Christianity Divided by the Cross

[rmcdra]

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/marcusborg/2013/10/christianity-divided-by-the-cross/

An interesting article I stumbled upon on facebook. What is your take on the cross? Do you see it as symbolizing a payment or does it mean something different to you? If you see it as a payment, why? If you see it as something else, share what that is and why? I'll share my views in about a week. I don't want to rob others of the opportunity to share their views razz  

[Eltanin Sadachbia]

I don't believe that Jesus paid for our sins...
I don't believe the cross was necessary for God to forgive us...

I look at the cross and see the symbol of a Christian's acceptance of God's love and forgiveness. God can do whatever He wants: He IS God... But He loved us so much, that he sent undeniable proof that no matter how foolish we are, we can do the most horrible of deeds, but He will still accept us in spite of all that...  

[Southern Cross Nemesis]

Back when I was a christian, I thought the Cross was some kind of punishment.


Now I think it is little more than a symbol, same as a stick in the mud with an arrow pointing left or right.  

[Ametrin]

I am not sure anymore.
Recently I've read that the penal substution interpretation of the cross as it is understood by evangelicals is not how the church originally believed.
http://orthocath.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/saint-athanasius-and-the-‘penal-substitutionary’-atonement-doctrine/
Christ's death was in line with his life of perfect love and forgivenes and the cross was the ultimate example of it.
And I'm sure it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't agreed to it. There must have been an intention.
A part of it could be that his death and resurrection ensure that he would never be forgotten and his teaching would be perserved and spread in the whole world... These events inspired a very powerful movement of his disciples and then their disciples, something that otherwise may not have become as great.  

[Garland-Green]

What is the Meaning of the Cross?

The Brutality of the Cross
Although the symbol of the cross appears in much pagan history prior to Jesus, the crucifixion cross has historical meaning due to the fact that crucifixion was a real, historical method of execution. As an instrument of death, the cross was detested by the Jews, so it became a stumbling block for them when considering Jesus. How could the Messiah be executed on a cross? After all, the Greek and Roman Empire executed thousands of criminals and captives in just this manner (Alexander the Great executed two thousand Tyrian captives in this way, after the fall of the city). This form of punishment was usually reserved for such crimes as treason, desertion, robbery, piracy, assassination, and other such crimes. It continued in the Roman empire until the day of Constantine, when it was abolished as an insult to Christianity.

How could God allow this type of horrific death to occur to His only Son? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? What did he do that deserved this kind of death? Well, let’s take a look at the Bible to follow the trail that will lead us to the truth!

The Cross Reconciles (Pays) Our Debt
The Bible recognizes the truth that all sin must be punished. After all, God is just. And justice requires that wrongs are punished. You know that is true even for us living here on earth. We have to obey the laws or be punished! And God has a set of holy commandments (laws) that must also be obeyed. So, it shouldn’t surprise you that God requires this justice of us. The Bible also tells us that we could never pay the price for our sin on our own. Our sin is punishable by death. So, the cross is the place where Jesus paid the price for us, and in doing so, he united us to God:

Ephesians 2:14-16
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

The Cross is Where God Does ALL the Work
If we could pay our own penalty, we would eventually become proud and boastful, and confident in our own ability to live our lives apart from God. Maybe that’s why God does all the work here. In the end, HIS effort to save us is all we can ever boast about, and God likes it that way. Maybe that’s because He knows that we end up worshipping whatever we boast about. God wants to be the only object of our worship, so His work on the cross is the central focus of our faith:

Galatians 6:12-16
Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.

The Cross Demonstrates the Power of God to Save Us
In the end, the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s power. After all, we could never have accomplished our salvation on our own. But the cross can be confusing to many people around us who still want to live apart from God. For some of our friends, the idea of a God who would die on a cross fro us is simply crazy. It makes no sense from a worldly perspective! But that shouldn’t surprise us. Scripture tells us that a God who loves us like that will blow our minds. That kind of love seems unreasonable, and foolish to those who really want to save themselves:

1 Corinthians 1:17-19
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel-not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 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.  

[rmcdra]

I don't see the cross as "paying for our debts". I don't see Christ's death as a substitute for us. I see it as serving as a reminder that one can be so knowledgeable in various theories that one can fail to see when God is standing in your mists. That one can become so blinded that one is willing to kill God when he/she/it is standing in front of you because God doesn't conform to your expectation.

It serves as a reminder that truth will not remain dead. If you try to kill truth, it will resurrect.

It also shows that the system of having to earn grace and forgiveness is null and void. Jesus was guilty of all the crimes the pharisees accused him of but if the system they believed in were true, then Jesus wouldn't have resurrected. Hence the Old Covenant is null and void.  

[Victoria of Gallifrey]

Jesus paid for my sins. The cross is my receipt for that transaction! Kinda the way I see it guess. heart  

[Eltanin Sadachbia]

To me, the cross is a reminder that no matter what we do, God's mercy is so great He will still allow us a way to Him.

I just can't see the cross as payment. It is a concept that I just never could come to terms with. If God wants us, and it is our purpose to seek Him, then why should there be a prerequisite for us to fulfill that purpose.

Our society think too much of selling and buying as it is. I already belonged to God, He didn't need to purchase me.

Jesus was sent by God, not as a sacrifice, but as a message. Humanity killed the messenger. God still loves us anyway. Enough to forgive us, even of that. The cross, to me is a symbol of that mercy and love.