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According to Ashley D. Wille’s My Journey Through the Cross, churches have long misrepresented the true Gospel of grace—and this also includes the meaning of the cross.
The cross has long been a prominent symbol of Christianity. People know it as the tool used to crucify Jesus Christ, but it means more than just a historical event.
For a lot of people, the cross is a personal and life-changing experience.
How the Church Has Misused the Cross
Although the genuine meaning of the cross hasn’t been forgotten, the Church can often use the cross as a symbol of power instead of humility. In many cases, it has become a flag for specific political or social groups, which goes against its message of love and peace.
This telegraphs across to people that the cross can be made into a tool to push people away instead of welcoming them. It can make the cross seem like it’s more about being powerful and popular and not about cultivating personal faith.
This turns the cross into a decoration, and people miss its message of change and the necessity of following Jesus.
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A Symbol of Love, Sacrifice, and Freedom
In actuality, the cross is a symbol of God’s love and grace.
It encapsulates the central tenet of the Christian message: because of Christ’s death, people can be saved and have a relationship with God.
The cross is a sign of great pain, but it’s also a sign of victory over sin and death. This is why it’s a powerful symbol.
It is a reminder to people that God is with them through their hard times. Always there, always willing to listen.
Thus, the cross is not just about the death of Christ. It is emblematic of his promise of a new life and freedom from sin. It is upon the cross where Jesus’s goodness is given to us in place of our brokenness.
In this way, metaphorically or otherwise, the cross becomes a way for people to change themselves, to bring themselves into the light. To pray beneath the shadow of the cross is to receive an invitation to let go of our most selfish desires and willingly accept the promise of Christ.
This idea is central to Christianity.
The cross isn’t just a symbol of love. It’s a stark reminder that there’s more to daily life than what we conceive of. It tells us that absolute freedom and meaning come not from what we get, but from what we give up for a higher purpose.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
From a Tool to an Icon
The history of the cross as a symbol is a journey. In the Roman Empire, crucifixion was a way to kill criminals. Early Christians were hesitant to display a symbol of such a shameful death. They often used a fish symbol (ichthys) to identify each other. The cross became a prominent symbol in the 4th century after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and ended crucifixion. This made the cross go from being a torture device to an emblem of victory. The cross became popular in art and devotion. Early images showed Christ alive, with a crown, to show his victory.
Later, art focused on Christ’s pain. This was common in the Middle Ages.
Over time, art of the cross changed to show the feelings of the Church. The crucifix, for example, which shows Jesus’s body on the cross, was created to focus on his suffering. This made it easier for believers to feel a personal connection to his pain. This change in art helped make the story of sin and salvation feel more real and personal.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
What the Cross Means to Many
The symbolism of the cross has many layers. Its two beams show the connection of two worlds: the divine and the human. The up-and-down beam points to God. The side-to-side beam shows our love for others and how Christ’s sacrifice reaches everyone. This design shows the two main rules: love God and love your neighbor. It also shows a process of personal growth, where a person’s faith journey (up-and-down) connects with their life in the world (side-to-side). The cross encourages a life of purpose and kindness.
The side-to-side beam also stands for bringing people together. It shows how we can be reconciled not only with God but also with other people and with nature. The cross’s message of love and forgiveness is for all relationships. It’s a call to end division, seek justice, and care for the earth.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
The Many Forms of the Cross
Christian faith has led to many kinds of crosses, each with its own meaning. The most common form that the cross takes is the Latin Cross, which is said to be more like the actual cross upon which Christ was crucified. There is also the Greek Cross, which has four arms of the same length. It’s a potent symbol in Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Christianity. Its shape is to represent the balance and the spread of the Gospel to the four corners of the earth. A variation of the Latin Cross is the Crucifix, which is simply a cross with Jesus’s body on it. It is a central symbol in Catholic and Orthodox traditions, focusing on Christ’s suffering. Then, there’s the Tau Cross, which is shaped like the letter “T,” and also called St. Anthony’s Cross. It is a symbol of humility and new spiritual life.
There are also other crosses with special meanings, like the Cross of Saint Peter. It’s an upside-down Latin cross, a symbol of humility, based on the story that Peter felt he was not worthy to die the same way as Jesus. These different crosses show the many ways people have understood and connected with the cross.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
These shapes show how people have expressed their faith. Each one points to Christ’s sacrifice, inviting people on a personal faith journey.
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To learn more, Ashley D. Wille’s book, My Journey Through the Cross, discusses this idea.
