Jesus' Perspective on the Cross

"So then, although he knew he must die, it was not because he was the helpless victim either of evil forces arrayed against him or of any inflexible fate decreed for him, but because he freely embraced the purpose of his Father for the salvation of sinners, as it had been revealed in Scripture. This was the perspective of Jesus on his death."

-- John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 37

Packer on the Old Gospel vs. the New Gospel

According to J.I. Packer, "one of the most urgent tasks facing evangelical Christendom today [is] the recovery of the gospel." He explains this statement, saying, "Without realizing it, we have during the past century bartered [the biblical gospel] for a substitute product which, though it looks similar enough in points of detail, is as a whole a decidedly different thing." He then provides a helpful, if devastating critique of what he means, some of which is quoted below. The amazing thing is that he was writing nearly 50 years ago. If it was true then, it is probably more true now.

His chief critique of the "new gospel" of our age is that it

"fails to make men God-centered in their thoughts and God-fearing in their hearts because this is not primarily what it is trying to do... it is too exclusively concerned to be 'helpful' to man -- to bring peace, comfort, happiness, satisfaction -- and too little concerned to glorify God. The old gospel... was always and essentially a proclamation of divine sovereignty in mercy and judgment, a summons to bow down and worship the mighty Lord on whom man depends for all good, both in nature and in grace. Its center of reference was unambigulously God. But in the new gospel the center of reference is man."

In practice, the new gospel results in flawed evangelism, a diminished view of God, and an elevated view of the part we plan in our redemption. Packer writes:

"Thus, we appeal to men as if they all had the ability to receive Christ at any time; we speak of his redeeming work as if he had done no more by dying than make it possible for us to save ourselves by believing; we speak of God's love as if it were no more than a general willingness to receive any who will turn and trust; and we depict the Father and the Son, not as sovereignly active in drawing sinners to themselves, but as waiting in quiet impotence 'at the door of our hearts' for us to let them in."

Packer was arguing, fifty years ago, that the answer to what ails evangelicalism, is a return to the biblical, God-centered gospel in preaching and practice. This is true for evangelicalism as a whole, but also for individual Christians and churches.

Quotes from JI Packer, In My Place Condemned He Stood, 114-115 (This book is a compendium of several previously published writings.)

Matt Cassel

On November 24th, 1999, Chatsworth High School met Palisades High in a high school playoff game in Los Angeles. The winning quarterback threw for over 400 yards and four touchdowns. The losing quarterback, a kid named Matt Cassel, was 3 for 11 for 46 yards, but reportedly made a big impact as a defensive back. It was the last time Cassel would be a starting quarterback for a long time.

Despite the inauspicious numbers in that last game, Cassel was a highly regarded quarterback and played college football at Southern Cal. If you haven't heard, they have a pretty big football program at USC and they recruit pretty well. After red-shirting his freshman year, Cassel served as the backup to Carson Palmer, his roommate, who won the Heisman Trophy and became the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Then it was Cassel's turn to take the wheel at USC. Or not. Matt Leinart beat him out for the starting job. At that point, Cassel would be excused for transferring somewhere where he could play. But he stuck it out for the Trojans. He played a little on special teams and at wide receiver. He even started a game at tight end. He played a little quarterback in mop-up duty.

But he persevered. He practiced. He was ready. He worked hard day in and day out when nobody noticed. That persistence paid off when the New England Patriots selected him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. The guy who backed up two Heisman Trophy winners now backed up All-Pro Tom Brady. Again, Cassel practiced, persevered, and waited for three more years.

When Tom Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in the first game of the season, Cassel's moment finally arrived. Last Sunday, nearly nine years after starting for Chatsworth High, Matt Cassel was finally the starting quarterback.

I like Cassel's story because it provides a compelling picture of perseverance, patience, and discipline. He worked hard in practice and in the off-season, and he waited. His opportunities to get in the game were few and far between, and they were largely meaningless. Many would have slacked off or even quit.

Matt Cassel's story challenges me to persevere in quiet discipline regardless of what role I'm called to play (or not). Discipline bears fruit and there is a reward for perseverance. That's true in football, and Scripture makes clear that it is true in God's Kingdom as well.

Paul called the Corinthian believers to be steadfast in the face of all circumstances because their labor for the Lord was not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58). Scripture abounds with calls to persevere as we look backward to the cross and forward to a sure reward that is ours by grace. Paul himself used sporting analogies more than once, as when he reminded the Corinthians to run the race to get a crown that will last forever (1 Cor. 9:24). So I think he would also like the story of Matt Cassel. The reward of our perseverance, patience, and discipline, however, is not a victory over the New York Jets, but an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Peter 1:4). So let's press on.

Bridges on Grace

Jerry Bridges, in writing about the misconceptions that people have about grace, says: "The statement that 'God's approval does not have to be earned but is simply there' is not true. God's approval does have to be earned. But the gospel tells us that His approval was earned for us by Jesus Christ in His sinless life and sin-bearing death. It is true that God's favor does not have to be earned by us. In fact, it cannot be earned by us. But it comes to us without earning because Jesus paid for it in our place as our substitute."

Bridges then provides a very good and succinct definition of grace:

"Grace is God's favor through Christ to people who deserve His disfavor."

Jerry Bridges, Growing Your Faith, 18-19

1 Peter Wordl

Click the graphic to enlarge it. (From the website: "Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text.")

A Believer's Perspective

"[Believers] are encouraged to persevere, knowing that a great reward will be theirs on the day of salvation. Such perseverance is exhibited by living a godly life, living as good citizens, model slaves, gentle wives, and understanding husbands. When believers live in such a way, they indicate that they are placing their hope in God rather than in the joys and comforts of this world… those who hope and trust in God and in his future reward will have the strength to endure whatever comes their way in the present. When believers set their hope on the future, they reveal that their salvation comes from the cross of Christ."

-- Thomas Schreiner's commentary on 1 Peter, p 45

(I found this to be a helpful guide to understanding 1 Peter 3:8-12, which is a summary of the section beginning at 2:12).

Life Together Is a Foretaste of Eternal Blessing

"So between the death of Christ and the Last Day it is only by a gracious anticipation of the last things that Christians are privileged to live in visible fellowship with other Christians."

-- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 18

The Centrality of the Gospel

"Everything in Scripture is either preparation for the gospel, presentation of the gospel, or participation in the gospel....

"By the gospel we understand that, although saved, we remain sinners. Through the gospel we receive power to resist sin. Accurately understanding and continually applying the gospel is the Christian life."

-- Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say "I Do," 24-25

American Suffering

A challenging quote included in the Sunday sermon on 1 Peter:

“Your call may not involve literally hanging on a cross, being jailed or being burned at the stake here in America. But there is a fight that is much more subtle and much more insidious in America because we live in a society where pride and materialism and recreation and prosperity and fitting in has slowly taken away the sharp edge in most professing Christian’s lives. We look around and we rarely see anyone denying themselves, taking up their Cross and following Jesus. Now don’t you find that odd, since in Luke 9:32, Jesus literally said that unless you did so, you are not a follower of His at all. But the reality is that we’re in a culture that is built on free will instead of God’s will and that is why we must be the freaks. And while that may not mean being called to martyr our lives, we must martyr our way of life. In other words, we are called, particularly here in the United States to put the selfish, self-centered, materialism and recreation-oriented ways of life to death and march to a different beat altogether”
-Quote From Jesus Freak a.k.a. Martyrs video