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ravenmolehil
Member



Joined: 2006/11/10
Posts: 279
North Carolina, US

 Scandal of the gospel?

“Scandal of the gospel”
I have heard this phrase a few times and couldn’t find it in my concordance, does anyone know which verse(s) this comes from??
& Feel free to elaborate

Thanks

 2007/6/6 8:27Profile
enid
Member



Joined: 2006/5/22
Posts: 2680
Nottingham, England

 Re: Scandal of the gospel?

To be honest, I haven't a clue about what that phrase means, but here are a few scriptures that could possibly be useful.

Philippians 1v15, 'Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some from goodwill.

Verses 16-19 continues to give the reasons why they preach Christ, some not sincerely, and Paul rejoices that Christ is still preached.

Also, in 2 Corinthians 2v17 it says, 'For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God, as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

I would consider it a scandal to preach the word of God for money. That simply is evil.

Still, I don't know if I am anywhere near what the scandal of the gospel actually is.

Others will help.

God bless.

 2007/6/6 9:53Profile
ravenmolehil
Member



Joined: 2006/11/10
Posts: 279
North Carolina, US

 Re:

The context seems to be used similar to: "the offence of the gospel" not as an evil, but as an opposition to the religious systems of the world etc..
(I think Paul Washer actually explains this but I can't remember which sermon.)

Thanks for your reply Enid,
Anyone else care to weight-in???

 2007/6/6 10:39Profile
Here4Him
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Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Re:


1 Cor 1:18

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

1 Cor 1:23-25

"We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

The 'scandol of the gospel' is the cross of Jesus Christ. The gospel lifts forward a beaten, bloody, crucified man as the only hope of salvation for the human race. To the unregenerate mind, this sounds like completely foolish and very offensive, but to us who are saved it is our glory, our love and our only rejoicing.

Praise God for the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, and lets continue to preach it uncompromisingly!


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George Platt

 2007/6/6 11:31Profile
ravenmolehil
Member



Joined: 2006/11/10
Posts: 279
North Carolina, US

 Re:

THANK YOU Here4Him;

Quote:

Here4Him wrote:

1 Cor 1:18

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

1 Cor 1:23-25

a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,




THANKS "stumbling block" was the word that I was looking for
and when I googled them,

((((The Greek word for 'stumbling block' is skandalon, from which we get the English word 'scandal'. What is the 'scandal' of the gospel?
(How was the message of Christ and his atoning death a stumbling block, or scandal, to the Jews?)

4625. skandalon skan'-dal-on ("scandal;" probably from a derivative of 2578; a trap-stick (bent sapling), i.e. snare (figuratively, cause of displeasure or sin):--occasion to fall (of stumbling), offence, thing that offends, stumblingblock.))))

 2007/6/6 11:47Profile
Tears_of_joy
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Joined: 2003/10/30
Posts: 1554


 Re: Scandal of the gospel?

Here is other verse in that context:

Romans 9:33
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

 2007/6/6 11:49Profile
ADisciple
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Joined: 2007/2/3
Posts: 835
Alberta, Canada

 Re:

In the Scripture Here4Him quoted (1 Cor. 1.23) "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumblingblock and to the Greeks foolishness..." the word "stumblingblock" in in the Greek, "scandalon."

A "scandalon" according to Vine was literally a trap, or snare, and was used metaphorically of something that was an offence, or cause of stumbling.

The scandalon could be some evil thing, as in Mt. 13.41, 16.23, Rev. 2.14.

But the cross of Christ is spoken of as a "scandalon," a snare, a trap, a stumblingblock, a thing that causes those who refuse it to fall and be taken.

"And I, brethren, if I yet preached circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence (scandalon) of the cross ceased" (Gal. 5.11).

"As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence (scandalon): and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Rom. 9.33).

Throughout history there have always been a people in the earth who set their faces as a flint to walk in the way of the Cross, and because of this, have been an offence, a stumblingblock, a scandal, to those in the world or in the worldly church who tried to serve God on something other (or less) than the grace of resurrection ground.

Someone somewhere recently posted on this site an article by A.W. Tozer called, "The Old Cross and the New." The true cross (the old cross) will always make us a "scandal" to those around us.

So the gospel of the cross of Christ is truly a "scandal." Let us not be ashamed of it. Of His cross. Of OUR cross. There's so much of the other kind around these days, isn't there. Another "scandal" in the Church that makes us hang our heads in shame because the Name our our Lord Jesus Christ has been defiled again.

Let us determine to be a different kind of scandal in the earth! And be not ashamed of HIM!

AD


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Allan Halton

 2007/6/6 12:26Profile
Here4Him
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Joined: 2006/9/23
Posts: 212
England

 Re:

Interesting stuff, i've certainly learned something today!

This thread reminds me of a sermon worth listening to:

'And They Crucified Him' by Art Katz

He talks much of the scandol and offense of the cross


_________________
George Platt

 2007/6/6 14:50Profile









 Re: The scandal of the gospel


AD brought up this verse,

Quote:
"And I, brethren, if I yet preached circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence (scandalon) of the cross ceased" (Gal. 5.11).

which I read today with new understanding (I believe). I hope you see what I now see.

First, I've made more sense of Galatians this time than ever. I was aware it was about the relationship of believers to the Spirit, but I didn't get where circumcision came in. This becomes more clear from near the beginning in 'but Titus was not compelled to be circumcised', which implied to me that it may have been a practice in the early church, to circumcise non-Jews when they came to faith. However, Paul is most distressed if this should be interpreted by some, as a return to 'the law', and it makes him all the more adamant that there is [i]nothing[/i] in the law which has to be kept, to assist our salvation through faith.

The concept of an uncircumcsied heart (I was amazed to find, the last time I read Deuteronomy), first appears here:

Deuteronomy 10:16
"Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.

Therefore, Paul's discussion about physical circumcision is, in his mind, to be set against the spiritual circumcision of the heart which God had [i]always[/i] desired of Israel. This is (also) something about Rom 2:29, in terms of finding God's approval.

Tied in with the necessity of faith to be pleasing to Him, is also the need for repentance, which is the solution to being 'stiff-necked', as the 'stone' picture here proclaims:

Matthew 21:44
"[u]And whoever falls on this stone[/u] will be broken; [u]but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder[/u]."

The necessary attitude of faith is completely opposite to the one of self-sufficiency supplied by law-keeping (a works-based salvation), because the latter inherently implies that man can attain righteousness by his own efforts. Any implication to the contrary - that a Man had to [i]die[/i] because there was no other adequate atonement - underlines the [u]in[/u]adequacy of man's [u]best[/u] effort.

The subtle message contained in that truth - of just how [u]bad [/u]sin [u]is[/u] - really does offend people, who would otherwise have to acknowledge their part in that death, in order to benefit from it. Their pride is challeneged, when asked to transfer their faith to the 'effort' of Another, rather than trusting their own (effort). Such a loss of face is, for some, [i]unthinkable[/i].

This is the 'scandal' of the gospel - of the cross.

Jesus Himself exercised faith - not only in doing only what His Father showed Him, or spoke to Him, but that He could submit to death, and God would give Him back His life. (John 10:18)

In other words, Jesus Himself was circumcised in heart that He should receive praise of God, in whom He had trusted.

Mark 9:7
And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"


1 Corinthians 10
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that
all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for [i]their bodies[/i] were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as [i]were[/i] some of them.


I did not have these last verses in mind, until I saw the word 'cloud' in Mark.

Mark 10
38 But Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"
39 They said to Him, "We are able."

So Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;

Romans 6:5
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be [i]in the likeness[/i] of [i]His[/i] resurrection,



Here, we see just how far the 'scandal' of the gospel might take us.




 2007/6/6 22:56
ADisciple
Member



Joined: 2007/2/3
Posts: 835
Alberta, Canada

 Re:

Quote:

ravenmolehil wrote:
(How was the message of Christ and his atoning death a stumbling block, or scandal, to the Jews?)





I meant to respond to this question earlier, but Dorcas has already answered it well.

I'll just add this. There is no greater scandal than true circumcision, the circumcision of the Cross.

The Jews of old (and, sad to say, many Christians even today) made their boast in the Law, that is, in their own works, in their own innate ability (as they supposed) to attain to righteousness. And circumcision (although first given to Abraham) ...because it was later commanded under Moses (EDIT, add ref. Lev. 12.3) in time came to represent the keeping of the Law. It was the one thing that to the Jews embodied the whole Law of Moses. Somehow they became blinded to the truth that outward circumcison is simply a type of the cutting off of the flesh.

However, the TRUE circumcision is a heart matter, as Dorcas has shown. "For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2. 28,29).

(And so-- and history has shown it-- there is nothing, no one, more reproached and scandalized and hated and misunderstood and abhorred and persecuted and maligned in the earth... than a true Jew. A true Christian, that is, who is walking in the Way of the Cross.)

Circumcision is a heart thing. The letter of the Law doesn't fulfill it. It was first given as a sign to Abraham. And to Abraham it signified not his own works of righteousness, not the righteousness of Law, but the righteousness of FAITH. "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised..." (Rom. 4.11) In other words, when God made covenant with Abraham (which covenant foreshadowed the coming New Covenant) He said, Abraham, I am going to do this, and this, and this... And you, Abraham, your part of the covenant is this: "Every man child among you shall be circumcised" (Gen. 17.10). In other words, the only part you have to play in this covenant is to submit to the cutting off of all that you are by nature; nothing you can do can contribute to the fulfilling of this covenant, except your faith, your rest, in Me and in MY work.

But somehow over time this truth was lost, and as I said, came to represent exactly the opposite to the Jews.

"And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (Acts 15.1).

The Apostle Paul saw this teaching was deeply flawed, it completely maligned the Cross of Christ. He suffered great persecution at the hands of the Jews he loved, because he sought to minister to them "the gospel of the grace of God." As far as they were concerned he was defiling their beloved Law; it was a gigantic stumblingblock to them, a heinous scandal... to be told circumcision meant nothing, circumcision (to them, the keeping of the Law) could not save a man.

Paul, if he had only been willing to compromise a little, could have saved himself a lot of persecution. Can't you give man, his own efforts, his own works, his own righteousness, a little foothold here, Paul? What's the big deal anyway? But no. "And I, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? Then is the offence of the cross ceased" (Gal. 5.11).

The offence, the scandal, the circumcision of the Cross, as ugly and offensive and abhorrent as it all is to proud man, was to Paul the beauty of all beauties. So it should be to us. Let us love, and be part of, take up, THIS scandal-- the CROSS-- ceasing utterly from all our own works, from all the works of man, and follow Jesus in the Spirit.

(But do we really like being scandalized, after all? Try living, moving, walking in the Spirit of Rest, of Grace, and have NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, whether in the world or in the church... with your praise not of men but of God alone. How many of us, really, are walking as true Jews?)

"When I survey the wondrous Cross on which the Prince of glory died... My riches gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast save in the Cross of Christ my God..."

AD


_________________
Allan Halton

 2007/6/7 13:20Profile





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