“Theology of the Cross” by Pastor Nate

Sometimes people will ask me, what’s the Lutheran Church about?   It’s often hard to distinguish between one Christian denomination and another and that’s because there are a lot of theological similarities with only a few subtle differences.

But still, I feel like I have to have an answer to this question.   So, when I am asked for a unique understanding of Lutheran views I’ll mention The Theology of the Cross.

The truth is, Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, the United Church of Christ, and probably other Christian denominations would all be fine with the Theology of the Cross, but I think Lutherans really get to claim it because it stems from the writings of Martin Luther.

The general idea is this—we know what God is like most clearly through what Jesus did on the Cross.   In other words, when we are suffering, when we confront death in all its ugliness, when we feel lonely or forsaken, that is actually the moment when God is near.  On the cross, Jesus revealed that God’s power is shown through sacrifice and weakness.

Some Christian denominations will say that Jesus’ death was his way of suffering for us.  But a Lutheran would put a little twist on this and say that Jesus suffers with us.  It’s a powerful reframing and I think a deeply comforting thought; that our moments of fear and pain and struggle are in fact the places where God has promised to show up.