Why do Catholics have Crucifixes in their Churches?
QUESTION:
I had a
friend ask me why Catholics have Crucifixes in our churches...don't we believe
Jesus has risen? Why do we keep Him on the cross?
ANSWER:
1)
First of all, you would want to check out 1
Corinthians 1:23: Paul says, "...BUT WE PREACH CHRIST
CRUCIFIED..."
2)
Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn't he know Jesus has
been raised from the dead? Of course he does! But, he knows that IT IS
THROUGH THE POWER OF THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST THAT THE BONDS OF SIN & DEATH ARE
BROKEN. As Paul says in verse 24 (1 Corinthians 1:24), CHRIST
CRUCIFIED IS THE “POWER OF GOD”.
3)
1 Cor 2:2, "For I decided to know nothing among you except JESUS
CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED". Again, didn't Paul know that Jesus had
risen from the dead? Of course, he did.
4)
Paul preaches Christ crucified because “AN EMPTY CROSS HAS NO
POWER.”. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body
of Jesus Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God".
This is why, we "keep Jesus on the cross," because we, too, preach
Christ crucified. The Crucifix reminds us not only of God's power, but also His
love for us - giving His only begotten Son up for suffering and death.
5)
Also, here in this life we do not share so much in the glory of
the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross; after all,
we must take up our cross daily if we are to follow Jesus, as it says in Luke
9:23.
6)
And, we must die with Christ in order to live with Him as Romans
6:8 tells us. Where did Christ die? On the cross. The Crucifix serves to remind
us of these things.
7)
One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1, "O
foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was
publicly PORTRAYED as crucified?" Did you catch that?
Jesus was publicly PORTRAYED, before their "eyes", as
being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a Crucifix, doesn't
it?
Source: JOHN MARTIGNONI
Apologetics
101
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