In our world today, there are a multitude and variety of worship songs coming out left and right. This is not a bad thing necessarily. I love to worship corporately in song and to worship in my own personal time as I listen to or sing songs. I have recently been blessed by Paul Baloche’s newest album, The Same Love. The two songs – The Same Love and We Are Saved – are truly stirring and encouraging.
Not unexpectedly, one of the greatest themes of songs is that of the cross. And it should be! The enthroning and saving act of Christ, continued in his resurrection and ascension, is the most gripping act in history. What a strange, yet good, way for God to become king and provide salvation for humanity!
But one wrong way to focus on the cross (and, yes, there is a wrong way) is to see it as the central place of worship. It is actually not.
What?
Yes, that’s correct.
Rather, the central place is that of the throne of grace.
When we turn to a place like Revelation 4, we read about 24 elders gathered around the throne. I take it the imagery of 24 elders stands as a representative picture of all God’s people, encompassing the old covenant saints (via the 12 tribes) and the new covenant saints (via the 12 apostles of the Lamb). They are also joined by the 4 living creatures, which might be representative of the angelic order.
But they are gathered round the throne, not the cross.
Now, of course, in just the next chapter, in Revelation 5, these elders and living creatures are singing a new song because the Lamb is the one who can open the scroll. And in the song, they remember that, by his blood, he has purchased for God ‘persons from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (vs9). Christ is worthy of worship because of his faithfulness, even in death, to accomplish God’s good saving purposes.
But our worship, that worship that is to be in spirit and truth, is all centred not around the cross, but at the throne, the ever-majestic and beautiful throne of grace. This is where the saints gather for worship. You worship a king not at the place where his enemies killed him. Just as we do not worship him at his tomb. Rather, we are called to worship him at his throne.
We can remember the cross, praise him for it. But we are to centrally and primarily gather around his throne of grace. For it is there we may ‘receive mercy and find grace,’ even in great time of need (Heb 4:12).
So let’s sing about the cross, remember the cross and worship him for such an act. But let’s remember it is not the place where we are called to worship. That place is reserved for his throne.
Let’s gather even today, in spirit and truth.
The Prodigal Thought 
And to discover the biblical theology of the Cross, we no doubt must re-discover St. Paul, (1 Cor. 2:1-5, etc.), and perhaps one of his servants Dr. Luther, and his “theologia crucis”! I find it very interesting that some Roman Catholic theolog’s have re-discovered their long lost brother and fellow, Martin Luther! And this was not yesterday, see the French priest, Danial Olivier’s book: Luther’s Faith, The Cause of the Gospel in the Church (1978). First published in English in 1982, by the Lutherans (Concordia).
Note to my mind this is the essence of the Reformation: always reforming – Ecclesia semper reformada est! The true Church of Christ is ever renewing and changing in “spirit and truth”, i.e. The Word of God!
Robert –
I think you forgot to interact with what I said. 🙂
I do love the cross. It is most stirring. I wrote some things here.
But the central place of worship is the throne of grace, a place where we remember the acts of God, including the cross. But the cross was not the final event. It was an important point along the path to accomplishing God’s great purposes of his Son being king and redeeming people.
@Scott: I am not picking on you…promise! 😉 But, this is perhaps where I spent much of my “theological” and biblical life, at least academically (Luther’s Ontology of the Cross). And surely here too, this leads us to the “glory” of Christ, Who is prophet, priest & king… as the Risen & Ascended Mediator! So yeah, this is ‘holy ground’ for me! 🙂
Btw Scott: The Cross and the Resurrection are always tied close together! We can see this in the mystical aspect of St. Paul’s writings…2 Cor. 4:7-11, etc.
Interestingly enough, I think we worship at the throne of grace, in spirit and truth, because of the cross and resurrection. The larger context in Revelation shows worship occurring because Christ was slain and has redeemed us.
Agreed, but the Christian still lives in the tension of the ‘Already but not Yet’, and the cross and crucifixion are a real reality (or should be)! Indeed for the Christian, the Cross is a spirituality of redemptive suffering.
Agreed. I regularly tell folks that the gospel is relevant each day of our lives.