Crucified or Not Crucified? The Reality of Being a Christian

With Easter just around the corner….like literally….it’s tomorrow! Goodness! Where does the time go? Anyway, back to the point. Easter is upon us and I can’t help but think about Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection and the two main depictions of Christ (Jesus) in the church (in regards to the cross). We usually see one of two things, either an image of Jesus hanging on the cross with a crown of thorns typically – or a bare cross and other more friendly images of Jesus with children, lambs, etc (not discrediting those by the way – love them!).

There is a general “understanding” that the reason why many Protestant churches have an empty cross is to signify Christ’s resurrection and that he is no longer on the cross. In many Catholic churches it is used as a representation and reminder of his sacrifice. I believe that both of these have merit. One does not triumph over the other in my mind – and here is why: both are equally and significantly true. Jesus sacrificed his life for us and died a horrible death and he also rose again and the cross and grave have no dominion over him.

Sometimes I wonder though – when so many of our churches remain with one depiction over the other (I realize this is not always the case) if we are in danger of forgetting the other aspect? In the Protestant church, have we over-sanitized the cross with bleach and polish so that we have forgotten the gruesome death Christ died for us because perhaps it would be too uncomfortable to regularly remember that he more than just rose from the dead – he died in the first place? Or in churches, generally Catholic, that represent Christ on the cross predominantly – is there a danger of “forgetting” that he really did rise again and is no longer on the cross? After all – our sins and his love for us brought him to that cross – but our sins – even generations of it – were not enough to keep him there – he did triumph over it. But both parts of that story are equally important – why he died and how he rose.

Some people have asked why I am interested in ministering in Italy. The question I get is – “Well aren’t most of them Christian?” My answer is this – no. Why? Because being a Christian is not about going to church or mass. It’s not about performing rituals. It’s not about good works. It’s not about if your family has always been a part of the church. It’s not about how much food you make for a potluck or how much money you give.

So what does it mean to be a Christian?

1. Being a Christian is about being broken and recognizing that the only one who can fix us is the one who made us in the first place. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).
2. Being a Christian is about realizing that there is absolutely nothing you can do to get into heaven on your own. It is recognizing that you are sinful. You are fallible. You are incomplete. “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:20-24). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:6-8).
3. Being a Christian means having a personal relationship with Christ. It is a knowledge that the only way to be saved is through him – the absolute only way. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). “Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:5-6).

So – here’s the deal – calling yourself a Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Catholic…etc…none of that makes you a Christian. What makes you a Christian is the relationship. You can be all of the above and be Christian – but a denomination won’t save you…by the way – have you ever paid attention to the word denomination? If you google the word denomination you will see two definitions, but the one we are looking at says: “a recognized autonomous branch of the Christian Church”.

So let’s think a minute…an autonomous branch… but….“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,  so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5). Sorry – that doesn’t sound autonomous to me. It does sound like we are all different – but certainly not autonomous – nor should we try to be.

  So to clarify…why Italy? Is it because I think Protestants are better than Catholics and that Catholics aren’t Christians? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Why? One does not trump the other because being a member of a denomination has nothing to do with faith. There are Christian Protestants and Christian Catholics – but they are not mutually exclusive. As I have mentioned – Christianity is about relationship – THAT IS IT. And when less than 2% of Italians claim to have a personal relationship with Christ…in a country where images of Christ and cathedrals are everywhere and the Vatican sits…there is a tragic disconnect.

   Every nation, every individual needs Christ…but I can’t reach them all personally. Italy is where I feel called at the moment and there is definitely a need. So there you have it.

Matthew 28:19-20

“’Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Oops…if you’ve made it this far…are you still wondering about the title? “Crucified or Not Crucified?” I’ll leave you a couple more verses to think on…and well…why don’t you tell me what you think it means?

Galatians 2:20-21

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”

Colossians 2:9-16

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Romans 4:22-25

(Referring to Abraham and his hope that God would do what he promised – start at verse 18)

“This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’ The words ‘it was credited to him’ were written not for him alone,  but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Photo credit: Crucifix, Cross and sunset, Cathedral/Church, Road to Emmaeus, Crown of Thorns, Empty Tomb, Christ exiting tomb