The Cross Is Not A Fashion Statement!

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree!" Gal. 3:13
The cross is the symbol of the shame and suffering of Jesus' crucifixion. It is itself, also, a curse. Wearing a cross as a mere piece of jewelry, is a form of sacrilege--reducing the sacred symbol of Christ's sin-atoning sacrifice to a mere ornament. The cross is not a fashion statement, but the emblem of our Lord's suffering and death. To treat it lightly, is to trample upon the solemn truths of Calvary, where the Son of God bore the wrath of the Father in the place of His elect people. Such careless use dishonors the gospel, making what is holy into something trivial.

However, if one wears the cross as a means of confessing Jesus before men and remembering His redeeming work, then it may serve as a constant reminder of the believer's call to take up his own cross daily in humble submission to the Lord. But to wear it in vanity, devoid of true devotion--is to mock the very blood by which sinners are saved.  Even worse is wearing a crucifix, in that it is a symbol of Jesus being still on the cross. He is not. He is risen!

The danger of wearing a cross as a mere trinket, lies in the heart's posture toward Christ and His sin-atoning death. If the cross is worn  thoughtlessly, as a token of worldly fashion--then it is treated with irreverence. The cross is where divine justice and mercy met, where Christ bore the curse of the law on behalf of His people. To wear it frivolously is to rob it of its solemnity and turn it into an object of vanity. True reverence for the cross of Jesus is not found in its outward display, but in a heart humbled before God.

Furthermore, the misuse of the cross as a mere decoration, reflects the natural tendency of sinful man to desire the external symbols of Christianity, without submitting to its inward reality. Just as Israel was chastised for honoring God with their lips, while their hearts were far from Him, so too does the thoughtless display of the cross betray a hollow profession of faith. The cross is a call to die to self, to forsake the world, and to follow Christ in true discipleship. When worn without conviction, it becomes an empty emblem, stripped of its significance and reduced to an idol of sentimentality. But for those who bear it in sincerity, not just around their necks, but upon their very lives--the cross is a reminder of the gospel's transforming power. Let us not trivialize that which cost our Savior His precious blood; but instead, may we live as those who have been crucified with Christ, boasting in His sin-atoning work alone.

The commercialization of the cross, further exposes the heart's tendency to trivialize what is sacred. In a world that exalts self and despises true godliness, the cross is often stripped of its meaning and viewed as a mere fashion accessory, void of the suffering and shame that it represents. The cross is the instrument of Christ's agony, the altar where the Lamb of God was slain for the sins of His people. To wear it without reverence, without a life of repentance and faith, is to treat the death of Christ as something mundane. May we never reduce the cross to a lifeless trinket, but instead bear it with fear and trembling, knowing that it is through the cross of Jesus alone, that we have been brought from damnation to salvation.

To truly honor the cross, one must not merely wear it, but bear it. Christ Himself declared, "Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, and follow Me!" Luke 9:23. This is not a call to outward religious displays, but to a life marked by self-denial, suffering for righteousness, and obedience to the will of God. A cross around the neck is a form of sacrilege--if the heart remains unyielding to Christ. The true Christian does not seek to adorn himself with symbols of the gospel, while living in contradiction to its demands--but rather takes up his cross in daily submission, counting all things loss for the sake of knowing Christ. If the cross is to be displayed, let it be shown in our conduct, our speech, our affections, and our devotion to the One who bore it in our place. Let us tremble at the thought of treating it as a mere fashion accessory, and instead live as those who have been purchased by its power, bearing its reproach with joy, until we see our risen Lord face to face!  ~ gracegems.org