August 9
“And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision,
why do I still suffer persecution?
Then the offense of the cross has ceased.”
Galatians 5:11
What Paul is saying here is that if he were to preach the Judaic law he wouldn’t have persecution, he’d be accepted by the religious leaders. It’s the Cross that is an offense. He could easily escape persecution by simply following the status quo. He could preach any religious thing and be honored for it — EXCEPT preaching the Cross.
And so it is today. As long as you preach or teach commonly-held tenets of good works and charity and becoming a better person, you’ll be honored. Aren’t you wonderful for all the good things you do! But if you bring in the Cross of Christ with all that that means, you WILL be persecuted, because the Gospel IS an offense to all other religionists.
So why not just go along and follow the status quo, being careful not to offend anyone?
Because the Cross of Christ is God’s one and only provision for the salvation of mankind. It is exclusive, and that’s where the offense lies. Jesus said that there is NO OTHER way.
“Jesus said to him:
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
NO ONE comes to the Father EXCEPT through me.”
John 14:6
Choose ye this day whom you will serve: the tolerance and acceptance the masses demand, or the narrow and exclusive way of the only true God.
