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The Preaching of Christ Crucified, the Means of Salvation
From Timeless Grace Gems
by Samuel Davies, April 25, 1759
From Timeless Grace Gems
by Samuel Davies, April 25, 1759
"Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God!" 1 Corinthians 1:22-24
If we would consider Christianity only as an improvement of natural religion, containing a complete system of morality, and prescribing a pure plan of worship - it would be a matter of the utmost importance, and worthy of universal acceptance. In the one view, it is necessary to inform the world in matters of sin and duty, and reform their wicked practices; and in the other, to put an end to that foolish and barbarous superstition which had over-run the earth, under the notion of religious worship. And these ends the Christian religion fully answers. Never was there such a finished system of morality, or such a spiritual and divine model of worship invented or revealed, as by the despised Galilean, and the twelve fishermen who received their instructions from him.
But this is not the principal excellency of the gospel; and did it carry its discoveries no farther, alas! it would be far from revealing a suitable religion for lost sinners. A religion for sinners must reveal a method of salvation for the lost, of pardon for the guilty, and of sanctifying grace for the weak and wicked. And, blessed be God! the gospel answers this end; and it is its peculiar excellency, that it does so. It is its peculiar excellency that it publishes a crucified Christ as an all-sufficient Savior to a guilty, perishing world. It is its glorious peculiarity that it reveals a method of salvation, in every way honorable to God and his government, and in every way suitable to our necessities. And that is - by the substitutionary sufferings and death of Christ, the Founder of this religion.
This is the ground, the substance, and marrow of the gospel; and it is this, above all other things, that its ministers ought to preach and inculcate. It should have the same place in their 'sermons' which it has in that gospel which it is, their business to preach; that is, it should be the foundation, the substance, the center, the drift of all. This was the practice of the most successful preacher of the gospel who ever bore that commission: I mean the apostle Paul. And in this he was not singular; his fellow apostles heartily concurred with him, "WE preach Christ crucified!"
The sufferings of Christ, which had a dreadful consummation in his crucifixion; their necessity, design, and consequences, and the way of salvation thereby opened for a guilty world - these are the principal materials of our preaching! To instruct mankind in these, is the great object of our ministry, and the unwearied labor of our lives. We might easily choose subjects more pleasing and popular; more fit to display our learning and abilities, and set us off as a witty preacher, or a fine orator; but our commission, as ministers of a crucified Jesus, binds us to the subject; and the necessity of the world peculiarly requires it!
Further, this was not the apostle's occasional practice, or a hasty wavering purpose; but he was determined upon it. "I determined," says he, "to know nothing while I was with you - except Jesus Christ and him crucified!" Corinthians 2:2. This theme, as it were, engrossed all his thoughts; he dwelt so much upon it, as if he had known nothing else - and as if nothing else had been worth knowing! Indeed, he openly avows such a neglect and contempt of all other knowledge, in comparison to this: "I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord!" Philippians 3:8.
The crucifixion of Christ, which was the most ignominious circumstance in the whole course of his abasement, was an object in which he gloried; and he is struck with horror at the thought of glorying in anything else! "God forbid," says he, "that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Galatians 6:14. In short, he looked upon the cross as the perfection of his character as a Christian and an apostle. He was a constant student, and a zealous, indefatigable preacher of the Cross of Christ! Christ Jesus, and that under the most ignominious circumstances possible, namely, as crucified, was the principal object of his study, and the substance of his preaching.
But though a crucified Jesus was of so much importance in a religion for sinners; though this doctrine was the substance of the gospel, and the principal object of the apostle's ministry; yet, as it was not the invention of human reason! Neither was it agreeable to the proud reasonings, or corrupt taste of the world. The preaching of the cross is, to those who perish, foolishness. However, there were some who had the same sentiment of it with Paul; even as many as were in the way of salvation. Unto us who are saved - it is the power of God, verse 18. To all who are saved - that weak and contemptible thing, the cross, was the brightest display of divine power to be found in the universe!
Mankind had had time enough to try what expedients their reason could find out, for the reformation and salvation of a degenerate and perishing world. The sages and philosophers of the heathen world had had a clear stage for many hundreds of years. But, alas! did any of them, amid all their boasted learning, succeed in the experiment? Or could they so much as find out a method in which sinners might be reconciled to their God? No! In this most significant point, they were either stupidly thoughtless, or all their searches issued in perplexity, or in the most absurd and impious contrivances.
"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world?" Let them appear and produce their schemes upon this head. But has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? verse 20. Yes, indeed! He has, by proposing a method most perfectly adapted to this end, which they not only never would have once thought of - but which, when revealed, their wisdom cannot relish. Their wisdom appears but folly, for in that some four thousand years which they had - they could not, in all that time, find out any successful expedient to amend and save it!
And now, if anything can be done at all, it is time for God to do it; and how strange, how unexpected, how mysterious was his expedient! and yet how glorious and effectual! "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe" verse 21. This was the contrivance for effecting what all the wisdom and learning of the world could never effect - the plain unadorned preaching of Christ crucified; which, both for the matter and manner of it, was counted foolishness by the perishing world. But how did the world bear this mortification of their intellectual pride? And what reception did this bounteous divine scheme meet with when revealed?
Alas! I am sorry to tell you: Though the prejudices of their background and education were different - they were unitedly set against the gospel. The JEWS had been educated in a religion established by a series of miracles; and therefore they were extravagant in their demands of this sort of evidence. Notwithstanding all the miracles Christ was working daily before their eyes, they were perpetually asking him, "What miracle will you show us?" Those who are resolved not to be convinced, will be always complaining of the lack of proof, and demanding more, to vindicate their infidelity.
As for the GREEKS, their prejudices were of another kind; it was even a proverb among them, that "miracles were for fools;" and therefore they did not desire that sort of evidence. But they seek after human wisdom. They had been accustomed to fine orations, strong reasoning, and a parade of learning; and these were the evidences they desired to recommend a religion to them. And finding the doctrine of Christ crucified had none of these embellishments, they despised and rejected it as foolishness and nonsense!
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