Paul’s theology of the cross.

Paul’s Theology of the Cross

Introduction: The Cross at the Center of Paul’s Gospel

If there is one theme that pervades all of Paul’s letters, it is the centrality of the cross of Jesus Christ. For Paul, the crucifixion was not an unfortunate end to Jesus’ mission, but the decisive event in God’s saving plan. The cross is the revelation of God’s wisdom and power (1 Cor 1:18–25), the basis of justification (Gal 2:19–21; Rom 3:21–26), the pattern of Christian discipleship (Phil 2:5–11), and the criterion of authentic ministry (2 Cor 4:7–12; 12:9–10).

Paul never treats the cross as a mere doctrine to be affirmed. Rather, it is a cosmic turning point and a communal identity marker. To be in Christ is to be crucified with him (Gal 2:20), to live under the sign of his self-giving love, and to embody the cruciform shape of the gospel in community life and mission.

This article explores Paul’s theology of the cross under six headings:

1. The cross as scandal and wisdom.

2. The cross as God’s saving act.

3. The cross as participation.

4. The cross as pattern for community.

5. The cross as criterion for ministry.

6. The cross as eschatological victory.

1) The Cross as Scandal and Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1–2)

1.1 The scandal of the cross

In Greco-Roman society, crucifixion was the most shameful and degrading death—reserved for slaves, rebels, and criminals (Hengel, 1977). To proclaim a crucified Messiah was offensive both to Jews (who expected signs of power) and to Greeks (who prized wisdom and eloquence). Paul acknowledges this: “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:23).

1.2 God’s paradoxical wisdom

Yet, Paul insists, what seems foolish is actually God’s wisdom. In the cross, God overturns human categories: the weakness of God is stronger than human strength, the foolishness of God wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor 1:25). The cross disarms pride, boasting, and status competition, re-centering the church in grace rather than human achievement.

1.3 Preaching the cross without adornment

Paul deliberately avoids rhetorical showmanship in Corinth: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The gospel’s power lies not in eloquence but in the Spirit’s demonstration (2:4–5). For Paul, the method must match the message—humility and weakness align with a crucified Messiah.

2) The Cross as God’s Saving Act

2.1 Substitution and representation

Paul presents the cross as the decisive saving event:

• “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3).

• “The Son of God… loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

• “God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2 Cor 5:21).

Here Paul portrays the cross as both substitutionary (Christ bears the curse due to us, Gal 3:13) and representative (Christ as the new Adam, Rom 5:12–21).

2.2 Justification and redemption

In Romans 3:21–26, Paul uses courtroom and cultic metaphors: Christ is the place of atonement (hilastērion) where God’s justice and mercy meet. God justifies sinners by grace as gift, through the redemption that is in Christ. The cross is thus both judicial acquittal and liberating ransom.

2.3 Reconciling the world

The cross also accomplishes reconciliation: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19). Hostility is broken down, peace established, Jew and Gentile made one (Eph 2:14–16).

3) The Cross as Participation

3.1 Co-crucifixion

Paul insists believers are not only beneficiaries of the cross but participants in it:

• “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20).

• “Our old self was crucified with him” (Rom 6:6).

• “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh” (Gal 5:24).

Salvation is not external transaction alone but union with Christ: his death becomes our death, his life our life (Sanders, 1977; Wright, 2013).

3.2 Baptism as enactment

Through baptism, believers are buried with Christ into death and raised to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3–4). The cross thus becomes existential reality, reorienting identity, allegiance, and practice.

4) The Cross as Pattern for Community

4.1 The mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5–11)

Paul exhorts believers to adopt Christ’s mindset of humility: though equal with God, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross. This “Christ hymn” models a cruciform pattern: downward mobility, self-giving love, service of others.

4.2 The cross at the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:17–34)

At Corinth, the wealthy humiliated the poor at the Lord’s table. Paul anchors his rebuke in the tradition of the Last Supper: to eat unworthily is to betray the body. Communion is a reenactment of the cross, where believers discern Christ’s body and embody equality.

4.3 Bearing one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2)

The “law of Christ” is the ethic of cross-shaped love. Communities display the cross when they restore gently, bear burdens, and embody sacrificial care.

5) The Cross as Criterion for Ministry (2 Corinthians)

5.1 Apostolic weakness as strength

Paul’s opponents boasted in eloquence, visions, and success. Paul boasts only in weakness and suffering, because the cross shows God’s power made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9–10).

5.2 Ministry as death-and-life dynamic

Paul describes ministry as “carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested” (2 Cor 4:10). Apostles embody the cross, not prestige. Authentic leadership is cruciform, not triumphalist (Hafemann, 2000).

6) The Cross as Eschatological Victory

6.1 Defeat of powers

In Colossians 2:15, the cross disarms rulers and authorities, triumphing over them. The apparent shame of crucifixion is paradoxically God’s victory parade.

6.2 Death swallowed up

For Paul, the cross and resurrection are inseparable. The cross is the means; resurrection is the vindication. Together, they spell the end of death’s dominion: “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor 15:54).

6.3 The new creation

Through the cross, believers are reconciled and made part of the new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The world is no longer defined by fleshly markers but by the crucified and risen Christ.

7) Theological Synthesis

1. Scandal and wisdom: The cross unmasks worldly pride and redefines wisdom as self-giving love.

2. Saving act: It is substitutionary, representative, reconciling, and justifying.

3. Participation: Believers are united with Christ in death and life.

4. Pattern: The cross shapes communal ethics—humility, service, burden-bearing.

5. Criterion: The cross exposes triumphalism and validates weakness as authentic ministry.

6. Victory: The cross inaugurates God’s triumph over sin, death, and the powers.

Suggested Assignments (Week 5, Bullet 2)

1. Exegetical Paper (2,000–2,500 words): 1 Corinthians 1:18–25
   Analyze Paul’s rhetoric about wisdom and foolishness. Show how the cross subverts both Jewish and Greek expectations.

2. Theological Essay (1,800–2,200 words): Galatians 2:19–21 and Co-crucifixion
   Explore Paul’s language of dying with Christ. How does co-crucifixion reframe justification and sanctification?

3. Case Study (1,500–1,800 words): Leadership and the Cross
   Compare Paul’s cruciform leadership in 2 Corinthians 10–13 with modern church leadership models. Where might triumphalism obscure the cross?

4. Word Study (1,000–1,200 words): “Boasting” (kauchaomai) in Paul
   Trace boasting language in 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Philippians. How does the cross redirect boasting toward the Lord?

5. Group Debate:
   Resolved: “Paul’s theology of the cross is primarily about substitution, not participation.” Teams must argue both sides with textual support.

6. Homiletics Exercise (800–1,000 words): Sermon on Philippians 2:5–11
   Preach the Christ hymn as a pattern of cruciform discipleship for a community tempted by status-seeking.

References

Dunn, J. D. G. (1998). The theology of Paul the Apostle. Eerdmans.
Fee, G. D. (2014). The First Epistle to the Corinthians (rev. ed., NICNT). Eerdmans.
Hafemann, S. J. (2000). 2 Corinthians: The NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan.
Hengel, M. (1977). Crucifixion. Fortress Press.
Sanders, E. P. (1977). Paul and Palestinian Judaism. Fortress Press.
Wright, N. T. (2013). Paul and the faithfulness of God. Fortress Press.