The Gospel Of The Rejected One...Christ Crucified.
"We preach Christ crucified"(1st Corinthians 1:23).
Christ crucified is the gospel of the rejected one for the crucified one is the rejected one..."the stone which the builders rejected" & delivered up to be crucified.
Christ crucified is the heart of the gospel of Christ. Christ came into this world to save sinners and that he did by going to the cross to pay the ultimate price for our salvation - 1st Timothy 1:15.
Not only did Christ empty himself to step into our lowly humanity, in utter self-humiliation, he stooped to death, a path of obedience in which God was infinitely glorified - Philippians 2:5-11.
But death itself was not the whole matter here. There was a depth far below death merely, "the death of the Cross": not simply a death of shame, which showed man's rejection of Him, but beyond all that, a death in which alone man's need could be reached, a death which alone could work atonement.
Who could have stood in this place to do this work, but Himself alone?
Who could in the feebleness of humanity & utter loneliness, as rejected of men & in deep darkness as forsaken of God to be delivered to death/offered as a sin offering, bear it all and come out alive & victorious?
Our reconciliation and access back to God in a more intimate way & higher relationship than Adam had, is by the crucified one, Christ crucified. The Christ who gave himself for us.
Scripture says 'Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus, the new and living way which he has consecrated & dedicated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh"(Hebrews 10:19-20).
We have boldness(all outspokenness), boldness of speech to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus and we have a new & living way he has consecrated/dedicated for us through the veil which is his flesh. It is an unprecedented way for men to come to God, into a union & oneness with God.
In the Greek it is "Prosphatos, zaō hodos" - "lately slaughtered, recently slain and living way"; this speaks of the freshness of his crucifixion, as in Revelation 5:6..."the lamb standing in the midst of the throne as slain", as freshly slaughtered, recently slain. We are thus not to ever lose sight of the crucified one. That's what we show(kataggellō)- declare, announce, preach at the communion table..."the Lord's death all the way till he comes"(1st Corinthians 11:26), it is to always be in sight throughout every generation of the church till Christ comes.
We preach Christ crucified says the apostle.
Many so called 'apostles' & 'prophets' have arisen who don't preach Christ crucified & risen but are full of wisdom of words, excellency of speech & wisdom which make the cross of Christ of no effect(1st Corinthians 1:17-18)
These false apostles and prophets preach and emphasise worldly influence, affluence, success, dominion, prosperity, visibility and not Christ & Him crucified.
They profess vain things to their listeners in the name of prophetic declarations.
They care little or nothing about the eternal destiny of souls under their watch as much as they care about the material blessing and prosperity of their congregations which will in effect increase the tithes and offerings.
Paul the apostle clearly declared in his epistle to saints in Corinth..."We preach CHRIST Crucified" (1st Corinthians 1:23), and in the second chapter he said to them: "For I did not judge it well to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified(2:2).
In the 15th chapter, he goes on to remind the saints in Corinth of the crux of the gospel he preached to them..."Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures"(Vs 1-3).
"Christ died for our sins" that's Christ crucified and that's the heart of the gospel.
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