Two Phases of the Cross / Ji Kim

1Cor.15:10           *Cross series No.1           Ji Y. Kim                 See Korean  

◑Introduction

As you know, the four gospels teach us about the cross of Jesus Christ in a wide range. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John talk about the cross of Jesus Christ in detail. It means, that the most important theme of the 4 gospels is the cross of Jesus Christ. They are focusing on the goal of the public ministry of Jesus Christ, and that is the "cross".

In other words, the most important theme in the Christian faith is "the cross". The purpose, the focus and the goal of Jesus' public ministry was persistently toward the cross. So, if we ignore the meaning of the cross, we are missing out the most important theme of the gospels.

However, in our actual daily living many people think that reading and meditating about the cross of Jesus is very boring, and tend to skip that part of the Bible when they are reading Gospels. Many people prefer to the other sermons or the other teachings of the gospels. But if we skip the most important theme of the gospel or the most important teaching of the Bible, you and I are missing out on the most important theme(or "faith") of the whole Christianity.

For example, when a pastor preaches, he/she has to teach about the cross of the Christ frequently because 30-50% volumes of the Gospels describe about the cross of Jesus Christ in detail. When a pastor preaches, he should mention on the cross once in every 3 to 5 times of his sermon, however most of pastors are teaching the others topics, so called "relevant messages".

Nowadays in our reality, many Bible teachers and pastors ignore the meaning of the cross and they take it aside because they do not like the topic and the church goers or the Christians do not want to listen to the teachings of the cross. Because of that, starting today we will think and talk about theme of the cross 20-30 times of sermons. So that we will have a broad understanding and knowledge about the cross of the Christ.

My teaching in general is this, the cross has two phases. In other words, the cross has two sides, just like a coin. The front side and the rear side.

Many people think and say "I believe in the cross of Jesus Christ." but that is the only one side of the cross, the cross of redemption. However, we still have another phase of the cross, the cross we have to take. It is a very serious problem that many people think and say that they believe in Jesus Christ, but actually they understand only one phase of the cross, and deny another phase of the cross, the cross we have to take on each one of our back.

Jesus said in the gospels, "If you want to follow me, deny yourself and take your cross and follow me" 3 times. Mt.16:24, Mk.8:34. Lk.9:23 (all in all 6 times) Why did Jesus talk a lot about 'my cross'? I think, Jesus foresee that many people would ignore taking the cross on their back. That is why he said it repeatedly in the gospels about the cross we have to take.

◑1st. phase / The Cross of the Redemption

Today, we are going to focus on the cross of redemption.

Redemption means someone paid the price in behalf of someone else. (Redemption, the terminology is used in the church so that the outsiders do not understand what it means.) When we think about , we have to remember two points. 

Let us see the first point, . When Korea and Philippines have a competition in a basketball game. All the Koreans would support the Korean team and all the Filipinos would support the Philippines' national basketball team. When the Philippines' team would win, they would cheer and be very glad because the Philippine basketball team is the representative all the people in the Philippines as the Korean team is.

Adam was the representative of all of human beings in the garden of Eden, and Jesus the second Adam, was also the representative. Let us see Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man (Adam), and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-" The fall of the one man corrupted all the human beings, his descendants. In the same way, the second Adam, Jesus Christ, through his obedience, all the people of the earth was to be set free of the original sin and original curse because He was the representive of all human beings.

Let's continue reading. Romans 5:17 "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ." 18. "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." 19. "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."

In Romans verses 18 and 19, it clearly talks about. Jesus died on the cross as the representative of all human beings. In the consequence of His death, all human beings were saved through his paying penalty as a representative.

Now we will think about the second principle, the principle of redemption. One day, my companions and I went to have lunch and one of us paid the whole fee of our lunch. The other people did not pay because one person had already paid the whole price of their lunch. This is the principle of redemption. Someone has paid the price in behalf of someone else.

Let's concise the teaching so far. The cross of Jesus Christ has two sides. the front side is and the rear side. And the front side has two points, and  the rear side, the cross we have to take has 4 points:

1. The cross of self-denial

2. The cross of sacrifice

3. The cross of sanctification

4. The cross of suffering

The Cross of the Redemption (Jesus' Cross)	The Cross We Have to Take (My Cross)
1, the principle of representative 2. the principle of redemption	1. The cross of self-denial 2. The cross of sacrifice 3. The cross of sanctification 4. The cross of suffering

◑Dilemma of the Cross of Redemption

It is God's grace that a sinner believes and accepts the cross of the redemption. The one who is called by God only, can accept and believe the grace and blessing of the cross of redemption. However, the cross of redemption has some problems. This is a dilemma.

For example, there is a Korean novel and it was made into a film with the title as "Secret Shadow. 密陽" The film was shown in a film festival in France several years ago and got some prizes. The story goes like this.

One woman, with her six years old boy, moved to far remote city from Seoul. However, her only son was unfortunately kidnapped there and the criminal asked for a huge amount of money as a ransom, but she refused to pay. Instead, she reported it to the police. Actually, she didn't have a lot of money to pay for the ransom. Finally, her only son was found, but as a corpse, the dead body in the somewhere riverside. The criminal murdered the little innocent child, and he was caught and put into  prison. After losing her beloved only son, the mother was greatly mentally shocked and she had a very difficult time in coping with the misfortune.

One day, she went to a local church and became a Christian. She accepted the grace of Jesus Christ and learned the gospel. Fortunately she got peace in her mind after she decide to forgive the criminal, the murderer. She wants to inform to the criminal that she had forgiven him. So that one day, she voluntarily visited the jail to see the murderer though nobody agreed to her going there. She wanted to pardon and forgive him. She wanted to go and tell him that she forgave him because she was now a Christian. She did not want to have any bad feelings towards him. So she drove for several hours to visit the murderer in the jail.

Then (this is the most important scene) the mother went out of her mind after she has seen the criminal. Because the murderer himself said without any shame or regret that he had repented himself for the murdering and the crimes that he had done. Now he was forgiven by God's grace and had peace in his mind. So he was set free of all the burdens from his heart and his conscience.

The mother, the baby Christian was shocked beaten by a hammer when she heard him and she was fallen into a great temptation. She ended up denying the Christian faith, saying that before she(the victim's side) forgive him, how could he say that he was forgiven himself by God because he had repented. She said he was a very cheeky fellow and then she wouldn't believe in such nonsense, the Christian faith. If God forgive any kind of sin and sinners without of any hesitation, she thought, the Christianity is something greatly wrong religion!

Let us think about this argue as we are the mother and the criminal. "The criminal's position/belief was right? Did God really forgive such a criminal?" Maybe it looks like somewhat true. Because God's forgiveness on the Jesus' cross (the cross of redemption) is un fathomable and no limit and no discrimination.

But the mother is opposing such an idea and she is denying God's unconditional forgiveness. Is her faith is not genuine?

Finally, in the film, the mother was in such a great temptation and so she turned away from God and became a anti-Christian.

Who is right and who is wrong? Is the murderer who said he was forgiven correct? Is the mother who didn't believe in God's unconditional forgiveness wrong? What do you think?

The murderer, said that he believed and accepted the unconditional forgiveness of Jesus on the cross. He confessed his sins and he was forgiven. But the mother opposed that kind of religion and judge him as a cheeky fellow. Who is right? This is what I call "dilemma" of the cross of redemption.

The cross of redemption is one of the most important theology in Christian faith but it has a dilemma. Many people think "I am forgiven." after he had seriously sinned. But many other people think "What that man is thinking/believing is not right." They would say that he is a cheeky fellow, a shameless man.

This is my (the preacher's) opinion. I think the murderer was not truly forgiven by God, because he didn't repent genuinely. When a sinner surely repent of himself and his repentance is accepted, God gives him an assurance of forgiveness. In that case, there is trembling and echo as an evidence, and they are transmitted to the others. If I got God's forgiveness through my true repentance, the trembling and echo are accompanied with me as a sign. And the supernatural sign such as trembling and echo surely transmits and passes on to the other people. And the others also acknowledge my forgiveness from God.

If the murderer was truly forgiven through his true repentance, trembling and 'echo'(supernatural wave) would have been transmitted to the victim's mother. And she would had forgiven him too! (But she couldn't)

The mother would have accepted that he was forgiven and she would have forgiven the murderer even though it was so difficult.

In short, if he was truly forgiven, the echo and trembling would have been passed on to the people around him. But it didn't happen.

This is the solution for the "dilemma" of the cross, I think. 

◑For those who cannot believe

Now, we will think about some people who really cannot believe in the cross of redemption, the unconditional forgiveness of God to those who genuinely repent. Here is a verse that I suggest them to read and meditate on,

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions,

he was bruised for our iniquities:

the chastisement of our peace was upon him;

and with his stripes we are healed"

Christian faith is not a theory or a knowledge. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. When you and I read and meditate on the verse, one day, the Holy Spirit will come upon us and change us and we will truly believe in the cross of Jesus Christ. So reading and meditating above verse is very important for those who don't have faith in the cross of redemption.

◑His grace to me was not without effect

Now we will talk about another point. The first and the second phase are connected each other, like a coin. When we see a coin with only one side, it is useless, it is a invalid and a useless coin.

So thus our faith! If someone has believed only one side of the cross, it is an invalid faith, not a whole faith. And the bond/glue/bridge which connects the front and the rear side(phase) of the cross is the "grace" that poured upon me.

When someone hears that Jesus Christ had died on the cross for cleansing of his sins, he will be deeply touched in his heart, and he would take his cross on his back and follow Jesus voluntarily because he was "deeply touched."

Let us read 1 Corinthians 15:10. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them-yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

As we know Apostle Paul was a hard worker. He have worked harder than any other apostles or the other christian workers. What was his motivation for his hard work? The grace of God had him work harder than other people.↑

It was the grace of redemption and it is possible for all the other Christian. When you and I are touched by the grace of God, the unconditional forgiveness, so called the grace of redemption, we could take our personal cross and follow after Jesus like apostle Paul because above verse says "His grace to me was not without effect."

It means that His grace really affects every true converted believers around the world. Why is it that many people just believe in the cross of redemption but deny taking their crosses and following him? It is because the grace did not work any effect in secular Christians. I mean they know the grace by knowledge, not by heart. We have to believe and accept the mystery oh the cross supernaturally, by the work of the Holy Spirit, not by the knowledge or understanding only.

Finally, I would like to tell you this. There is a company in Korea called Samsung. It is one of the famous companies not only in Korea but around the world. Many young people want to work in Samsung but it is very competitive. Many people want to work there but can't work there because the company must recruit them first. Only one out of 100 fresh graduates can enter the company.

What is my point? I want to go to heaven but I must be accepted by heaven (imagine Samsung company). Many people say, "I believe in Jesus Christ, I believe in the cross and I believe so that I can go to heaven."

It is nonsense, and it is just a belief from his own understanding and not from the Holy Spirit. Yes, believing is necessary, but one's belief must be accepted and accredited by God. (In that case, God gives him the grace of true repentance)

With one's own thought or his own belief, they cannot be accepted in heaven. It is not I who decide my salvation, but God. We have to ask God with our humble heart meditating Isaiah53:5 the grace of the cross of redemption. And then may God give it to those who poor and contrite heart.

Here is an example. Brother A wants to get married with sister B. Could he marry her or not? Even though he wants to marry her, sister B should accept his proposal first. Many people want to go to heaven but their faith must be accepted and must be proven as a genuine believer from heaven.

What then should be the evidence of his faith?

Whoever took his cross and followed Jesus is proven to be a genuine believer because he has put two phases of the cross together. He not only believed the cross of redemption but he also took his own cross and follows. This is the evidence of being accepted by God. Those who believe in the cross of redemption(1st phase) by knowledge only, nevertheless deny in taking his own cross (2nd phase) has a questionable faith. They should not assure themselves their soul's salvation.

It is nonsense that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will be saved. Yes, it is written in the Bible, but the real meaning of the verse is that the belief must be accepted. Taking his own cross without any enforcement or not under compulsion, and following Jesus is the only evidence that he is accepted in entering heaven. It becomes a voluntary work when God's grace is poured upon him. Only such Christian can be accepted and be saved.

Thank you everyone. We will meet again in the next session.