Saturday, June 18, 2011

Which is more important?

In an Issues Etc. Blog of the Week Winning post below a fellow comments as follows:

"What do you think is more important than the Cross?"

The resurrection, maybe?


I responded there, but I thought I would write a bit more here. This is a common theme that comes up today - that we shouldn't focus so much on the Cross and Good Friday (what a downer!) - after all the big, big thing is Easter!

Well... here's the thing. What does Paul focus on? The Cross. For God shows His love for us in this; that while we were yet sinners Christ... *died* for us. Paul is determined to know nothing among us but Christ and Him... *Crucified*.

Even John - For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son - gave... where... how? Gave Him over to death -- that's a Crucifixion reference. Or when Jesus shows Himself even after the resurrection, what does He do? He points to His hands, His side - to the marks of His Crucifixion.

The Crucifixion is more important than can never be diminished to simply talk about the resurrection - the resurrection rests upon the Crucifixion. Without the Crucifixion, there can be no resurrection. The Crucifixion is what lets the Resurrection, which is indeed a great benefit to us, happen.

Or to think about it this way:

The Crucifixion is the battle.
The Resurrection is the victory parade.

I love the victory parade. The victory parade is a great and good thing - and it's going to go on forever. But the battle that brings victory is more important than thehas to come before the celebration and demonstration of that victory.

2 comments:

Mike Baker said...

Logical error: False dichotomy. Placing an either or choice where other answers exist.

How can the work of Christ be seperated and rated? That's like asking "Which is more important? Christ's active obedience or His passive obedience?"

...nonsense! Thank God for the completeness of His gracious work! It's "both/and". The same Paul that declares that he was determined to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified also states that if Christ is not raised your faith is in vain and you are still in your sins.

Christ's redemtive work does not end at the cross (as Paul clearly states). It even continues for us today, in the waters of baptism, in the Lord's Supper, and in the Word... and will only be completed on the Last Day.

Rev. Eric J Brown said...

It's not an either or, but one of logical order. The resurrection is built upon the crucifixion... and you can't just skip the Crucifixion to get to the resurrection.

But you are right - to say that the Crucifixion is "more" important is incorrect. And imprecise.