I was watching a religious show last night, a man asked a question about the cross and it’s meaning. Sadly enough to say the preacher was anti-catholic so his answer is that the cross is not a Christian symbol but a pagan symbol. This preacher said that the cross was used by the Romans to execute criminals. He is correct about the pagan history of the cross, but saying that the cross is not a Christian symbol is not correct why? Let us examine the Bible about the meaning of the cross.
THE CROSS OR THE MEANING OF THE CROSS IS GOD’S POWER
1 Corinthians 1:18 (DRB) “For the word of the cross, to them indeed that perish, is foolishness: but to them that are saved, that is, to us, it is the power of God…”
THE CROSS MEANS THAT CHRIST IS LIVING IN US
Galatians 2:20 (BBE) “I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me…”
THE CROSS MEANS THAT OUR OLD LIFE IS ALREADY DEAD
Romans 6:6 (BBE) “Being conscious that our old man was put to death on the cross with him, so that the body of sin might be put away, and we might no longer be servants to sin…”
THE CROSS MEANS THAT OUR EVIL PASSIONS AND DESIRES ARE ALREADY DEAD
Galatians 5:24 (BBE) “And those who are Christ’s have put to death on the cross the flesh with its passions and its evil desires…”
So as far as St. Paul is concerned, the cross has a lot of meaning for him. The cross is was a former symbol of capital punishment for the Romans but for true Christians like St. Paul, the cross is filled with spiritual meaning. So we can say that the cross is also a symbol of Christianity.
WHAT ABOUT THE PRACTICE OF PUTTING CROSSES ON OUR CHURCHES IS THAT BIBLICAL?
Galatians 6:14 (GNB) “As for me, however, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world…”
As for St. Paul he will boast only about the CROSS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Therefore it is not unbiblical to boast the cross of our Lord. Why? because we are declaring that the world is dead to us and we are already dead to the world.
HOW DOES THE APOSTLE PAUL SEES PEOPLE WHO DOES NOT LIKE THE CROSS?
Philippians 3:18 (KJV) “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ…”
As far as the Bible is concerned, the Cross was a pagan symbol. But when our Lord Jesus Christ died on it the Cross became a new symbol, a new symbol for true Christians. For those who doesn’t like the cross, let’s ask ourselves why? And for those who are use to seeing the Cross, do we know the deeper meaning of it? or we are too familiar with it that we don’t know the spiritual symbolism and we don’t care about the significance of the cross for our Christian faith?
EKKLESIA TOU THEOU 