The Cross Our Glory

The Cross Our Glory

The feast of the Holy Cross on September 14 commemorates the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem in 326 AD. But the deeper meaning of the feast is theological: the cross, which was an instrument of shameful execution, has been transformed into the symbol of ultimate victory and love. Isaac Watts wrote what may be the greatest English hymn: 'When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride.' The cross demotes everything else. Nothing competes with it in the economy of glory.

Paul's declaration in Galatians 6:14 is radical in any culture: 'I will boast only in the cross.' In the first century, the cross was not a beautiful symbol — it was a method of public execution for the lowest criminals. To boast in it was to claim glory in what everyone else considered shame. But Paul's reversal is complete: through the cross, the world that once defined values and honor has been 'crucified' to him — it no longer has power over him. And he to the world — he no longer cares about worldly honor. The cross kills the approval of the world. For the person who has genuinely understood and received the cross, no other boast is necessary or appropriate. What are you boasting in today?