Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” The Bible, when we stand back and view it as a whole, gives us two views of the universe. Firstly, there is the standpoint of eternity and of God’s eternal purpose. From this the universe is Christo-centric. Secondly, there is the standpoint of the incursion of sin, with all its effects. From this point of view, the universe is Redempto-centric. The former represents the tremendous significance of Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of man. The latter sets forth the terrible and glorious meaning of Jesus Christ and Him crucified; in other words, the Cross. If you will, imagine a wheel with many spokes reaching out. The hub is the center of the wheel and every spoke is dependent on the hub holding together, in order that the wheel may turn and reach its destination. The Cross is the hub of the wheel and everything in the purpose of God from eternity to eternity is dependent on the Cross. So the Cross becomes adorned with all the significance of the eternal purpose of God. In order to meet any misconception as to unbalanced emphasis, let us once and for all say that, according to the revelation of the entire Word of God, both in the Old and New Testaments, the Cross is now basic to everything. If you fail to recognize God’s place and God’s meaning for and in the Cross of the Lord Jesus, it is then that you become unbalanced; you become departmental, your perspective is thrown out and your vision is distorted. For the right adjustment, regulation and balancing of all truth, you must place the Cross right at the center and see the relationship of everything else to it, and of it to everything else. There is not a theme in all the Word of God relative to the eternal purpose of God, which is not governed by the Cross of the Lord Jesus. In the smallest matters of practical everyday life, the Cross is to have its place, and from commonplace things the application is to be made in ever widening circles Of course, it is understood that th phrase “the Cross” does not merely mean the crucifixion of Christ, but the death, the burial, the resurrection and ascension to the throne, and the sovereign relationship vested now in Christ there for us; all is by the way of the Cross. We never see the throne apart from the Lamb in the midst thereof “as though it had been slain,” Everything is gathered up in the phrase “Jesus Christ and him crucified,” and when “the Cross” is mentioned, “Christ crucified” with all that implies is meant. So then, let us recognize once and for all, that the Cross is not a specific line of teaching, not a department of truth, not an isolated message in an unbalanced emphasis, but the all-comprehending, all-explaining center of the universe. It is the hub of the wheel. To it and from it all the spokes move through clearly defined circles of Divine instrumentality and activity unto the farthest bound of the universe; into the super-heavenlies, the heavenlies “far above all”: there the Cross is still. You never get outside the range of the Cross. So this is an introduction to the next few messages, which, hopefully, will lead us into a deeper appreciation of the Cross of Christ. When we have a fuller understanding of the Cross then we will know why we should glory only “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Even so, Lord Jesus come!
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 11:37:56 +0000
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