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This perspective elevates the question of disunity and conflict among believers to an entirely new level.

Here Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that their life in Christ is inextricably bound up with what happened one Friday afternoon outside the gates of Jerusalem when Jesus was impaled on a Roman cross. Why does he bring in the Cross at this point? Because the Cross is where all bragging stops. Behind all the side-choosing and sloganeering-I am of "Paul," I am of "Apollos," etc.-was the self-assertion and self-glorification of those who had overweening confidence in their own virtues and abilities: the wise, the weighty, and the well-born, as Paul refers to them (1:26).

The common anthropological assumptions of Greek philosophy and Hellenistic culture, not unlike those of the modern cult of self-esteem, greatly valued all forms of human assertiveness as badges of excellence, strength, and virtue (from the Latin virtus, meaning "manliness" or "worth"). Physical prowess, military feats, oratorical abilities, intellectual acumen, political power, monetary success, social status-all these were things to be proud of and to glory in.

But in contrast to all this, Paul holds up something utterly despicable, contemptible, and valueless by any worldly standard-the Cross of Christ. For 2,000 years, the Cross has been so variously and beautifully represented in Christian iconography and symbolism that it is almost impossible for us to appreciate the sense of horror and shock that must have greeted the apostolic proclamation of a crucified redeemer. Actually, the Latin word crux was regarded as an expression so crude, no polite Roman would utter it in public. In order to get around this, the Romans devised a euphemistic circumlocution, "Hang him on the unlucky tree" (arbori infelici suspendito), an expression from Cicero. But what the world regarded as too shameful to whisper in polite company, a detestable object used for the brutal execution of the dregs of society, Paul declared to be the proper basis for exaltation. In the Cross, and the Cross alone, Paul said, he would make his boast in life and death, for all time and eternity.

"When false foundations all are gone,
Each lying refuge blown to air,
The Cross remains our boast alone,
The righteousness of God is there."

The Corinthian believers did not actually deny that Jesus was put to death on the Cross, but they certainly de-emphasized it. They had not yet realized the ethical implications of Jesus' death for every believer: to be "in Christ," to be "crucified with Christ," implies a radical transformation within the believer, a transformation based on our identification with Jesus' once-for-all victory on the Cross, but also leading to an ongoing process of mortification and self-denial. To realize that Jesus, not Paul or anyone else, was crucified for us means a willingness to bear the "brand marks" of Jesus-to live under the Cross. This is the only thing that we have any biblical warrant to boast about.

It may seem strange that Paul would bring baptism into the argument at this point. Several years ago, Michael Green, a distinguished Anglican church leader, published a book about baptism entitled Baptism: Its Purpose, Practice, and Power. For centuries Christians have been deeply divided about the meaning, significance, and role of baptism in the life of the church. Should we baptize infants, or only adult believers? How much water should we use-do we drip, douse, or dunk? How does baptism relate to church membership? Who is authorized to baptize-ordained ministers only or laypersons as well? Entire denominations have divided over such issues in the past, and such differences are far from resolved today, even among evangelical Christians who appeal to the authority of Scripture.

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July 2005, Vol. 49, No. 7