Understanding The Offense of the Cross
Grace, Enmity, and the Great Conflict Between Christ and Satan
There is something profoundly strange about the cross of Jesus Christ.
It is the supreme revelation of God’s love—and yet it has always provoked opposition.
It is the message of forgiveness—and yet it exposes human sin.
It is the proclamation of grace—and yet it destroys human pride.
It offers freedom—and yet it demands surrender.
It promises life—and yet it calls us to die to self.
The cross is therefore more than the symbol of Christianity. It is the great dividing line between two kingdoms, two principles, two characters, and two ways of life.
On one side stands Christ: self-sacrificing love, truth, humility, obedience, righteousness, mercy, and freedom.
On the other stands Satan: self-exaltation, deception, rebellion, accusation, coercion, selfishness, and sin.
The conflict between these two principles began in heaven, entered this world through Eden, became visible in the life and ministry of Jesus, reached its decisive crisis at Calvary, and continues today.
The Bible introduces this conflict immediately after humanity’s fall.
God said to the serpent:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
—Genesis 3:15, NKJV
Those words are among the most important in all Scripture.
God did not merely announce judgment upon Satan.
He announced that He would put enmity between Satan and humanity.
And that raises an important question:
Why did God have to put enmity there?
Because sin had brought humanity into sympathy with Satan.
But God would intervene.
Grace would create a new principle within the human heart.
“I Will Put Enmity”
Ellen G. White develops this thought in one of the most important passages in The Great Controversy.
She writes:
“It is the grace that Christ implants in the soul which creates in man enmity against Satan.”
Then she explains:
“Without this converting grace and renewing power, man would continue the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding.”
And then:
“But when man accepts the grace of Christ, he is made free.”
—The Great Controversy, p. 506
This gives us a profound definition of grace.
Grace is not merely God’s willingness to overlook our sins.
Grace is God’s transforming power.
Grace does not simply change our legal standing before God.
Grace begins changing our hearts.
Ellen White continues:
“The new principle in the soul creates conflict where hitherto had been peace.”
—The Great Controversy, p. 506
That is one of the most important ideas in understanding the Christian experience.
Before Christ, there may be little conflict with sin because the heart is naturally inclined toward it.
But when Christ enters the life, something changes.
The person begins to recognize sin as sin.
The conscience awakens.
Truth becomes precious.
Sin becomes increasingly repulsive.
The heart begins to desire righteousness.
And suddenly there is conflict.
The conflict is not necessarily evidence that something has gone wrong.
The conflict can be evidence that grace has begun its work.
Ellen White writes:
“Whoever is seen to abhor sin instead of loving it, whoever resists and conquers those passions that have held sway within, displays the operation of a principle wholly from above.”
—The Great Controversy, p. 506
This is Genesis 3:15 being fulfilled inside the human heart.
God said:
“I will put enmity.”
And grace begins to produce that enmity.
Satan’s Enmity Against Humanity
This also helps us understand why Satan hates the human race.
Why would Satan hate human beings?
Because God loves them.
Humanity has fallen, but God has not abandoned humanity.
The fallen human race has become the object of divine mercy.
Christ came to redeem us.
Satan therefore attacks the very people Christ came to save.
Paul describes Satan as:
“the god of this age”
who has
“blinded”
the minds of unbelievers.
—2 Corinthians 4:4
Satan wants humanity to misunderstand God.
He wants people to believe that God’s government is oppressive.
He wants them to believe that sin produces freedom.
He wants them to distrust Scripture.
He wants them to doubt God’s character.
He wants them to believe that obedience to God is slavery.
But Jesus came to expose the lie.
Jesus said:
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
—John 14:9
Christ’s entire life became a revelation of God’s character.
And therefore the life of Christ became a direct confrontation with Satan.
The Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Satan
Ellen White makes this connection explicit in The Great Controversy:
“The antagonism that exists between the spirit of Christ and the spirit of Satan was most strikingly displayed in the world’s reception of Jesus.”
Then she identifies why Christ provoked such opposition:
“The purity and holiness of Christ called forth against Him (Christ) the hatred of the ungodly.”
And then comes the key statement:
“His life of self-denial and sinless devotion was a perpetual reproof to a proud, sensual people.”
—The Great Controversy, p. 506
Think about that.
Jesus did not merely preach against sin.
His life itself was a reproof to sin.
His purity exposed impurity.
His humility exposed pride.
His self-denial exposed selfishness.
His truth exposed error.
His love exposed hatred.
His obedience exposed rebellion.
The problem was not merely what Jesus said.
The problem was what Jesus was.
His character revealed the character of God.
And that revelation threatened Satan’s kingdom.
Spurgeon: Why the Cross Offends
Charles H. Spurgeon saw this same principle in Paul’s statement:
“And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.”
—Galatians 5:11
In his sermon “The Offence of the Cross,” preached in 1856, Spurgeon asks why the cross is offensive.
His first answer is striking:
“The ‘offence of the cross’ lies, first, in the way in which it deals with all human wisdom.”
The cross refuses to allow human beings to sit in judgment over God.
It calls us to believe God’s revelation rather than making human reason the final authority.
But Spurgeon goes deeper.
He says the cross wounds human pride because it contradicts our confidence in ourselves.
He explains that the person relying upon his own strength does not like the doctrine of the cross because the cross destroys the illusion of self-sufficiency.
This is remarkably consistent with Ellen White’s emphasis on the conflict created by grace.
The cross says:
You cannot save yourself.
The human heart says:
I can do it myself.
The cross says:
You need a Savior.
Human pride says:
I need only myself.
The cross says:
Your righteousness cannot save you.
Self-righteousness says:
My goodness should be enough.
And therefore the cross becomes offensive.
The Cross Offends Human Pride
Spurgeon puts it forcefully:
“This is ‘the offence of the cross,’ that we do not let men trust in their own merits.”
That is one of the central truths of the gospel.
The cross leaves no room for boasting.
Paul says:
“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—Galatians 6:14
Why?
Because at the cross every human claim to self-righteousness collapses.
The wealthy person and the poor person come through the same door.
The educated and the uneducated come through the same Savior.
The morally respectable and the openly sinful both need the same grace.
The religious person and the irreligious person both need redemption.
The cross brings everybody to the same place:
the foot of Calvary.
Spurgeon observed that the cross offends human pride because it puts every person on the same road to salvation.
There is no salvation through status.
There is no salvation through education.
There is no salvation through ancestry.
There is no salvation through religious reputation.
There is no salvation through human merit.
There is only Christ.
The Cross Attacks Self-Sufficiency
This is where the theology of Ellen White and Spurgeon converge powerfully.
Ellen White says grace creates enmity against Satan.
Spurgeon says the cross destroys confidence in self.
These are two sides of the same gospel.
The natural human heart wants independence from God.
That is essentially the spirit of Satan.
Satan’s original rebellion was the exaltation of self.
Christ’s spirit is the opposite:
“Not My will, but Yours, be done.”
—Luke 22:42
Satan says:
I will.
Christ says:
Thy will be done.
Satan exalts self.
Christ denies self.
Satan seeks the throne.
Christ takes the cross.
And the gospel calls us to move from one kingdom to the other.
Christ’s Life Was a Perpetual Reproof
This conflict became unmistakable during the ministry of Jesus.
In The Desire of Ages, Ellen White repeatedly shows how Christ’s character exposed the hypocrisy and selfishness of the religious leaders.
Jesus did not need to manufacture controversy.
Truth itself created the confrontation.
His teachings exposed false religious systems.
His compassion exposed their hardness.
His humility exposed their pride.
His purity exposed their corruption.
His ministry revealed what religion looked like when it was centered upon God rather than self.
That is why His enemies repeatedly sought to find something against Him.
But they could find no legitimate accusation.
Christ was sinless.
Satan could find no foothold.
And this is precisely why the hatred intensified.
Gethsemane: Self-Sacrifice Versus Self-Exaltation
The conflict reached its deepest earthly crisis in Gethsemane.
Jesus knew what was coming.
He knew that Judas would betray Him.
He knew His disciples would abandon Him.
He knew religious leaders would condemn Him.
He knew Rome would crucify Him.
But beyond all of this, He knew that He would bear the sins of the world.
Ellen White describes the terrible conflict:
“The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and the sense of God’s wrath against sin was crushing out His life.”
—The Desire of Ages, p. 687
And yet Jesus prayed:
“Nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.”
—Matthew 26:39
Here the great controversy becomes intensely personal.
Satan’s principle is self-exaltation.
Christ’s principle is self-sacrifice.
Satan says:
Save yourself.
Christ says:
I will save them.
Satan says:
Take the throne.
Christ says:
I will take the cross.
Satan says:
Protect yourself.
Christ says:
I will give Myself.
Calvary: Where Satan’s Character Is Exposed
At Calvary, the conflict became visible before the universe.
The One who had never sinned was condemned.
The One who healed the sick was wounded.
The One who gave life was put to death.
The One who loved His enemies was crucified by His enemies.
And Jesus did not retaliate.
He remained on the cross.
Why?
Because divine love would not abandon humanity.
The cross exposed the character of God.
And it exposed the character of Satan.
Satan claimed that God’s government was based upon selfishness.
Calvary revealed a God willing to sacrifice Himself.
Satan claimed that God’s law was arbitrary.
Calvary revealed the terrible consequences of sin.
Satan claimed that God could not be trusted.
Calvary revealed a God who could be trusted with the salvation of His enemies.
The cross therefore became Satan’s apparent triumph—and his actual defeat.
Spurgeon: Do Not Remove the Offense
Spurgeon was especially concerned that Christians might try to make the gospel more acceptable by removing its offensive features.
In another sermon, “The Word of the Cross,” he warned that preachers sometimes soften the doctrine of the cross because people object to substitution and atonement.
He argued that removing the sacrificial character of Christ’s death removes the very heart of the cross.
The temptation is still with us.
We can make Christianity respectable.
We can make it inspirational.
We can make it therapeutic.
We can make it politically acceptable.
We can make it culturally comfortable.
But if we remove sin, repentance, surrender, judgment, atonement, obedience, and the necessity of Christ’s death, we have not made the gospel better.
We have removed the cross.
Spurgeon expressed this concern elsewhere:
“Hide not the offence of the cross, lest you make it of none effect.”
That is a powerful warning.
The church must never become so concerned about being accepted by the world that it removes the very truths that make the gospel distinctive.
The Offense of the Cross Has Not Ceased
And now we come to the central statement of this entire study.
Ellen White writes:
“The offense of the cross has not ceased.”
—The Great Controversy, p. 507
Paul said:
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
—2 Timothy 3:12
Spurgeon preached the same truth.
He said that the cross “has always been an offence” and that it has provoked fierce opposition.
In another sermon he declared:
“The offence of the cross has not ceased.”
The wording is remarkably similar because both are drawing from the same biblical reality.
The conflict did not end at Calvary.
Satan’s hatred of Christ is manifested against Christ’s followers.
When the character of Christ is reproduced in His people, the spirit that opposed Christ will oppose them.
This does not mean Christians should seek persecution.
Nor does it mean we should deliberately offend people.
Spurgeon made an important distinction: Christians should not add their own unnecessary offense to the cross.
That distinction is critical.
The gospel itself will offend the human heart. Christians should not add their own bad behavior to that offense.
We should never confuse biblical faithfulness with arrogance.
We should never confuse courage with cruelty.
We should never confuse conviction with hatred.
We should never use truth as an excuse to mistreat people.
Christ’s followers are called to reveal Christ.
Our Battle Is Not Against Flesh and Blood
Paul tells us:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age.”
—Ephesians 6:12
This is essential to understanding the great controversy.
Our enemy is not another human being.
The battle is spiritual.
Peter writes:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
—1 Peter 5:8
And Paul says:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
—Ephesians 6:11
The Christian therefore does not fight Satan with hatred.
We fight deception with truth.
We fight temptation with Scripture.
We fight darkness with light.
We fight accusation with the gospel.
We answer hatred with love.
We answer persecution with faithfulness.
And we resist Satan through the power of Christ.
How Can We Be Victorious?
The answer is not greater human strength.
Paul says:
“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
—Ephesians 6:10
Victory begins with surrender.
James says:
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
—James 4:7
Notice the order.
Submit to God.
Then:
Resist the devil.
We do not defeat Satan by becoming stronger versions of ourselves.
We defeat him by becoming more completely surrendered to Christ.
And this takes us back to Genesis 3:15.
God said:
“I will put enmity.”
The victory begins with something God does in us.
Grace creates a new principle.
Christ creates resistance to Satan.
Christ creates hatred of sin.
Christ creates love for righteousness.
Christ creates the desire for holiness.
And Christ supplies the power to live according to that new desire.
The Cross and the Death of Self
Perhaps this is the greatest offense of the cross.
The cross does not merely tell us that Jesus died.
It tells us that self must die.
Jesus said:
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
—Luke 9:23
This is offensive to the natural heart.
We want Christ to improve our lives without changing our lives.
We want salvation without surrender.
Forgiveness without repentance.
Grace without transformation.
Christ without the cross.
But biblical grace does something far greater.
It takes the sinner who was naturally in sympathy with Satan and creates enmity against Satan.
It takes a heart controlled by self and begins to enthrone Christ.
It takes a person who once loved darkness and teaches him to love light.
That is grace.
The Cross Is Also the Great Attraction
And here is the paradox.
The cross is offensive—and yet it is attractive.
Spurgeon preached another sermon entitled “The Great Attraction,” in which he observed that although there is an “offence of the cross,” the cross also possesses an extraordinary power to draw people to Christ.
Jesus Himself said:
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
—John 12:32
The cross wounds human pride, but it heals the broken heart.
It condemns sin, but offers forgiveness.
It exposes guilt, but provides righteousness.
It calls us to surrender, but gives freedom.
It calls us to die to self, but gives eternal life.
It tells us that we cannot save ourselves—and then introduces us to the One who can.
That is why the cross is simultaneously an offense and an attraction.
It is offensive to pride.
It is beautiful to the repentant sinner.
Truth Versus Error
The great controversy is ultimately a battle over truth.
Satan began with:
“Has God indeed said?”
—Genesis 3:1
The question challenged God’s Word.
It challenged God’s character.
It challenged God’s authority.
And the same strategy continues.
Satan still asks:
Has God really said?
He still seeks to make error appear attractive.
He still seeks to make truth appear oppressive.
He still blinds minds to the gospel.
He still attacks confidence in Scripture.
But Jesus said:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
—John 8:32
Truth does not enslave.
Truth liberates.
And Christ is the embodiment of truth.
Victory in Christ
The Christian’s victory therefore does not consist in winning arguments.
It consists in abiding in Christ.
It is possible to know correct doctrines and still possess the wrong spirit.
It is possible to defend truth while failing to reveal Christ.
It is possible to oppose error with an attitude that itself contradicts the gospel.
That is why the Christian must continually return to the cross.
The cross humbles us.
The cross cleanses us.
The cross reminds us that we are sinners saved by grace.
The cross teaches us to love those who oppose us.
The cross teaches us to deny self.
The cross teaches us to trust Christ.
The cross teaches us to stand for truth without becoming hateful.
The cross teaches us that victory belongs to God.
Spurgeon himself warned Christians not to create unnecessary offense through their own conduct. The cross already contains enough offense; we must not add our own.
That is an important lesson for the church today.
The Final Victory
The conflict will not continue forever.
Genesis 3:15 promised that the serpent’s head would ultimately be crushed.
Calvary accomplished the decisive victory.
The resurrection demonstrated Christ’s triumph.
And the final destruction of sin will bring the great controversy to an end.
Until then, however, the offense of the cross remains.
Truth will still confront error.
Righteousness will still confront sin.
Christ’s character will still expose Satan’s character.
And those who faithfully follow Jesus will sometimes experience the same hostility directed toward their Master.
But they need not be afraid.
The Christ who defeated Satan in heaven’s great conflict can defeat Satan in our lives.
The Christ who overcame temptation can give us victory over temptation.
The Christ who stood faithful before His accusers can give us courage.
The Christ who endured Gethsemane can sustain us in our darkest hour.
The Christ who remained upon Calvary can keep us when everything around us says to give up.
And the Christ who rose from the grave will ultimately destroy the kingdom of Satan.
The Two Spirits
The choice ultimately comes down to two spirits.
The spirit of Satan says:
“I will.”
The spirit of Christ says:
“Not My will, but Yours, be done.”
The spirit of Satan exalts self.
The spirit of Christ denies self.
The spirit of Satan deceives.
The spirit of Christ reveals truth.
The spirit of Satan enslaves.
The spirit of Christ sets free.
The spirit of Satan accuses.
The spirit of Christ intercedes.
The spirit of Satan destroys.
The spirit of Christ gives life.
And God’s grace creates in the sinner enmity against the spirit of Satan.
That is the miracle announced in Genesis 3:15.
The Invitation of the Cross
Perhaps the greatest question is not whether the cross offends the world.
It does.
The greater question is:
Does the cross offend us?
Does it offend our pride?
Does it offend our desire for independence?
Does it offend our self-righteousness?
Does it offend our cherished sins?
Does it offend our desire to control our own lives?
If so, that offense can become the beginning of salvation.
Because the cross is not merely God’s condemnation of sin.
It is God’s invitation to surrender.
Come to Christ.
Bring Him your guilt.
Bring Him your failure.
Bring Him your rebellion.
Bring Him your fear.
Bring Him your pride.
Bring Him your sin.
And let grace do what human strength cannot do.
Let Christ implant the new principle.
Let Him create enmity against Satan.
Let Him create love for righteousness.
Let Him restore the image of God.
Let Him teach you to stand.
Let Him teach you to love.
Let Him teach you to forgive.
Let Him teach you to deny self.
Let Him teach you to carry the cross.
Because the cross that the world calls foolishness is the very instrument God has chosen to reveal His wisdom.
The cross that exposes our helplessness is the cross that reveals Christ’s sufficiency.
The cross that condemns our sin is the cross that announces forgiveness.
The cross that calls us to die is the cross through which we receive life.
And the cross that Satan intended to be Christ’s defeat became Satan’s ultimate defeat.
So the offense of the cross has not ceased.
But neither has the power of the cross ceased.
The grace that created enmity in Eden is still available.
The blood that was shed at Calvary still speaks.
The Savior who conquered Satan still lives.
And the promise remains:
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
—1 Corinthians 15:57
The great controversy is real.
The enemy is real.
The deception is real.
The persecution is real.
But so is grace.
So is truth.
So is forgiveness.
So is victory.
And above everything else—
Christ is real.
The cross still stands.
And the invitation still goes forth:
Take up your cross. Follow Jesus. Stand in the truth. And overcome through the grace of Christ.
