To preach Christ and him crucified is to keep the message simple and accessible.
“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Cor. 2:1-5)
What does it mean to know nothing but Christ and him crucified?
The “bare-bones” of the Scriptures are summed up in Christ’s person and work, which rescues us from sin and death. To preach Christ and him crucified is to keep the message simple and accessible.
We must stay focused on the essential elements of this message so we can take the “bare-bones” of the gospel to the world and even to the struggling Christian, who has been weighed down by confusing jargon or bad dogma. We can look to Paul as our example to avoid language that may feel inclusive of only a few select groups of people and to speak simply so that all can grasp what’s being said. Fortunately, we trust with Paul that the Holy Spirit works through God’s word “when and where he pleases,” which also means that faith is not merely an intellectual persuasion but the Holy Spirit's work as the gospel is proclaimed.
We know that Paul was not above being all things to all people (1 Cor. 9:22), but in the end, whatever he was to people, it was to proclaim the gospel, to preach Christ and him crucified to all. It didn't interest him to be known as a great speaker or philosopher, and he wasn’t concerned with having an attitude that was necessarily impressive or attractive. He wanted to present the truth in the best way possible to glorify Christ. He wanted the words to grasp hold of as many hearts and consciousnesses as possible, including those of scholar and regular person alike.
Speak honestly to others about who you are, who God is, and what he’s done for you through his Son.
I’ve been amazed in my own life to see Christ preached with one person in mind, only to have others in the crowd return later to seek to understand more. This reminds me that we don’t determine the growth of that seed planted. We have no idea where it takes root. The best thing we can do is to plant it indiscriminately and allow God to build upon it. This is not reserved only for the pastor or teacher. We all have a part to play in this. No one’s asking you to be the most eloquent speaker or make the most reasoned argument. Just speak honestly to others about who you are, who God is, and what he’s done for you through his Son. What is being asked of you is the same that is being asked of every broken vessel:
“Don’t hide your cracks.”
We are these broken, chipped, and cracked earthen vessels. Don’t hide it behind a veneer of tired old expressions that attempt to present a false picture of how great things are. Be honest about your struggles with sin, doubts, and fears. Enough of us know, whether we share it with anyone, that we struggle to be “good,” so let’s be honest about it. People aren’t going to gravitate to an idol of self that you’ve set up. What they’ll move towards is “me too,” and that’s because we all have some “me too” in us. We all have enough struggles as Christians, like the apostle Paul, who labels himself a chief of sinners. He also didn’t hide his ongoing struggles with sin as laid out in Romans. Paul has said, “Me too.” This has affected me deeply. As a preacher, to be able to say that and simultaneously proclaim you are still loved and forgiven is an awesome and gracious gift to the person who hears your words. Such a message can serve to remind hearers they haven’t done any unpardonable thing to be “too far gone” yet.
Paul knows these things as he shares Christ with the world. He knows his weaknesses, and he knows the weakness of a cross. A cross where people go to die. He knows that God uses both weaknesses to confound the mighty. He takes a cross and calls it a victory. He takes a sinful man and calls him a saint and righteous, even as he continues in his struggles. Paul continued in the faith not because all his sins and struggles were removed, but because Christ died for every one of them and reminded him of that continued rescue at the cross. The heart of the gospel is Christ’s atoning sacrifice at the cross. This is why the gospel is not something to leave behind, but a lens through which we view all Scripture. The groundwork for Christ and him crucified has been laid out in and through the Old Testament and is continually reaffirmed within the New Testament. Jesus reasoned on the road to Emmaus about all that the scriptures taught about him. The gospel, as laid out in all of scripture, is summed up in “Christ and him crucified.”
So here is the charge for you. Preach Christ and him crucified. Speak of it from the backdrop of your life as you love those around you. Speak of it with a straightforward understanding of sin, struggle, and continual rescue. Speak of it so others know the love of the Father as you tell them of the rescue he has given to all people, everywhere. Then, pray for them as they go on their way, and let God’s Spirit work with the flawed words we use and the humble, active care we give to those around us. Trust God’s will to be done.
Let’s keep it simple.
