Paul Tripp wrote a book called "A Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry." The title itself is a bit shocking since, at least in the United States, becoming a pastor is not all that dangerous. In fairness, Tripp was speaking in many ways about the seductive nature of ministry and the internal challenges that pastors face. Yet, there is something true about the title that we fail to embrace.
Christianity is gory. At its center is a man impaled on a cross because His Father was not pleased to look at Him because of our sin (Isaiah 53:3-5). Christianity, though called a religion, is not technically. The use of religion in the world is for the purposes of edification and uplift. While this is part of Christianity it is not its essence. Christianity is a calling to follow Christ and such a following demands a life that is called to continually take up a Christ's cross daily. The uplift and edification that is within Christianity is found only when we model the way of humiliation exemplified in the life of Christ (Philippians 2:5-11).
Does this thought give you joy or make you cringe? Before you answer that question ponder the following verses:
"and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the
name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they
were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name" (Acts 5:40–41).
Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready
not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus”
(Acts 21:13)
"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children,
then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that
we may also be glorified with him" (Romans 8:16–17, emphasis added)
"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him
but also suffer for his sake," (Philippians 1:29)
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,"(James 1:2).
"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various
trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes
though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation
of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6–7).
Christianity is a call to die and in a culture where excess, indulgence and all types of narcissistic tendencies abound, death is not an option. Yet, according to the scripture, suffering, torture, slander, mocking, isolation, family division and even death are all aspects of what it will mean to follow Jesus. It is not easy nor safe to fallow Christ because who He is and the message He proclaimed in an offensive affront to the deepest passions and seductions of the human heart.
At its center, it is an affront to man. It has a message that runs against the grain of the modern thought: Man is not the center - Jesus is. Jesus, alone, is what matters. Not us, our comforts or even our lives. What matters is that my life be found in Him and that the glory of the Lord would be displayed in the supremacy of Christ portrayed in my daily dying to sin, self and this world. The Apostle Paul put it this way: "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24).
This is what creates the scandal of the cross for many. It stands before us as the singular gateway to heaven: a Son crushed for the iniquities of others calling you and I, daily, to do the same. In her book The Crucifixion: Understanding the Death of Jesus Christ Fleming Rutledge noted the following:
" 'The cross is not and cannot be loved'. As a general rule, the theologia gloriae (theology of glory) will drive out the theologia crucis (theology of the cross) every time in a comfortable society" (43-44).
In other words, we only focus on the glory part of Christianity and not the central part - the cross. The cross demands something of us that, in a society marked by convenience and that honors selfishness, cannot tolerate. This is why Rutledge notes that the cross cannot be loved in a comfortable society. It demands too much and, thus, creates a scandal of the heart.
Theological reflection. This is what we all need.
Thinking deeply about the gospel is the clarion call for reformation today in as much as it was during the time of the Reformation. Everything is different but the message is the same. The gospel is not meant exclusively for the unsaved. The Christian - the saved - need to think deeply about its intrusive nature - its implications for all of life - mentally, physically and relationally.
Over the next few posts I want to share some thoughts about this intrusive gospel that created the scandal of Calvary and recreates that same scandal, daily, for those who choose to take it up. I will tell you this: if we are not a resident of Calvary's mountain, in some form or fashion, we show that we are long-time residents of a comfortable society. We don't know the scandal of the cross. We are the scandal!
God help us