The Cross Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1986. 224 pp. (paperback).
Only in the past year or so have I really seen the glory of what Christ did for me that day on that hill, and why it must have happened as it did. Sometimes (in the middle of the night, usually) that beauty overwhelms me and I can't help but praise him for his sacrifice. Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones helped me do that last night. This work is possibly the best work I have EVER read on the cross. Almost every page had me in tears and singing praises!
"...The apostle does not merely say that he preaches the cross and that he believes in it. He says, 'God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' So there is more here, and it is to something of this 'more' that I want to draw your attention to now.
'The word 'glory' at once tells us at once that the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the test of every one of us. It is the test of our profession of Christianity. It is the test of our church membership, indeed, of our whole position and profession. There is no more subtle test of our understanding than our attitude to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the cross passes judgment on us all, immediately and of necessity. You cannot remain neutral in the presence of the cross. It has always divided mankind and still does. And what the apostle says is that there are ultimately only two positions with respect to it. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is either an offense to us or else it is the thing above everything else in which we glory.
'My dear friends, there never can be a more important question than this: what does the cross do to you? Where do you find yourself as you think of it and face it? It is one of these two, it is either an offense or else you glory in it. Are we all clear about our position? Do we know exactly where we stand? There are some perhaps saying, 'Well quite certainly it is not an offense, to me, but I am afraid I cannot say I glory in it.' Well, my friend, you are in an impossible position. There are only two positions - offense or glory. As we value our immortal souls, let us examine the matter, let us look into it, let us see what the apostle has got to tell us here, and elsewhere in his writings, about these two positions, in order that we may know for sure."
pp. 41-42
1 comment:
Hey neighbor! I think Lloyd-Jones is one of the more underrated authors out there, at least in my circles. Over the past couple years I've referred often to his extensive commentary series on Ephesians and have learned a ton. I'm gonna put this on my to-read list.
Post a Comment