Should the church really attempt to redefine itself so as to accommodate the fickle opinions and fragile feelings of unbelievers who are at enmity with God? According to the Barnas, Kinnamans and Lyons of our world, we should, despite the fact that the Bible teaches:

• Unbelievers have “foolish” and "darkened hearts" (Romans 1:21)
• Unbelievers are "blinded by the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4)
• Unbelievers are "bound by the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2)
• Unbelievers see "the Gospel" and "spiritual things” as “foolishness,” because they "are perishing" and "without spiritual understanding" (1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14).

According to the Barnas, Kinnamans and Lyons of our world, the church must come up with a way to spoon-feed a palatable Gospel to a world at enmity with God without offending the sensitive feelings of thin-skinned sinners. Yet, the Apostle Paul taught that the preaching of the cross was an inevitable "offense" to everyone refusing to embrace it (Galatians 5:11). Furthermore, Paul taught that all who faithfully preach an unadulterated cross will suffer persecution and estrangement from this fallen world (Galatians 6:12-14).

THE VULGARITY OF THE BLOOD

Why is the cross unavoidably offensive to the world? To begin with, there is the vulgarity of the blood. The Bible has been called a bloody book and Christianity a bloody religion. Someone has insightfully quipped, "You can cut the Bible anywhere and it will bleed with the blood of the Lamb." Indeed it will!

Why all this emphasis on blood, something so repulsive to the world. The answer lies in the scriptural truth that "without the shedding of blood" there can be no forgiveness for our sins (Hebrews 9:22). Why blood? The Bible teaches that "life is in the blood" and that "the wages of sin is death" (Leviticus 17:11; Romans 6:23). This means that for every sin ever committed someone must surely die; that is, someone's blood (life) must be poured out.

God is a just God; consequently, He cannot allow one sin to slip by unpunished. God cannot wink at our sins. All sin must be punished, lest God cease to be just. Therefore, the only hope we have of God's forgiveness of our sins is if someone should dare to die in our place and pour out their blood in place of ours.

To qualify as our sin substitute, one must be both like us (a man) and nothing like us (sinless). He can't be man's substitute if he himself is not a man. Neither can he die for man's sins if he himself is a sinner, since all sinners are condemned to death for their own sins. This explains the miracle of the Incarnation, why God became a man in the man Christ Jesus. Only by becoming a man and living a sinless life could God substitute Himself for mankind and pour out His blood in place of ours upon the cross of Calvary.

This is the incredible message of the cross. It is the greatest love story ever told. It is the riveting tale of God's incomprehensible love for fallen humanity. The story of divine love so great that the Almighty Himself invaded our world in a mortal body so that He could die in our place on the cross of Calvary! On Calvary's rugged cross, Christ did for us what none of us could have ever done for ourselves. As a result, our sins can be forgiven and we can be reconciled to God simply by believing in the sufficiency of Christ's substitutionary work for us upon the cross.

To prove how utterly blind today's world is to the things of the Spirit of God, consider the fact that much of today's world condemns the preaching of the cross as "hatespeech" and all who preach it as "hatemongers." How blind is a heart that views the bloody and bruised figure of Christ on the tree as an intolerant message perpetrating trouble in today's politically correct world? Furthermore, how blind is the church when it begins trying to clean up and sanitize the message of the cross so as to make it inoffensive to a cross-spurning, spiritually blind and fallen planet?

Remember the words of our Redeemer, "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:14). Is today's church not being ditched by church growth gurus like George Barna, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons?

THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN

A second reason the cross is unavoidably offensive to the world is its exposure of human depravity. If anyone doubts the dark heart of man, all he has to do to remove all doubt is look at the bruised and bloody figure of Christ on the cross. It was the “desperately wicked” heart of man that condemned the sinless Christ to the tree (Jeremiah 17:9).

In addition to the unspeakable crime of the crucifixion, man’s depravity is also clearly seen in the necessity of it. Mankind is so hopelessly and helplessly undone that there is nothing we can do to deliver ourselves from our spiritual degeneracy. Thus, Christ had to come and do it all for us, because we could do none of it for ourselves. Now that Christ has done everything that needed to be done for our salvation, all that remains for us to do is swallow our pride, come to Christ humbly on our knees and reach out by faith and accept from Him a nail-scarred handout—“the gift of God [which] is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

It is easy to see from the above why the preaching of the cross is offensive to men who insist upon believing in their own innate goodness. Mankind is so convinced of its own goodness that it believes itself capable of producing a paradisiacal planet, as well as earning for itself God’s acceptance. Thus, the preaching of the cross is an obstacle to man’s illusive one world government and universal religion. It is out of step with today’s politically correct parade, which sees itself marching to some storybook Shangri-La. Is there any wonder, therefore, that the Christian faith stays in the sights of today’s trigger-happy Utopians?

Sinners spurn the very idea of their need of a Savior. It is insulting to them. It speaks to them of their sinfulness and utter inability to save themselves. It teaches them the painful truth that they will never be good enough or do enough good to earn God’s acceptance. To a world determined to believe that “I’m okay and your okay,” the cross is both inexplicable and inescapable. Every sanctimonious sinner in a spiritually hoodwinked world finds himself under its haunting and intolerable shadow.

How do we explain contemporary society’s peculiar and militant hostility toward the Christian faith. Is it not found in the fact that Christianity, unlike every other religious faith in the world, teaches man’s need of a Savior and inability to save himself? According to the message of the cross, salvation is not to be had on the basis of our goodness, but only on the basis of God’s grace. It has nothing to do with who we are or with what we have done, but everything to do with who Christ is and with what He has done for us.

I believe all of this serves as proof positive that the Christian faith is the one and only true faith in all of the world. Unlike all other faiths, it cannot possibly be the invention of the prideful, unregenerate heart of man. No man would have ever imagined so unflattering a faith. Neither would any man ever turn to such an unflattering faith apart from the miracle of regeneration, no matter how well it is marketed or pitched.

THE DENIAL OF SELF 

Another reason the cross is unavoidably offensive to the world is its call for self-denial. While the world believes that the cure-all for all human ills is found in self-esteem, the cross calls for self-denial. Jesus said, "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it" (Mark 8:34-35).

Contrary to popular opinion, there is no such thing as a crossless Christian or a crossless Christianity. You cannot follow Christ without shouldering the cross, and you cannot shoulder the cross as long as you refuse to let go of your personal bill of rights. The cross means death; death to self. It means dying to your will so that you can live your life in fulfillment of Christ's will. It means what you want no longer matters; all that matters to you now is what Christ wants.

Obviously, the cross is an intolerable offense to today's narcissistic world. That today's world is populated by narcissists is proven by the phenomenal growth of social media, especially social networking services like Facebook, with its 850 million active users. Many of these users actually believe that the world is breathlessly waiting for the latest update on their everyday activities. In their minds, the world itself is centered around their lives and so captivated by every detail that it has hit their Facebook wall, been stopped dead in its tracks, and just sits there anxiously waiting for their next posting.

It's easy to see how the cross is offensive to today's self-absorbed plebeians, who perceive it as a wrecking ball to their Facebook wall. The cross cries out that it is not about us, but it's about Christ. He is the one who matters; consequently, we should be willing to forget about ourselves and lay down our lives for Him and the Gospel. What could be more insulting to a world enamored with itself than the message of forsaking oneself for another, even if the other happens to be one who forsook the portals of glory to don a mortal robe for our salvation?

It is only those who are wiling to take up the cross and deny themselves who can be Christ's disciples. Such a stringent demand makes discipleship an implausible proposition to the self-obsessed. Therefore, many contemporary pews and pulpits are populated by those who argue for the church's lowering of Christ's demands. By doing so, these compromisers of the cross erroneously believe that they are lowering for the egomaniac the hurdles he must hop in order to enter into the Kingdom of God. What they are really doing, however, is peddling a soft-soap gospel incapable of washing away anyone's sins.

When the rich young ruler refused to meet Christ's demands, Christ stood by silently while he walked away (Mark 10:17-27). Christ was unwilling to lower His standards or to add a wealthy tither to His disciples by making him a special deal. Christ's silence on this occasion may be one of the most powerful messages He ever preached.

Unlike Christ, many within the contemporary church refuse to remain silent when a cross-spurning narcissist turns up his nose at the demands of discipleship. Instead, they run after him shouting, "Let's make a deal!" It is as though they see themselves as some kind of spiritual "Monty Hall" and believe that disciples can be made at bargain prices. Though it is true that cheap disciples of ourselves can be made at little or no cost to themselves, true disciples of Christ must count and pay the full demanded cost, lest they eventually prove themselves unwilling to finish what they superficially started (Luke 14:26-33).

I've always found it intriguing that the Apostle Paul begins his description of the "perilous times" of the "last days" with the fact that "men shall be lovers of their own selves" (2 Timothy 3:1-2). Has self-love not been our problem ever since the Fall? Oh, I know today's psychologist says our problem is we don't love ourselves enough, but the Bible plainly teaches that our problem is the exact opposite—we love ourselves too much. Still, why would Paul single out this perennial problem and place it at the top of the list of end time perils?

When compared with yesterday, what is different about man's infatuation with himself today? Could it be that self-love is now being peddled as the cure-all for all human ills? Rather than seen as the problem, today it is prescribed as the solution. How perilous will the times become when the poison is being swilled down as the antidote by the world's deceived masses?

The cross alone stands against the tide of this end time delusion. It serves in these "last days" as a stake through the hearts of all lovers of themselves. It is therefore unavoidably offensive and utterly intolerable to all who adore themselves supremely and bow in self-adulation at their own clay feet.

THE EXCLUSIVITY OF HEAVEN

A final reason why the cross is unavoidably offensive to our world is its thunderous declaration of the exclusivity of Heaven. As the old hymn, The Way of the Cross Leads Home, clearly declares:

I must needs go home by the way of the cross,

There’s no other way but this;

I shall ne’er get sight of the gates of light,

If the way of the cross I miss.

I must needs go on in the blood sprinkled way,

The path that the Savior trod,

If I ever climb to the heights sublime,

Where the soul is at home with God.

Then I bid farewell to the way of the world,

To walk in it never more;

For the Lord says, “Come,” and I seek my home,

Where He waits at the open door.

The way of the cross leads home,

The way of the cross leads home,

It is sweet to know as I onward go,

The way of the cross leads home.

This unmistakable message of the cross is horribly offensive to the adherents of all other religions, as well as to the incredibly growing number of "make-believers"; that is, those who make up their own faith and insist upon reconciliation with God on their own personal terms. The cross plainly and unapologetically states that all other faiths, whether they are traditional or personally tailored, are false. Furthermore, all who adhere to them are spiritually deceived and on the road to destruction.

The only path to our reconciliation with God, as well as God's only provision for our salvation, is faith in the sufficiency of the atoning work of God’s sacrificed Son. It is the crucified Christ alone who stands as the hope and Savior of the world!

• "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." (Isaiah 43:11)

• "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:17-18)

• "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)

• "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)

• "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

• "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (1 John 5:12)

• "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9)

The Bible doesn't mince words when it comes to the "certain judgment" and "fiery indignation" of God that awaits all who spurn the gift of His love (Hebrews 10:27). According to the Bible, all who reject God's Son, Jesus Christ, have "trodden" His sacred blood—"the blood of the covenant" shed by Him on the cross of Calvary—"under their feet" as though it was "an unholy thing" (Hebrews 10:29). Furthermore, they have "done despite unto the Spirit of “grace.” Therefore, all unbelievers have no prospect for eternity apart from a "fearful" one; namely, "falling into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:30).

Most people today fail to understand that unbelief is the supreme sin. Indeed, it is the sin from which all other sins spring, as the Bible says, “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). All sin boils down to man's failure to believe God. Far from being benign, as the vast majority of today's world believes, man's refusal to believe in Christ is most malignant. It is the cause of our fallen world's terminal condition and the one incurable infirmity of men's immortal souls.

As the Bible clearly teaches, failure to believe in Christ is an unpardonable offense against God. It is the trampling of Christ's sacred blood under your feet as though it was unnecessarily shed on the cross of Calvary for your salvation. It is you saying to Christ: "You shouldn't have done it, because I don't need it. I don't need a Savior; I can take care of myself." In addition, it is you turning your nose up at the Holy Spirit's offer of God's grace. It is you arrogantly insisting upon the sufficiency of your own goodness and the needlessness of God's grace, not to mention the untruthfulness of God's Word (1 John 5:10). Is there any wonder that the Scripture guarantees divine and unmerciful indignation to all who are guilty of such unbelief-spawning human hubris?

In one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated" (Romans 9:13). Many misinterpret this verse as some kind of divine discrimination between the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. This verse is not speaking about a personal hatred of Esau nor anything that was necessarily lovable about his swindler of a brother. What it is speaking about is Esau's despising of his birthright—he swapped it for a bowl of beans—and Jacob's determinedness to obtain it (Genesis 25:29-34).

The birthright put one in the ancestry of the coming promised Messiah. As far as Esau was concerned, he couldn't care less whether the Messiah came or not, seeing no personal need for a Savior. Jacob, on the other hand, knew that the Messiah's coming was his only hope of salvation. He may have been a deplorable character, but he had this one redeeming virtue, he knew that a sinner like him was in desperate need of a Savior, having no hope of ever saving himself. It is this that God loves, and this alone that leads the Jacobs (believers) of our world home! All else is hated by God, and assures the Esaus (unbelievers) of our world of the certain, fiery and unmerciful indignation of God!