Stauros - the cross

The Case of the Cross

Posted on by christ.ph

Pagan Practices Disguised as Christian – The Case of the Cross

I. Introduction: The Danger of Pagan Traditions in the Church

  • Main Point: The New Testament calls believers to live by grace in Christ Jesus, not by rituals or symbols rooted in paganism.
  • Narrative Explanation: Over centuries, many non-biblical practices were absorbed into Christian traditions. Some were cultural, others directly borrowed from pagan worship. While they are presented as “Christian,” they often contradict the very message of the Gospel by shifting focus from Christ to external forms. One of the most striking examples is the use of the cross as an object of veneration.

II. The Cross in the New Testament

  • Key Term: Staurós (σταυρός) – originally meant upright stake or pole.
  • Narrative Explanation: In the Roman world, crucifixion was the most shameful and brutal form of execution. Jesus bore this punishment, and thus the cross became associated with His atoning death. But the apostles never emphasized the shape of the wood; they emphasized its meaning—Christ crucified for the sins of the world.

Scriptures:

  • 1 Corinthians 1:18 – “The message of the cross is the power of God.”
  • Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

III. The True Call of Jesus: Taking Up the Cross

  • Greek Word Study: Airō (αἴρω) – means to lift, to remove, to cast away.
  • Narrative Explanation: When Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23), He was not telling His disciples to literally carry wood, or wear a symbol. He was calling them to cast away self-rule, put sin to death, and live surrendered lives before God. To the first-century hearer, “take up your cross” meant nothing less than preparing for death—dying to self daily.

Scriptures:

  • Luke 9:23 – “Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
  • Colossians 3:5 – “Put to death what is earthly in you.”

IV. The Cross in Early Christianity

  • Narrative Explanation: For the first 300 years of the church, Christians did not use the cross as a religious symbol. The cross was a reminder of shame and death. Instead, believers used symbols such as the fish (ΙΧΘΥΣ), the Good Shepherd, or the chi-rho (☧). These reflected life in Christ, not instruments of execution.
  • It was not until Emperor Constantine (4th century AD) that the cross became a political and religious emblem. After his vision of the cross in battle, the symbol was elevated in Roman Christianity. This marked a turning point—where the instrument of death became a sacred emblem, opening the way for misuse.

V. When the Cross Became an Idol

  • Narrative Explanation: Over time, the cross shifted from symbol to idol. It was no longer simply a reminder of Christ’s death but became treated as a sacred object:
    • Carried in processions.
    • Bowed before and kissed.
    • Worn as a protective charm.
    • Adored in relic form (the “true cross”).

This mirrors pagan traditions, where physical objects (stones, poles, statues) were treated as divine. In Scripture, however, God warns against such practices.

Scriptures:

  • 1 John 5:21 – “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”
  • Acts 17:29 – “We ought not to think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone.”

VI. The Biblical vs. Traditional Cross

  • Biblical Cross:
    • Christ’s redemptive death.
    • A call to daily surrender and death to self.
    • A symbol of shame turned into victory through resurrection.
  • Traditional Cross (later development):
    • A physical object treated as sacred.
    • An emblem absorbed into worship practices.
    • In many cases, replacing devotion to Christ with devotion to an object.

Scripture:

  • Galatians 6:14 – “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

VII. Practical Lessons for the Church Today

  1. Keep Christ central. The power of salvation is in Christ crucified and risen—not in objects.
  2. Discern between truth and tradition. Not all practices in “Christian” religion are biblical; many are inherited from paganism.
  3. Live the cross, don’t venerate it. Taking up the cross means casting away the old life and living daily in Christ’s resurrection power.
  4. Guard against subtle idolatry. Even well-meaning symbols can become distractions if they take the place of Christ.

VIII. Conclusion

The biblical cross is not a charm, not a relic, and not an idol. It is the reality of Christ’s sacrificial death and the believer’s call to live a crucified life. The traditional cross, when worshiped, is a pagan adaptation that misdirects faith. The Church under grace must recover the true meaning: to glory in Christ alone, not in wood or stone.

Final Reminder:

  • 1 Corinthians 1:23 – “We preach Christ crucified.”

VI-A. Pagan Parallels to the Cross Symbol

1. The Cross in Ancient Egypt

  • The Ankh (☥): A cross with a loop at the top, symbolizing life and fertility.
  • Narrative Explanation: Egyptians carried it as a charm, and gods like Isis and Osiris were depicted holding it. It represented divine power over life and death.
  • Parallels: Just as the Ankh was treated as a sacred emblem, later Christianity came to treat the wooden cross as a source of blessing or protection.

2. The Cross in Babylon and Assyria

  • Cross-like forms were used in sun worship.
  • The Tau cross (T) symbolized the god Tammuz, mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14–15 as part of Israel’s idolatry.
  • Narrative Explanation: The Tau was marked on foreheads or worn as a sign of devotion. Later, the same shape appears in Christian tradition as a “holy” emblem, even though its roots are in pagan rituals.

Ezekiel 8:14–15 – Women weeping for Tammuz at the temple gates, a pagan practice condemned by God.

3. The Cross in Greco-Roman Culture

  • Narrative Explanation: In Greece and Rome, the cross was not a sacred symbol but a torture device. Yet even here, symbols resembling the cross were connected with sun worship and astrology.
  • Constantine’s vision of the cross (AD 312) merged the Roman instrument of execution with a pagan-style emblem of victory, changing its meaning from death and shame to military triumph.

4. The Cross in Other Pagan Religions

  • Hindus used swastika-like cross shapes to symbolize the sun and cycles of life.
  • Druids and Celtic religions used cross-like symbols in fertility rituals.
  • Narrative Explanation: The cross in various forms (✝, ☥, T) predates Christianity by centuries. In every case, it functioned as a sacred charm, talisman, or symbol of cosmic power.

5. The Danger for Christianity

  • By adopting the cross as an object of veneration, Christianity unintentionally repeated the same pagan pattern: treating a symbol as sacred rather than the living God.
  • The apostles never pointed believers to wood or symbols—they pointed to Christ Himself (Acts 4:12).

Acts 17:29 – “We ought not to think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human design and skill.”

VII. Practical Lessons for the Church Today

  1. Keep Christ central. The power of salvation is in Christ crucified and risen—not in objects.
  2. Discern between truth and tradition. Not all practices in “Christian” religion are biblical; many are inherited from paganism.
  3. Live the cross, don’t venerate it. Taking up the cross means casting away the old life and living daily in Christ’s resurrection power.
  4. Guard against subtle idolatry. Even well-meaning symbols can become distractions if they take the place of Christ.
Category: Scriptural Studies