Simplicity and the Cross
Why we need Divine Simplicity pt. 4
Introduction
The Apostle Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (1 Co. 1:17) One of the ways the cross can be emptied of its power is if, through eloquent philosophizing and speculation, we somehow divide God and ignore His simplicity.
Paul goes on in 1 Corinthians to remind the believers that the cross, though foolish to unbelievers, is the very power of God to those who are being saved (vs. 18). He was determined to “know nothing” among the people except “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthains 2:2). Why is this the case? The Puritan preacher Thomas Boston once wrote this:
Again, the glory of one attribute is more seen in one work than in another: in some things, there is more of His goodness, in other things more of His wisdom is seen, and in others more of His power. But in the work of redemption, all His perfections and excellencies shine forth in their greatest glory.
The cross of Christ displays God's simplicity in its fullness. Embracing simplicity leads the believer to the cross, which is the stage on which the full panorama of all of God’s perfections is seen.1 There are a few ways this happens.
Simplicity and the Power of the Cross
First, the cross of Jesus Christ more clearly displays the unity of the Godhead. In Ephesians chapter 1, Paul glories in a triune God who is magnified in the unity of the council of redemption.
In verses 3-6, Paul beholds the Father who elected and adopted His children. He didn’t just elect and adopt believers, He did so “in Him”, that is, by means of Christ to bring about everlasting union with Christ. God’s choosing of His children has in view the very means of their salvation, namely, the cross.
In verses 7-11, Paul beholds the Son who ransomed the people who were given to Him by the Father through the shedding of His blood. It is through Christ—who is of one essence with the Father—and His submission to the Father’s will that His death can bring about redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
Finally, in verses 12-14, Paul beholds the Spirit of God, who is the applier of salvation. He, in time, applies the benefits of Christ’s redeeming work to God’s children. The Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, but who is also one with them, plays a key role in the redemption of God’s children; He makes much of Jesus Christ and unites each believer to Him.
The three persons of the Godhead display perfect unity because on the cross, we see the intention of the Father to redeem His people through the Son by the power of the Spirit. In the end, all of this will be to the “praise of His glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6; 14).
Second, the cross displays the harmonization of all the attributes of God. Where else can God’s love be shown in its fullness? (Rom. 5:8) Where else can God’s wrath be shown in its fullness? (1 Jn 2:2; Is. 53:4-5) Where else can wisdom, grace, goodness, power, and mercy be shown in their fullness? (Rom. 5:1-8; 3:26; Eph. 1:7; 1 Co. 1:18-30) There’s only one answer: the cross of Jesus Christ.
Mark Jones again comments, “In Christ, all of God’s attributes are manifested and glorified. Natural theology may give a person a dim knowledge of God’s attributes, but in Christ, these attributes ‘sparkle’ because they are revealed in redemption.” As cited above, because of the cross, Christ is seen as the wisdom and the power of God. He is the one who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. The simplicity of God causes man to see the power of Christ’s redemptive work through the harmonization of all of God’s attributes.
Third, the cross shows that God cannot be subject to change. The cross of Christ was God’s plan A from all eternity. The cross is powerful because it displays a God who does not have a divided mind and will; it displays a God who will forever keep His promises and never lie. Jesus Christ was offered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23). Herod, Pilot, the Gentiles, and the evil Jewish leaders did what God’s hand had predestined to take place (Acts 4:27-28).
Because God is simple, he cannot change. Because God cannot change, His plan of redemption remains fixed, and thus, is a continual source of strength and comfort for all eternity. And so sings the modern hymn:
“Oh, the mystery of the cross: that God should suffer for the lost. So that fool might shame the wise, and all the glory might go to Christ!”2
Conclusion
Simplicity matters. Simplicity matters because if it is denied or at least ignored, one will be led to deny the unity of the Godhead, rank one of God’s attributes as higher than the others, make God subject to chance, and diminish the wonder and power of the Cross of Christ. The Church of Christ ought to magnify this perfection of God and thereby embrace all the perfections of God if Christ would be glorified.
The Church does well to cling to a God who is without parts—a God who is whatever He has. If this happens, God’s people cling to the true God, who remains the same as He simultaneously displays all of who He is in all His wonderful works.
Piper, John. Providence, Crossway, 2020, p. 43.
The Perfect Wisdom of Our God, Keith & Kristyn Getty