We all want to be happy. So why is happiness so difficult to
find? Following on from his award-winning book, Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy
God, Wilbourne joins with Gregor to answer the question of where our true
happiness is to be found. They have
written this book because most books on this subject forget one thing. They write, “’[T]he cruciform way is God’s
way to the good and beautiful life he intends for us.’ Someone may question that. ‘Are you telling me the way to wholeness and
flourishing is through loss and deprivation, through suffering and death? That seems counterproductive and counter-intuitive.’” The way of the cross is not the popular
way. Yet the phrase, “Take up your
cross” is an invitation, not something to see as a burden.
This book has been written to show
us what the cross will teach us about the art of living. It is a book about how we grow deeper
experientially into the love of God.
Furthermore, it is not about imitating the life of Christ, for that is
impossible without our faith being grounded in our union with Christ. It is a way of life lived out from a position
of confidence and security “in Christ”.
As we participate in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we can
share in all that belongs to Him, because it now also belongs to us because we
are “in Him”. As the authors put it,
“Imitation without participation is not life-giving. It’s exhausting. It’s just religious moralism.”
The first two chapters set the
scene. These are followed by chapters
dealing with ambition, humility, freedom, romantic love, suffering, and why
life can now have joy and peace along the hard road. This will upend and reshape how we in our
Western world view life.
Jesus’ life was marked by suffering
from start to finish. He didn’t deserve
suffering, yet it was His obedience to God that led Him to “death on the cross”
(Phil.2:8 ). As the writers point out, “The Bible even
calls Jesus’ life of suffering ‘fitting’ (Heb 2:10 ), necessary for him to sympathize with us (Heb 4:14-15 ), and integral
to his learning (Heb 5:8 ). Jesus’ whole life was oriented towards the
cross.” Luke confirms this for us. He ‘set his face’ towards Jerusalem Luke 9:51 ).
This book is not an easy read as it
will require thoughtful thinking. It is
both challenging and insightful. If we
can accept that the way of the cross is the Biblical way to a fruitful,
fulfilled and contented life, then the book will bless us if we take its
message to heart.
We continually battle with what the
authors call the theology of glory that assumes that God’s pathway is one of
blessing, of bettering ourselves, of doing what will enhance our status and
acceptance in the eyes of others.
But the way of the cross says that whatever we do is
for you, Lord, and for your glory. It is
the satisfaction that comes from playing our small part, without comparing
ourselves with others, as our Master assigns to each one of us. Ambition is a very human part of our being
creatures who desire. But what is unavoidable
is the motive we have for everything thing we do. As Jesus challenged the people, “They loved
the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” (John 12:43 ). The question is not, “Are you ambitious?” The question is, “What does your life show
that you are ambitious for?”
The authors deal with various tests
that show up our true motives. How do we
face failure or being seen by others as weak or ineffective? A challenging question to think about. Another is how do we view the successes of
our peers, especially those in our own field?
Are we happy for them? Do we
celebrate their accomplishments?
Each of the subjects dealt with
comes with its own challenges and pride hitting punches. Our human nature will always seek its own
good before any thought of others. But
the way of the cross is self-giving, loving and humble and considers others
ahead of itself. This was true of
Jesus. In humility and love He was
willing to give up His comforts, suffer the extremes of torture and death on
the cross, just for us, with little consideration of His own life. The outcome was that the way was opened for
us to enter into that joy that He had in giving Himself in love for us. (Hebrews 12:2 ).
God transforms our thinking so that
it focuses less on self and more on Jesus.
His glory comes about by the hardships and disappointments in life, from
the suffering and pain, from the humiliation of failure, and the
acknowledgement of our weakness and need for God to step in and lift us
up. The way of the cross is the humbling
of ourselves as we accept our own unworthiness and thank God for His free gift
of grace and help. There is nothing in
us that deserves God’s attention, but He transforms us to be more like Christ
in His suffering, so that the joy of heaven can become ours.
We need to rely on God to transform our thinking so that it is God-centred rather than
self-centred, and self-seeking. This
will take courage to go against in our Western cultural environment. We need to trust God to mould us so that we
can resist the inroads of the self-focused culture that surrounds us.
There is more that we haven’t
touched upon. The chapters on humility
and love are hard hitting. But if we can overcome our pride and acknowledge the
biblical truths that the writers have shared, we will be blessed for taking the
time to read this book. I close with a
final quote that sums up something of where they want to go with this
book. “If humility is the heart of the cruciform life, then love is the
heartbeat, the living sign that the word of the cross has taken root in your
heart.”
[1]
Wilbourne, R., & Gregor, B. (2019). The cross
before me: reimagining the way to the good life. Colorado Springs , CO
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