought to,” in order to emphasize its inevitability (Matt 16:21; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; 24:7).
Not grasping the importance of the work of redemption, Peter said, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” In response, Jesus rebuked him, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matt 16:23; Mark 8:33).
Jesus Christ willingly obeyed God’s eternal plan and providence by bearing the cross. He stood ahead of His disciples and went up to Jerusalem on the last day of His public life (Mark 10:32; Luke 19:28) and said, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished” (Luke 18:31). On the night He was captured, He sang hymns with His disciples as He crossed the Kidron Valley and went up to the Mount of Olives (Matt 26:30; Mark 14:26; John 18:1).
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus prayed until the beads of His sweat turned into drops of blood. Then a multitude carrying swords and clubs came looking for Him. “Knowing all the things that were coming upon Him” (John 18:4), Jesus boldly said to them, “I am He” (John 18:6), and allowed Himself to be taken. As Jesus was about to be captured by the Roman soldiers, Peter struck Malchus, a slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear. At this, Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this!” and touched his ear and healed him (Luke 22:51). Then as Jesus had said to Peter, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?” (Matt 26:53–54), He bore the cross and fulfilled the Scriptures.
Jesus Christ, in order to achieve a perfect reconciliation between God and man (Rom 5:10–11; Eph 2:13–18), strove to fulfill redemption through the cross according to God’s predetermined will. At last, He achieved what He so desired through His death on the cross and declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
(2) The foreshadowing of the work of redemption
God is holy and righteous and does not tolerate sin. Thus, no one can meet with God if one has sin. In the Old Testament, God made people bring offerings before Him as a foreshadowing of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The closest foreshadowing of the redemptive work can be found in the example of the “scapegoat” mentioned Leviticus 16:6–10, 20–22, 26. The word means “entire removal.” Aaron, the high priest, would lay both of his hands on the head of the scapegoat and transfer all the sins and unrighteousness of the Israelites and send it away into the wilderness to become food for fierce predators (Lev 16:21–22). Thus, the scapegoat foreshadows how Jesus, who is without sin, would bear the sins of the chosen people and be thrown outside the city gates to die on the cross (Heb 13:12).
In the Old Testament, the first prerequisite for an offering was that it be without blemish (Exod 12:5; 29:1; Lev 1:3; Num 6:14; 19:2), because it foreshadowed Jesus Christ who was to come. God did not accept offerings that are worthless, abominable, blind, sick, or lame (Isa 1:11–17). He warned that those who make such offerings will be cursed (Mal 1:7–14).
Jesus Christ was an unblemished and spotless lamb. He was a perfect offering, without sin (1 Pet 1:19). Jesus neither sinned (1 Pet 2:22) nor did He know sin (2 Cor 5:21). He was without sin from the beginning (1 John 3:5), and in Him there was no evil (Heb 7:26).
Because Jesus Christ, being without sin, became our sacrifice of redemption, God’s righteousness was completely satisfied while demonstrating His agape love to us. Jesus was cursed according to the law on behalf of sinners (Gal 3:13) and bore their sins (1 Pet 2:24; cf. Isa 53:6). As a result, our sins were transferred to Jesus, and His righteousness was given to us as a free gift (Rom 3:22–24; 4:25; 2 Cor 5:21). Finally, true freedom was restored and eternal life was given (Rom 6:23; 8:1–2) to a humanity that was groaning under the weight of sin and death.
(3) The suffering Jesus endured on behalf of sinners
The suffering that Jesus endured was the atonement for the redemption of His chosen people. The entire thirty-three years of Jesus’ life, from the very moment He came to this earth in the form of man, was a continuance of the horrendous suffering that He had to bear for all of our sins. This unspeakable pain was for the fulfillment of His redemptive work.
During the final week of His short life of thirty-three years, all the forces of evil gathered their strength to attack Jesus. He was oppressed and afflicted beyond His strength. On His way to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus revealed His distressed heart to three of His disciples (Mark 14:32–34).
Matthew 26:37–38 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
Jesus left eight of His disciples at the foot of the mountain and took three disciples to pray with Him (Matt 26:36; Mark 14:32). However, they became exhausted with fatigue and fell asleep, so Jesus was left alone to pray. He fell to the ground (Mark 14:35), knelt down (Luke 22:41), fell on his face (Matt 26:39), and offered up prayers with loud cries and tears that resounded throughout the Garden of Gethsemane (Heb 5:7).
Knowing what was going to happen to Him (Mark 10:32), Jesus must have squeezed every drop of oil from His flesh, heart, and soul until He felt like His heart would burst and His intestines would tear during His last earnest prayer at Gethsemane. This pain was the beginning of the cross. When Jesus prayed, “Yet not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42), God could not bear to look upon His suffering and anguish any longer and sent an angel from heaven to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). In the meantime, Jesus prayed even more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling upon the ground (Luke 22:44).
As soon as Jesus finished praying, more than 200 soldiers came looking for Him (John 18:3).1 With Judas’ kiss, which was a prearranged sign (Mark 14:44), they seized Jesus as if He were a thief (Matt 26:55), tied Him up with a rope, and dragged Him away bound like a beast (John 18:12). Jesus was brought before Annas (John 18:13), Caiaphas (Matt 26:57–68), the council of the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66), Pilate (Mark 15:1), Herod (Luke 23:7), and Pilate again (Luke 23:11–25), respectively, until finally He was dragged up to Golgotha to be crucified on the cross (Matt 27:31; Mark 15:20; Luke 23:26).
When Jesus was questioned by Annas, one of the officers struck Him (John 18:22). After His death sentence was confirmed in the courtyard of Caiaphas the high priest, the religious leaders spat in Jesus’ face. They then covered His face with a cloth, struck Him, and taunted Him by saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ; who is the one who hit you?” (Matt 26:66–68). The servants followed the others and struck Him with the palms of their hands (Mark 14:64–65).
After being scourged and sentenced to crucifixion by Pilate, Jesus was dragged to the governor’s courthouse, the Praetorium, where He was ridiculed and mocked before the entire Roman cohort (Matt 27:26–30; Mark 15:15–20; John 19:1). Thick whips normally were split into three strands at the end, while other whips were split into nine thinner strands with pieces of metal or bone attached at each tip. Each time the whip was lashed, the tips dug in and tore off a piece of flesh. According to the seven great prophecies in Psalm 38, there was not one place on Jesus’ flesh that was sound (Ps 38:3). Every lashed area was torn up, and His back looked like a field with furrows plowed.
Psalm 129:3 The plowers plowed upon my back; they lengthened their furrows.
It was a cold dawn (John 18:18), and Jesus could hardly hold Himself up after losing so much blood from the ruthless beatings. Just as the psalmist prophesied, His bones were wounded and out of joint (Ps 22:14). By the time the soldiers propped Him up, His face was unrecognizable. His face was swollen and covered with blood. Indeed, it did not even look human.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
The prophet Isaiah prophesied 750 years before Jesus’ time that all the people would turn their faces away to avoid looking upon Jesus’ appalling appearance.
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
The Roman soldiers cruelly placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head to mock Him, mercilessly stripped Him, and clothed Him with a scarlet robe to further ridicule Him (Matt 27:28; Mark 15:17; John 19:2). They stomped over His holy body with their dirty feet and treated Him like a worm (Isa 51:23). Furthermore, they spat on Him and beat Him on the head pitilessly with reeds (Mark 15:17–19; John 19:2-3).
Matthew 27:29–30 And after weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30And they spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
Here, the word beat refers to the act of striking with the hand, fist, feet, stick, staff, whip, or some other weapon. It is in the iterative imperfect tense of (typto), referring to a repeated action in the past. This indicates that the Roman soldiers took turns striking Jesus over and over until their malicious desires were satiated. Meanwhile, Jesus bled heavily from His head where the crown of thorns had pierced deeply into the skull. The excruciating pain only grew more and more intense. All the indescribable afflictions that our Lord had to endure were because of our sins and transgressions (Isa 53:5, 8). Knowing all of this, do we still turn away from the cross, reject it, and look upon it with contempt while claiming that we believe in Jesus? The prophet Isaiah’s heartwrenching lament, “And we did not esteem Him,” is truly the message that each of us must inscribe in the depth of our hearts (Isa 53:3).
(4) The work of redemption fulfilled on the cross
After the agonizing climb up the hill of Golgotha, Jesus was treated like a wicked criminal when he was crucified alongside the two actual criminals. He was subjected to the unspeakable shame of being crucified completely naked in broad daylight before a mob of people (Matt 27:38; Mark 15:27; Luke 23:33; John 19:18).
Jesus spoke seven times during the six hours on the cross. He spoke three times between the third (9 a.m. [Mark 15:25]) and the sixth hour (noon [Luke 23:34, 43; John 19:26]). Between the sixth and the ninth hour (3 p.m.), darkness fell over the whole land (Matt 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44). Just before He died, around the ninth hour, He spoke four more times (Matt 27:45–46; John 19:28, 30; Luke 23:46).
The six hours on the cross were a compression of Jesus’ life and the culmination of the history of redemption. It is not an overstatement to say that Jesus lived thirty-three years of His life for those six hours on the cross. They contain the completion of God’s work of redemption, His judgment upon Satan, and the ultimate triumph of the saints (Col 2:13–15).
Jesus delivered seven immortal messages during the six hours on the cross. The first of the messages was the proclamation of atonement.
Luke 23:34 But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
In this verse, the word but is . (de) in Greek, meaning “however” or “but.” It expresses the boundless agape love of God through which He pronounced atonement without cause. Even as Jesus was on the wretched cross at Golgotha, He prayed for the forgiveness of those who drove nails through Him and hurled abuses at Him. During His ministry, Jesus taught His disciples to forgive their brothers, saying, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven” (Matt 18:22). Here, on the cross, was an amazing demonstration of His teaching.
Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
Matthew 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
Jesus’ sixth message on the cross, recorded in John 19:30 was, “It is finished” ( in the perfect tense of . This end is not an incomplete end, but a total completion of the originally intended plan. Thus, Jesus’ work of redemption was already completed on the cross, and emphasis is placed on the eternal efficacy of that work.
At last, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46), and breathed His last. To confirm Jesus’ death, the Roman soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). Jesus shed blood and water on the cross for all sinners and died, completing His work of salvation.
(5) The reconciliation and the attitude of the saints concerning Jesus’ work of atonement
(i) Reconciliation, the result of Jesus’ atoning work
The word reconciliation signifies the recovered state of harmony between God and man after sin had created a hostile relationship. Before Adam and Eve sinned, there was a close fellowship between God and man. Man communed with God and worshiped only Him. Furthermore, man ruled over all the creatures on the earth (Gen 1:26, 28; 2:15).
After sin entered, however, not only was that close relationship cut off and ruined, but also it became hostile. Consequently, mankind became enemies with God (Rom 5:10). As a result of sin, mankind became totally fallen and corrupt, and experienced a total depravity (Job 15:16; Ps 14:1–3; 51:5; 53:1; Isa 44:20; Jer 17:9). This is what John Calvin argues is the state of mankind after the fall. Consequently, the corruption of the flesh, the nature of sin, and the presence of the old self utterly deprived mankind of the ability to consider changing the hostile relationship to an amicable one.
For fallen mankind, Jesus Christ is truly the only way of restoring the relationship with God (John 14:6). God the Father, in His mercy, compassion, and agape love, sent His only begotten Son into this world (John 3:16) so that He may become an atoning sacrifice (Rom 3:25). 2 Corinthians 5:18 states, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
The Hebrew word for reconciliation in the Old Testament is (kapar), and the Greek word used in the New Testament is (katallage). Both signify the act of reconciliation (Rom 5:11; 11:15; 2 Cor 5:18–19). Sin separated mankind far apart from God, but the cross allowed them back to the bosom of God, reconciling God and mankind (2 Cor 5:18; Col 1:20–22).
Romans 5:11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Colossians 1:20 … and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Although mankind had fallen far away from God, the blood of Jesus Christ brought them back to Him. Mankind had become the slave of death, but they were given eternal life by the grace of atonement (John 3:16; 1 John 2:25).
Jesus completed the work of atonement once and for all on the cross (Rom 6:10; Heb 7:27; 9:12, 26; 10:2, 10; 1 Pet 3:18). Mankind was cleansed for eternity by a single offering (Heb 10:14). There is no need for another offering for sin (Heb 10:18). Anyone who draws near to God through Christ will be saved (Heb 7:25). Besides the blood that Christ shed on the cross, there is no other method of atonement, and there is no other name than Jesus Christ that brings salvation (Acts 4:12).
Historically speaking, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice is the most noble and valuable among all others. No price can be given for the agape love of God that seeks to save all the chosen in Christ (Eph 1:4). Psalm 49:8 states, “For the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever.” Redemption of life cannot be achieved even with all the wealth in the world, but God achieved it through Jesus Christ.
(ii) The attitude of the redeemed saints
We are all eternally indebted to Jesus’ redemptive love (Rom 1:14), for we are unable to repay Him in all our lifetime. What ingratitude if we forget His grace in our lives! How could we forget the cross of Jesus Christ when He was whipped and beaten for our sins (1 Cor 2:2)? The redemption we received through the cross is not a disposable doctrine that we use once and throw away. The cross must not become an accessory item that we wear on our necks without much thought or emotion. The cross holds the unique power to save. It is the source of God’s wisdom. It lies at the center of the Christian gospel; without the cross, there would be no Christianity.
As long as we are on this earth, we must love God with all our lives and boast only of the cross. Galatians 6:14 states, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Anyone who boasts only of the cross has also been crucified on the cross (Gal 2:20). Furthermore, all such persons have crucified their greed and lusts on the cross (Gal 5:24). Thus, there would be nothing left to boast about but the cross if they have crucified everything on the cross. The person who boasts of the cross despises every deceitful way (Ps 119:104) and strives against sin to the point of bloodshed (Heb 12:4).
The way to boast of the cross is to preach the life given on the cross, the gospel of eternal life to the souls who are groaning under the shadow of death. If we believe in God and love Him, then we must preach the gospel of the cross with all of our strength (Acts 4:20). Woe will befall us if we do not make restitution for the grace of atonement that we have received (1 Cor 9:16). We must become God’s own people who strive to preach the gospel of the cross in season and out of season until we enter heaven’s gate (2 Tim 4:2; Titus 2:14).
