The Cross & Salvation! Part Two…

Be Thankful for the Cross, But Move Forward in Faith!

The cross of Jesus Christ represents the greatest act of love ever demonstrated in human history. It is the foundation upon which our entire faith rests, the moment when God's perfect justice met His infinite mercy to provide salvation for all who would believe. We should indeed be eternally grateful for what occurred on Calvary—yet there exists a concerning tendency within the modern church to remain perpetually fixated on the cross and the salvation experience, never progressing beyond this foundational truth into the fullness of what God has called us to become.

The Nature of God's Love

To understand why we must move beyond constant emotional encounters at the cross, we must first grasp the true nature of God's love. Scripture reveals that God's love is not the fluctuating, emotion-based sentiment that characterises human affection. Rather, it is agape love—a deliberate, sacrificial, action-oriented commitment that transcends feelings.

John's first epistle provides the definitive expression of this divine love: "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16, KJV). Notice that God's love is perceived through action—specifically, the sacrificial death of Christ. This was not an emotional impulse but a predetermined plan: "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" (1 Peter 1:20, KJV).

Furthermore, Jesus Himself defined this love in terms of obedience and action: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15, KJV). God's agape love is demonstrated through covenant faithfulness, not emotional highs. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10, KJV).

The Emotional Trap

Many believers today confuse genuine spiritual experience with human emotional responses. Week after week, congregations gather seeking to "feel" God's presence through music, atmosphere, and repeated emphasis on their initial salvation. Whilst there is nothing inherently wrong with emotion in worship, problems arise when we mistake emotional stimulation for genuine encounter with the Holy Spirit.

Paul warned the Corinthian church about remaining in spiritual infancy: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able" (1 Corinthians 3:1-2, KJV). The constant return to the elementary teachings about salvation, whilst neglecting spiritual maturity, keeps believers in a perpetual state of infancy.

This emotional dependence on repeated salvation experiences creates what might be called a "spiritual comfort zone"—a place where believers feel safe in familiar territory but never venture into the challenging work of discipleship and service. James addresses this directly: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22, KJV). When we continuously rehearse our salvation without moving forward in obedience, we deceive ourselves into thinking we are progressing spiritually when, in fact, we remain stationary.

The Call to Move Forward

The writer of Hebrews makes a clarion call for believers to progress beyond the basics: "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God" (Hebrews 6:1, KJV). The word "leaving" doesn't mean abandoning or forgetting—rather, it means building upon. We don't demolish the foundation, but neither do we endlessly examine it whilst failing to construct the building.

Consider the analogy of a building. Once a solid foundation is laid, the builder doesn't spend years admiring the foundation or repeatedly verifying its existence. Instead, he builds upon it. Similarly, once we are established in the truth of our salvation, we must advance into the work God has prepared for us: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, KJV).

The Church's Stagnation

This constant return to the cross without progression has resulted in widespread stagnation within the church. Believers become consumers of spiritual experiences rather than contributors to God's kingdom work. They attend service after service, seeking another emotional encounter, another "touch from God," whilst the Great Commission remains largely unfulfilled.

Jesus commanded His followers: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20, KJV). This is an active commission requiring believers to move beyond their own spiritual comfort into the challenging work of evangelism and discipleship.

Paul exemplified this forward movement: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14, KJV). Whilst Paul never forgot his dramatic conversion experience, neither did he dwell perpetually upon it. Instead, he pressed forward into his apostolic calling.

True Spiritual Experience

Genuine encounter with God's presence is not characterised by emotional highs manufactured through repetitive music and atmospheric manipulation. Rather, it is marked by transformation, obedience, and power for service. Jesus promised, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, KJV).

The purpose of the Holy Spirit's presence is not primarily to make us feel good, but to empower us for witness and service. When believers gather seeking only emotional satisfaction rather than equipping for ministry, they miss the Spirit's primary purpose in their lives.

Remembrance Versus Dwelling

We are indeed commanded to remember what Christ has done for us. Jesus instituted communion specifically for this purpose: "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19, KJV). Remembrance is vital—but remembrance is not the same as perpetual dwelling.

We remember the cross to fuel our forward movement, not as an excuse for spiritual inertia. Paul boasted in the cross—"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14, KJV)—yet this same Paul travelled extensively, planted churches, wrote scripture, and suffered greatly for the advancement of the Gospel. His gratitude for the cross propelled him forward; it didn't hold him captive.

Moving into Maturity

Spiritual maturity requires that we build upon our salvation, developing the character of Christ and discovering our purpose within His body. "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:13-14, KJV).

God has equipped every believer with gifts for service: "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Corinthians 12:7, KJV). These gifts are not meant to remain dormant whilst we endlessly celebrate our salvation. Rather, they are tools for building God's kingdom and edifying His church.

Let us therefore be eternally grateful for the cross and the salvation it secured, remembering always the price paid for our redemption. But let us also heed the call to move forward, building upon that foundation, walking in obedience, and fulfilling the good works God has prepared for us. Only then will the church rise to become the powerful, transformative force in the world that God intended it to be…

The Conclusion to Parts One & Two…

From Gratitude to Action—Living Beyond the Cross!

The cross of Jesus Christ stands as the eternal monument to God's love and the unshakeable foundation of our faith. It is the place where justice and mercy embraced, where the debt of sin was paid in full, and where the door to eternal life was thrown open for all who would believe. We must never diminish the significance of Calvary or cease to marvel at the price paid for our redemption. As Paul declared, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, KJV).

However, as we have explored throughout these reflections, the Christian life is not meant to be an endless loop of emotional encounters with our initial salvation experience. God's love, demonstrated perfectly at the cross, is not a sentimental feeling requiring constant emotional validation—it is agape love, a covenant commitment expressed through sacrificial action and faithful obedience. This same love now calls us forward into the fullness of our purpose in Christ.

The modern church's tendency to remain perpetually at the cross, seeking repeated emotional highs rather than progressing into mature discipleship and active service, has resulted in widespread spiritual stagnation. Believers have become consumers rather than contributors, spectators rather than participants in the great work of the kingdom. Yet Scripture is clear: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10, KJV).

We honour the cross not by endlessly gazing upon it to the exclusion of obedience, but by building upon its foundation. We demonstrate our gratitude for salvation not merely through repeated emotional responses, but through transformed lives that bear fruit for God's glory. As James reminds us, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone" (James 2:17, KJV).

The writer of Hebrews urges us: "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God" (Hebrews 6:1, KJV). This is not a call to forget the cross, but to build upon it—to move from spiritual infancy into maturity, from constant introspection into active mission, from perpetual self-focus into selfless service.

Like Paul, we must press forward: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14, KJV). The cross is our entrance, not our dwelling place. Salvation is our beginning, not our entirety.

Let us therefore be eternally grateful for what Christ accomplished at Calvary. Let us regularly remember His sacrifice through communion as He commanded. Let us never cease to marvel at the grace that rescued us from darkness. But let us also arise from our place of comfortable meditation and step forward into the challenging, rewarding work of Kingdom service.

The world is waiting for a church that not only celebrates its salvation but demonstrates it through transformed lives, sacrificial love, and powerful witness. The Great Commission remains unfulfilled whilst believers remain perpetually at the cross. The fields are white unto harvest whilst labourers remain in the safety of familiar emotional territory.

Be thankful—deeply, eternally thankful—for the cross. But then, empowered by the Holy Spirit, equipped with spiritual gifts, and compelled by divine love, move forward in faith. Build upon the foundation. Fulfil your calling. Walk in the good works prepared for you. For in doing so, you truly honour the One who gave everything that you might not only be saved, but that you might live abundantly and purposefully for His glory.

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV).

Key Takeaways:

• The cross is the foundation, not the destination: Salvation through Christ's sacrifice is essential, but it's meant to be the starting point of our Christian journey, not the entirety of it.
• Emotional experiences versus spiritual maturity: Constantly seeking emotional highs keeps believers in spiritual infancy rather than progressing towards maturity and purpose.
• God's love is agape, not sentiment: Divine love is expressed through covenant commitment and action, not through feelings requiring constant validation.
• Gratitude must lead to obedience: True appreciation for salvation is demonstrated through transformed lives and active service, not merely repeated emotional responses.
• We are called to build upon the foundation: After establishing our faith in Christ, we must progress into the good works God has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10 KJV).
• The Great Commission requires forward movement: Evangelism and discipleship demand that we move beyond our spiritual comfort into active mission.
• Remembrance is not dwelling: We remember the cross to fuel our forward movement, not as an excuse for spiritual stagnation.
• Every believer is equipped for service: Spiritual gifts are given for building God's kingdom, not to remain dormant whilst we endlessly celebrate our salvation.
• The church must move from consumption to contribution: Believers are called to be active participants in kingdom work, not merely consumers of spiritual experiences.
• Pressing forward in faith: Following Paul's example, we honour the cross by building upon it and pressing towards our high calling in Christ Jesus.