THE PERIL OF A POWERLESS CROSS (5 OF 53)
by Mike Stone
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:17-18
This content is part of a series.
The Peril of a Powerless Cross (5 of 53)
Series: Straight Up Truth for a Messed Up Church
Mike Stone
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
This series in First Corinthians is designed to be a verse-by-verse study. But I want to back up to one of the verses we looked at last time to investigate a powerful truth, a profound truth, and a perilous truth. In fact, it's a story about the peril of a powerless cross.
After describing the powerless nature of human wisdom and clever speech, Paul makes a stunning statement about a cross with no power. He bluntly states that if he doesn't preach the cross properly, the cross would be, depending on your translation, made void, of none effect, or emptied of its power.
Or as commentator Leon Morris puts it the wrong kind of preaching can ''nullify the cross of Christ.''
The word for ''emptied, nullified, or void'' is the same word Paul used in Philippians 2 to describe the incarnation of the eternal Son of God. That Christ emptied Himself and came to earth.
That is, His identity was veiled behind a body of flesh. He made Himself of no reputation...God Himself came to earth but because of this ''emptying,'' mankind did not recognize Him.
In the same way, there is a preaching of the cross that robs the cross of its identity and makes it unrecognizable as the gospel.
This powerless preaching may use the language of Scripture.
It may speak of the blood, the cross, and even the empty tomb.
But because of stuff that's been added to it, this preaching:
Robs the cross of its efficacy
Cuts the fuse to the dynamite of Calvary
And empties the cross of its power
It's like a spoonful of cough syrup diluted in an ocean of water: The right stuff is in there but because so much useless stuff has been added, the right stuff is rendered ineffective and powerless.
Under Divine inspiration, Paul gives 3 warnings about additions to the gospel that bring about a powerless cross.
1. Don't mix it up with simple water (17a)
...
Series: Straight Up Truth for a Messed Up Church
Mike Stone
1 Corinthians 1:17-18
This series in First Corinthians is designed to be a verse-by-verse study. But I want to back up to one of the verses we looked at last time to investigate a powerful truth, a profound truth, and a perilous truth. In fact, it's a story about the peril of a powerless cross.
After describing the powerless nature of human wisdom and clever speech, Paul makes a stunning statement about a cross with no power. He bluntly states that if he doesn't preach the cross properly, the cross would be, depending on your translation, made void, of none effect, or emptied of its power.
Or as commentator Leon Morris puts it the wrong kind of preaching can ''nullify the cross of Christ.''
The word for ''emptied, nullified, or void'' is the same word Paul used in Philippians 2 to describe the incarnation of the eternal Son of God. That Christ emptied Himself and came to earth.
That is, His identity was veiled behind a body of flesh. He made Himself of no reputation...God Himself came to earth but because of this ''emptying,'' mankind did not recognize Him.
In the same way, there is a preaching of the cross that robs the cross of its identity and makes it unrecognizable as the gospel.
This powerless preaching may use the language of Scripture.
It may speak of the blood, the cross, and even the empty tomb.
But because of stuff that's been added to it, this preaching:
Robs the cross of its efficacy
Cuts the fuse to the dynamite of Calvary
And empties the cross of its power
It's like a spoonful of cough syrup diluted in an ocean of water: The right stuff is in there but because so much useless stuff has been added, the right stuff is rendered ineffective and powerless.
Under Divine inspiration, Paul gives 3 warnings about additions to the gospel that bring about a powerless cross.
1. Don't mix it up with simple water (17a)
...
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