I’ve got to admit, I’ve heard the phrase “the power of the cross” so many times, sometimes it’s hard to truly feel it, right? You hear it when assembling with believers, you see it on bumper stickers, and you pass it in the hymnal book. It’s one of those things we just kind of nod to, thinking, “Yeah, I know the cross. I know what it means.” But do we tho? The Power of the Cross? Has it become as empty as how are you? What does it mean in the real, gritty context of our lives, in the chaos of our minds, in the mess of a broken world?
I realize I got to stop playing myself and really understand that the power of the Cross entails. It certainly isn’t just a fashionable symbol to be worn around our necks or adorned on the walls of our homes. It isn’t just a relic of ancient history. The power of the cross isn’t confined to 2,000 years ago. Nah, it’s present, living, and active in our lives TUHDAY. Love That Conquers is the very essence of Christ’s sacrifice: a love that overcame death, sin, and the enemy…AYYYYYYEEEEEEE
The Cross: Foolishness or Power?
In 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV), Paul writes: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Oh yes, that has to be repeated for the ones in the byke! Paul writes: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” To some, the cross is a foolish thing. How could something so gruesome, so humiliating, and so publicly shaming be the symbol of victory? How could death be the doorway to life? The world laughs at it, ridicules it, and calls it asinine.
But the ones who’ve been touched by the grace and forgiveness of Christ, it’s EVERYTHING. It’s the source of our strength, the hope of our salvation, the foundation for how we walk through the world.
The Cross: More Than a Symbol
Let me take you back to that moment, we are to remember every first day of the week (Acts 20:7 NIV and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NIV)). The moment when Jesus hung on that cross, battered, bruised, and alone. The moment when, with every drop of blood He shed, the entire world shifted.
Imagine the scene for a moment. The Savior of the world, crowned with thorns, hanging between two thieves, stripped of His clothes and humanity, mocked and ridiculed by those He came to save. To the world, this was a defeat. The Roman soldiers thought it was another execution, another man who wouldn’t cause any more problems. To the religious leaders, it was the end of the threat they felt Jesus had posed to their power.
But that wasn’t the end. No, baby. The cross wasn’t a defeat. It was a V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.
In Colossians 2:15, we’re told, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Jesus didn’t just die on that cross to save us from sin. He stripped the enemy of his power AND defeated death right in front of the world’s eyes. He turned what was meant to be a symbol of shame into the ultimate weapon of victory. Overcoming every lie, every accusation, every weapon the enemy had formed against humanity. And He did it on that cross.
The Cross: A Daily Reality
But here’s the plot twist we don’t always talk about: The power of the cross isn’t just something we celebrate on Easter. It’s not a one-time event. The cross isn’t just something Jesus did for us…it’s something we must live out every day.
Jesus didn’t just call us to admire the cross; He called us to take it up.
In Luke 9:23, He says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
The cross isn’t something we just look at or wear. It’s something we live.
This is where it gets real, y’all. The cross demands a response. It demands that we surrender our lives, just like He did. It demands that we lay down our pride, our selfishness, our agendas, and follow Him.
Living in the Power of the Cross
So how do we live in the power of the cross every day?
It starts with daily surrender. Laying down our will, our desires, and saying, “Lord, not my way, but Yours.” It means embracing weakness, putting our perfection-driven ways down and recognizing that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. It’s about choosing humility over pride, love over hate, and sacrifice over comfort.
Practical Application: Choose one area of your life where you can surrender daily. Is it in your relationships? Your career? Your personal struggles? Trust that the power of the cross is available to you in that space.
The Cross: A Reminder of Victory
Finally, remember that when the enemy tries to come against you, you’re not fighting from a place of defeat you’re fighting from a place of victory. The cross didn’t just save us, it made us victorious. And when you understand that, you can walk through this world with your head held high, knowing that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17 NIV).
The power of the cross isn’t a story from the past. It’s the power that’s alive in you. Every time you face temptation, fear, or doubt, the cross is there, reminding you that Jesus already won. And in Him, so have you.
The cross doesn’t just change our eternal destination; it changes the way we live today. It’s where the world’s definitions of strength and weakness collide, where love triumphs over hate, and where grace overcomes sin. So walk in that power today because the cross is still at work in you.
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All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV), unless otherwise noted.