A Rich Gospel History!! A Rich Gospel Future?? Revisiting the Cross Centered Life

Introduction

Over the past few months, I’ve posted a series of articles that shaped our understanding of Biblical counseling, with more to come.  In the next two months, starting with this article, I will be highlighting books that shaped two of our shared values: complementarianism and gospel-centeredness - C.J. Mahaney’s The Cross Centered Life and Carolyn Mahaney’s Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of A Godly Wife and Mother.

Part of my motivation for reintroducing some of this older material has to do with the fact that I have only a few more months to serve as Director of Church Development, and there are certain things I want to make sure to leave behind.  I’m not indulging in a nostalgic longing for the past or a desire to return to “the good old days.”  Rather I have a sincere desire to make sure that those who have been around for a while don’t lose touch with this material and that those who are newer and those yet to come will benefit from these invaluable pieces of our history.

Boxing experts like to debate the greatest “pound for pound” fighter in history.  Such debates enable them to have a way to compare heavyweights, middleweights, and lightweights and rank their relative prowess.  There are longer books on the cross and related topics, but “pound for pound” The Cross Centered Life is, in my ranking,  the champ!!!  Its easy one-hour read provides life-altering content. 

Content

I decided the best way to introduce or reintroduce The Cross Centered Life (TCCL) is to write a brief summary of each chapter and, in most cases,  to include one or two of the more impactful quotes to hopefully whet your appetite for it all.

Chapter 1 – Restating the Obvious

There is a modern temptation, which none of us are exempt from, to want something new and different.  Given that, the wise message of TCCL is “Guard the one truth.  Keep the one message.”

When Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “for I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified,” he didn’t at all mean that he talked about nothing else, only that he was determined to relate the message of the cross to every other doctrine or practice he preached. 

JERRY BRIDGES (p.15) “The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history.  Yet we allow thousands of professing Christians to live their entire lives without clearly understanding it and experiencing the joy of living in it.” 

Chapter 2 – What’s Your Life Centered On? 

1 Corinthians 15:3 “For I delivered to  you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accord with the Scriptures.”

C.J. asks this important question:  What is of first importance, the main thing, in your life?  He then introduces the topics that tend to draw our hearts away from the gospel and uses the next three chapters to unpack them for us.

D.A. CARSON (p. 22) “I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight.” 

Chapter 3 – Breaking The Rules of Legalism – How the Cross Rescues You from the Performance Trap

Legalism is always a problem because the fallen human heart always leans toward performance as a way to relate to and receive from God.  It’s one of the reasons why every religion except Christianity is rooted in what the believer must do or not do in order to be blessed by their “god.”  Remaining sin still tilts our hearts that way.

CJ defines and illustrates legalism in helpful ways.  Then he skillfully explains the relationship between and the distinction of justification and sanctification in ways that equips us to avoid legalism while still passionately pursuing holiness.

SINCLAIR FERGUSON (p. 34) “Our greatest temptation and mistake, is to try to smuggle character into God’s work of grace.”

Chapter 4 – Unloading Condemnation: How the Cross Removes Guilt and Shame

Romans 8:1  “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  So why do so many Christians live condemned or at least with constant low-grade guilt?

C.J. shows us how rather than trying to forget about or run from sin and self-examination, the cross allows us to face our sin squarely yet without condemnation, knowing that our sins have been through the cross fully forgiven.

Chapter 5 – What You Feel vs. What Is Real: Basing Your Faith in Christ’s Finished Work at the Cross

 In this chapter, C.J. tackles the problem of subjectivism.  His simple yet profound solution paraphrasing D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones is “don’t listen to yourself; talk to yourself!” about the cross.

KNOX CHAMBLIN  (p. 51)  The purpose of the gospel is to “proclaim saving events, and its events remain completely unaffected by whatever is agitating our emotions.  The gospel is objective.” 

Chapter 6 – The Cross Centered Day: Practical Ways to Center Every Day around the Cross

It is all too possible for the cross to be central theologically but not functionally.  In other words, you might think rightly about the cross but not live rightly because of the cross.

C.J.’s response?  “A cross-centered life is made up of cross-centered days.”  This chapter is filled with practical ways to do just that, beginning with Jerry Bridges’ oft-quoted – “preaching the gospel to yourself” and doing it daily. 

JOHN STOTT (p.55)  “The cross is the blazing fire at which the flame of our love is kindled, but we have to get near enough to it for its sparks to fall on us.” 

Chapter 7 – Never Move On: Put This Book on a Shelf, but Not Its Message!

Here you are challenged to ask yourself – have I moved on from the cross?

C.J. helpfully unpacks some of the “but what about” questions that, if not properly answered, can make those “what abouts” seem to be in competition with cross centeredness.  Such questions include topics like studying the Old Testament or some aspect of systematic theology;  or important aspects of gospel life like prayer, holiness, relationships, and suffering. 

DAVID PRIOR (p. 74) “We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.”

So What Now?

Let me make a few simple suggestions.

1. Make it a regular read for yourself.  I picked TCCL off my shelf because I wanted to look at it for another article I was writing.  Looking at it, I thought, “What a treasure this book is and what a dope I am for having it sitting on my shelf gathering dust instead of regularly reviewing and being refreshed by it.”

   In his endorsement, Jerry Bridges writes, “This is a book to be read and reread many times. Its message will never grow old or out of date.”  I wholeheartedly endorse that endorsement.

2. Introduce it to new members.  This book is an invaluable resource for new people to begin to understand what is most important to your local church.  I know of no better way to answer the question “What is this church all about?” than by starting here.  This isn’t all we are about, but there is nothing that we should be more about than this.

   You could give it as a gift to visitors. Some churches still give a CD song sampler, which is fine, but that doesn’t even come close to explaining ourselves to visitors as TCCL does.  If this is cost-prohibitive, I suggest giving this to people who are in your new members class.

3. Introduce or reintroduce it to current members.  Feature it in your bookstore or book table and make a special announcement about it.  Give it to fathers on Father’s Day as a way to get it into families’ hands and at the same time give it to anyone who has parents (oh yea, that’s everyone!!) but is single or a single parent.  Maybe feature it in a church book study.  Make it part of your discipleship curriculum.  These are simply ideas I came up with off the top of my head, and I’m sure you can think of many others.

Also, use it as a resource for Biblical counseling.  The three problems of legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism come up in a high percentage of counseling situations.  Every counselor should be asking, “how does the gospel relate to this problem.”  This book will point to answers.

C.J. finishes by quoting Martin Luther: “I feel as if Jesus had died only yesterday.”  Then he adds his own final thoughts: “May the reality of Christ’s death for you be that near your heart….May your every day be lived by His grace alone.  May you know the joy and peace of the cross centered life.”   In that final sentence, he both captures his heart in writing TCCL and my prayer for this article for both old, new, and future members of Sovereign Grace Churches.

TCCL in paperback can be purchased from SGC. Please email Karen Ballinger at - karen.ballinger@sovereigngrace.com - for more information.