Jesus Is

By Adolph Saphir

To preach Christ means to preach Christ crucified; that the death of Christ on the cross as an atoning sacrifice, is the very center and heart of preaching Christ.

It is necessary to dwell on this point, as it is so often impugned, obscured, and evaded in the present day. The instinct of the world, as well as the profound and vivid conviction of the church, have agreed on this one point, that the center of Christianity is Christ crucified. The world with doubt, unbelief, aversion; the church in faith, love, adoring joy and triumph. When we say a man believes in Christ, we mean “he trusts in Christ, Who died the Just for the unjust; when we say a man preaches Christ, we mean he declares the redemption, the forgiveness of sins through faith in His Blood: when Christians take the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him, it is in remembrance of Him Who laid down His life as a ransom for the sins of many. The cross of Christ is the summary of all; the central point, from which radiate Justification, Sanctification, and the Future Glory. Read the rest of this entry »

By Mark VanOuse

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  — I Corinthians 1:18 NKJV

“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing…”

We live in a time when the message of the Cross, as it properly exists in scripture, is being done away with by many who call themselves “Christian”. We are being told by the same that “if we are to reach the lost today, we have to use a new approach”. The problem is, their “approach” is devoid of the Cross of Christ. Devoid of its biblical meaning as the place of propitiation, satisfying the wrath of God, Who is supremely holy. Nothing of the need of a blood sacrifice. Nothing of an understanding of covenants. Nothing of an understanding of core biblical concepts like justification and regeneration. This is the “message” they tell the perishing.

When an objection is raised to this “message” they respond with an arrogance that says, “Well, the message of the Cross just doesn’t work today. We have to strive to be RELEVANT. We need to answer the questions they (the lost) have. Because you don’t this, you really aren’t interested in truly reaching the lost”. Read the rest of this entry »