Cruciformity - Shaped by the Cross
Cruciformity. It’s a strange word. When something is cruciform, it’s in the shape of the cross.
In many places, church buildings are designed in the shape of a cross. In the dark ages, soldiers had their swords shaped like a cross to remind them who they fought for. And for Christians throughout the ages, the cross became the definitive symbol woven into fabric, imprinted on shields, and placed in prominence for worship.
But I’ll never forget seeing Michael Gorman’s book entitled Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross. The title intrigued me: a spirituality shaped by the cross. I had been thinking about what would shape my spirituality. Working hard? Good deeds? Asceticism? The pursuit of pleasure?
And then I read 1 Corinthians 2. For Paul, he said it well: “For I desired to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Paul was shaped by the cross. It wasn’t merely a symbol to replicate. It was the very instrument by which his life would be conformed into the image of Christ.
For Paul, all of life was shaped by the cross. Nothing was left untouched. A crucified Messiah changed everything. Consider a few examples:
Marriage - when appealing to believers to show Spirit-filled lives, he describes marriage as husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the Church, giving himself for her.
Generosity - when encouraging the Corinthians to follow through in caring for those in need, he reminded them of God’s greatest gift in Christ - he who was rich became poor so that by his poverty, we might become rich.
And the examples could go on. From hospitality to forgiveness, Paul was shaped by the cross.
Cruciformity, then, is an acknowledgement that the atoning work of Jesus Christ must be the defining shape of our lives. And that’s what this blog is all about.
