Even before His ordeal at the crucifixion, Jesus Christ invited the human race to sacrifice their passions by taking up their cross in following Him (Luke 14:27). Paul declares, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). He further notes, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). So, how should we understand the symbolism of the cross?

Although various opinions may arise from this question, Sister Ellen G. White’s use of the term “cross” in relation to the gospel may help us clarify this matter: “Hold up the cross of Calvary. This will rebuke heathen philosophy and pagan idolatry. Lift up the cross of Calvary higher and still higher, as the identified reality of Christianity.”1 Should we interpret this text in a literal manner and parade the streets with crosses or decorate our churches and homes with it in an ornate display of our faith? Certainly not, as reading this text in full clarifies its meaning. “What we need is truth, present truth. Let the truth shine forth in its unmeasured superiority, in all the dignity and purity that distinguish true religion. An acquaintance with the Word of God will strengthen us to resist evil. . . . Let all our works, our every enterprise, show forth the sacred principles of the gospel.”2 In this passage, the cross seems to have been used as an ideal literary tool that most easily illustrates Christ’s sufferings to save humanity.

Like the New Testament author’s, Sister White used the cross as a literary symbol to convey Christ’s suffering as the means of redemption and what that requires from us today. “There has been so little self-denial, so little suffering for Christ’s sake, that the cross is almost entirely forgotten. We must be partakers with Christ of His sufferings if we would sit down in triumph with Him on His throne.”3 “Now many Protestants find it difficult to prove their doctrines from the Bible, and yet they have not the moral courage to accept the truth which involves a cross; therefore they are fast coming to the ground of Catholics, and, using the best arguments they have to evade the truth, cite the testimony of the Fathers, and the customs and precepts of men.”4

The cross did not always hold this meaning in the minds of God’s people. To the people of Christ’s day, the cross was a symbol of the power of Rome. “It was the instrument of the most cruel and humiliating form of death,” reserved for the vilest of criminals.5 In relation to Christ’s death, “the cross of Calvary shows how far Satan will carry his work.”6

“The crucifixion of Christ was a murder instigated by Satan and carried out by people who had separated themselves from God.”7 Christ Himself foresaw this malignant deed, declaring, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (John 14:30). The Spirit of Prophecy further reveals the satanic scenes on display at the cross: “By those who mocked Christ as He hung on the cross, Satan and his angels were personified. He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. He inspired their taunts.”8 Moreover, “the principalities and powers of darkness assembled round His cross. The arch apostate, still retaining his lofty stature, led the apostate host, who were leagued with human beings in the strife against God.”9

Unbeknown to the murderous throng, however, “companies of [holy] angels were marshaled in the air above the place.”10 Though “legions of evil angels were all about [Christ]; yet the holy angels were bidden not to break their ranks, and engage in conflict with the taunting, railing adversary, nor were they permitted to minister to the anguished spirit of the divine Sufferer. It was in this terrible hour of darkness, the face of His Father hidden, legions of evil angels enshrouding Him, the sins of the world upon Him, that from His pale lips were wrenched the words, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’”11

In that hour of apparent defeat, Christ gained the victory. Though Christ “had been rejected and condemned, and nailed to the ignominious cross . . . that cross, that instrument of shame and torture, brought hope and salvation to the world.”12 Thereafter, the cross took a new meaning, becoming the central theme of the apostles preaching. Let us take a moment to reflect on the reality of what took place there.

Colossians 1:20 tells us that it pleased the Father “to reconcile all things unto himself” by Christ who “made peace through the blood of his cross.” This makes it clear that it was through the blood shed on the cross that Christ, in reconciling the world to God, sealed the covenant of grace. Blood itself is a symbol of life (“for the life is the blood” Deuteronomy 12:23) and its shedding is an evidence of death. John’s words “unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Revelation 1:5) is a figurative way of saying that our purification from sin required the sacrifice of Christ’s life. Thus, the focus of the gospel message is the self-sacrificing death of Christ for our sins and our call to follow Him in the path of self-denial. This is the idea associated with the literary symbol of the cross. Today, however, many professed Christians have lost sight of the true meaning of the cross. They “claim to reverence the cross. They exalt the symbol of Christ’s sufferings,” but “in their lives they deny Him whom it represents.”13 The cross appears as an ornamental feature on many church buildings and on communion tables, making it a central object in Christian worship. “Everywhere it is outwardly honored and exalted. But the teachings of Christ are buried beneath a mass of senseless traditions, false interpretations, and rigorous exactions.”14

While we may not hold religious reverence for the object itself, what place, if any, should a material cross have in religious worship? To answer this question it may be helpful to understand the use of the cross in history.

The cross has been used as an astrological and religious symbol in both Eastern and Western civilizations for centuries. Magicians and astrologers have used it to reference the four cardinal points and the sun’s daily rotation.1 5 The Celtic cross, an emblem used by primitive pagan European civilizations, is still a current example of this.16

Archeological evidence shows the cross was a religious symbol for northern Europeans (i.e., Odin), the Egyptians (Isis), the Greeks (Bacchus), the Chaldeans (Bel or Baal), the native American Indian tribes (i.e., Aztecs), the Mongolians, the Tibetans, and many other civilizations. It could thus be considered a universal religious symbol for either pagans or Christians throughout the ages. George S. Tyack observed in his book, The Cross in Ritual, Architecture, and Art, that “It is strange, yet unquestionably a fact, that in ages long before the birth of Christ, and since then in lands untouched by the teaching of the Church, the Cross has been used as a sacred symbol.”17

The ankh is a cross found in Coptic Christianity. It has the upper vertical bar replaced by a loop that resembles an inverted tear drop. Egyptology reveals that the Ankh, also known as Crux Ansata, accompanied the goddess Sekhmet and the sun-god Ra as a symbol of perpetual life. The ankh was also the symbol of Ra’s authority, as the supposed bestower of life and the world, given to Pharaoh and his priests. While the Ankh’s T represents masculinity, its crowning O, the tear drop shape, illustrates femininity. Indeed, this cross symbolizes fertility and the act of conception.18

In the early Christian era, the apostles’ clear condemnation of idol worship is noteworthy in Paul’s visit to Athens: “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry” (Acts 17:16). In one of his letters, Paul warns the Corinthian believers on the subject: “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14). Again, Paul sends another exhortation to the Corinthian believers: “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:16). Given the ubiquitous use of the cross as a pagan symbol and given the admonition of God’s messengers against any relationship between His followers and paganism, it is understandable that there is virtually no record of the use of the cross in the early church.

The Jewish Encyclopedia suggests that the use of the cross as a religious symbol by Christians only began around two centuries after Christ’s death. As more and more pagans accepted Christianity as their new religion, they brought with it their customs and culture. In Egypt, following more than two centuries from its foundation by Mark the Evangelist at 42 C.E., the Coptic Church came to accept the Ankh as a Christian symbol.19 , 20 Only but recently has the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt replaced the Ankh with the Ethiopian cross as its symbol.21 During the 1st and 2nd centuries, there is no record that the early Christians used the cross as a symbol of their faith. In their day, the cross was an instrument used for a painful criminal public execution method. Rather than the instrument of death, the focus of their faith was the Christ who had died for them, had risen from the dead, and was alive forevermore in heaven. But after a time, a change came upon the faith of the early church. The Spirit of Prophecy explains, “the zeal of the believers began to wane, and their love for God and for one another grew less. Coldness crept into the church. Some forgot the wonderful manner in which they had received the truth. One by one the old standard-bearers fell at their post. Some of the younger workers, who might have shared the burdens of these pioneers, and thus have been prepared for wise leadership, had become weary of oft-repeated truths. In their desire for something novel and startling they attempted to introduce new phases of doctrine, more pleasing to many minds, but not in harmony with the fundamental principles of the gospel. In their self-confidence and spiritual blindness they failed to discern that these sophistries would cause many to question the experiences of the past, and would thus lead to confusion and unbelief.”22 From a.d. 200 onwards, Christians started to believe that the marking of a cross on the forehead would have the power to ward off demons. They also began to swear by the cross. As much as the Greek word stauro [pole or stake] was an abbreviation that scribes used for the cross, it became a widespread Christian symbol after the 4th century.23 - 25

In a.d. 312 a remarkable event triggered significant changes favoring Christianity; however, it led to its apostasy as well. Before the battle of the Milvian Bridge, where Constantine was to meet Maxentius’ much stronger forces, he allegedly had a vision of a heavenly cross of light bearing the inscription “In Hoc Signo Vinces” (“In this sign thou shalt conquer”). His victory solidified his power over the Roman Empire. Further, it opened the doors for Christianity to be the state religion.This fact coincided with adopting the cross as a Christian symbol and entry of pagan rites and customs into Christendom, such as the worship of images and saints and the notion of Sunday sacredness.26

Ellen G. White explains that “the nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.”27

In his book Babylon Mystery Religion, author Ralph Woodrow notes that: “It was not until Christianity began to be paganized (or, as some prefer, paganism was Christianized), that the cross image came to be thought of as a Christian symbol. It was in 431 that crosses in churches and chambers were introduced, while the use of crosses on steeples did not come until about 586.”28 Indeed, “the 1260 years of papal supremacy began with the establishment of the papacy in a.d. 538, and would therefore terminate in 1798.”29 This illustrates that cross usage seemed to have facilitated the assimilation of the new religion by the pagans. Excuses were mounting, and the 2nd commandment of God’s law started to be forgotten.

The historian Paul Corby Finney suggests another reason for the beginning of the use of the cross from the third century onwards: “The reasons for the non-appearance of Christian art before 200 have nothing to do with principled aversion to art, with other-worldliness, or with anti-materialism. The truth is simple and mundane: Christians lacked land and capital. Art requires both. As soon as they began to acquire land and capital, Christians began to experiment with their own distinctive forms of art.”30  The best explanation for the emergence of Christian art in the early church is the vital role of images in Greco-Roman culture. “As Christianity gained converts, these new Christians had been brought up on the value of images in their previous cultural experience and they wanted to continue this in their Christian experience.”31 However, “Not all the beauty of art can bear comparison with the beauty of temper and character to be revealed in those who are Christ’s representatives.”32 Bearing in mind the Old Testament prohibitions against idol worship, the use of sculptured images would become an ongoing problem in the history of Christianity.

Since humanity’s sinful fall, dark forces have been trying to confuse the minds of God’s followers. In the history of ancient Israel we can see how these forces, led by Satan, worked to destroy the true worship of God. “By leading [God’s people] into idolatry, [Satan] would destroy the efficacy of all worship; for how can man be elevated by adoring what is no higher than himself and may be symbolized by his own handiwork? If men could become so blinded to the power, the majesty, and the glory of the infinite God as to represent Him by a graven image, or even by a beast or reptile; if they could so forget their own divine relationship, formed in the image of their Maker as to bow down to these revolting and senseless objects—then the way was open for foul license; the evil passions of the heart would be unrestrained, and Satan would have full sway.”33 “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” (1 Corinthians 10:14, KJV), Paul exhorted his readers, no doubt aware of the corrupting influence of idol worship. “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:16, first part).

The natural tendency of the unconverted heart in worship is to revere the symbol in place of that which it symbolizes. This can be clearly seen in the bronze serpent Nehushtan. That bronze serpent had been built according to God’s plan to help His people to trust in Him in their time of need following centuries of bondage in Egypt (Numbers 21:8, 9). “They knew that there was no virtue in the serpent itself, but it was a symbol of Christ; and the necessity of faith in His merits was thus presented to their minds. Heretofore many had brought their offerings to God, and had felt that in so doing they made ample atonement for their sins. They did not rely upon the Redeemer to come, of whom these offerings were only a type. The Lord would now teach them that their sacrifices, in themselves, had no more power or virtue than the serpent of brass, but were, like that, to lead their minds to Christ, the great sin offering.”34

That metal serpent symbolized the Son of God (John 3:14, 15). However, that which in itself was designed for the good of God’s people, had become an idol. King Hezekiah, in his work of restoring the true worship of God, destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4). Considering God’s displeasure when a symbol created by Himself was worshiped in His stead, Christians can expect no less should they venerate the object of Christ’s martyrdom rather than Christ Himself.

Venerating the cross, rather than the One who was crucified upon it, has led to the idea that the cross differentiates Christians from other religions’ followers as the sacrifice altars marked God’s people in ancient times.35 This idea may also be related to a misinterpretation of Hebrews 13:10.36 Thus, we should also consider the uniqueness of the ancient Israelite altars.

God had provided clear instructions on how His altar should be built: “If thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it” (Exodus 20:25). Hence, Abel’s, Noah’s, Abraham’s and the altars of many others had no resemblance to the pagan ones of their times. This cannot be affirmed about the material cross.14, 17, 18, 19, 21 Whether it was for pagan usage or Christian usage, the cross is a manmade object rather than a naturally occurring one such as a stone. Current material crosses cannot therefore be considered a parallel replacement in Christian worship for ancient Israel altars.

The early Christians saw the reality of the cross in its most shocking colors (Acts 2:23; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 2:24). For them, the body of Christ, was the actual altar (Hebrews 13:10), the whole temple per se (Revelation 21:22; John 4:21–26; Matthew 26:61 and 12:6; John 2:21; 1 John 2:2).

A close examination of the writings of the Spirit of Prophecy further clarifies how the symbol becomes detrimental to a person’s faith when it is venerated as a substitute for that which it was intended to symbolize. “Papists place crosses upon their churches, upon their altars, and upon their garments. Everywhere is seen the insignia of the cross. Everywhere it is outwardly honored and exalted. But the teachings of Christ are buried beneath a mass of senseless traditions, false interpretations, and rigorous exactions.”37 Moreover, “as the Jews professed to revere the law, so do Romanists claim to reverence the cross.”37 In keeping with this chain of ideas, Ellen G. White provided her personal impressions of a close connection between revering the physical cross and the worship of statues and saints. On a visit to the Alps, she describes: “Old men who were tottering on the brink of the grave would cross themselves and bow low before the various images of Christ, the apostles, and the saints. I had never witnessed anything of the kind except in the heathen Chinese Joss houses, and this seemed to me but a little above the pagan worship. . . . I was forcibly reminded of the words of Paul at Athens when he exclaimed, ‘Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.’ ”38

We should also note Ellet J. Waggoner’s explanation of the role of the cross in the massive conversion of heathens to Catholicism. “When the Christian religion was narrowed down to the material cross, and to the making of the sign of the cross, and the heathen were told that this cross was represented everywhere and in everything, and that whatever prosperity they had while heathen was due to the ubiquitous figure of the cross, what was there to keep them from adopting it? They were convinced that Christianity was the universal religion—the religion of nature—and so they turned their temples into churches; the image which they had worshiped as Jupiter, they now worshiped as Christ; the cross became their household god; the vestal virgins gave place to nuns; the peripatetic philosophers became mendicant friars, and so eventually paganism became Roman Catholicism.”39

It should further be considered that: “This is the religion [Catholicism] which Protestants are beginning to look upon with so much favor, and which will eventually be united with Protestantism. This union will not, however, be effected by a change in Catholicism; for Rome never changes. She claims infallibility. It is Protestantism that will change. The adoption of liberal ideas on its part will bring it where it can clasp the hand of Catholicism.”40  As Protestants lose sight of the true meaning of the cross, and venerate the object in place of the One who died upon it, they will no doubt find common ground upon which to unite with Catholicism.

The usage of illustrative literary devices to convey a more complex message is recurrent when reading the Bible. From the Old to the New Testament, the Bible is full of illustrations aiding humans to understand God’s will. The cross-related issue could not be different. A careful interpretation of many texts from the Bible or the Spirit of Prophecy is required (i.e., 1 Corinthians 1:17 and Ref. 1)—otherwise certain truths can be distorted, and the true meaning of the text lost. Despite very few exceptions (Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:27), the synoptic gospels described the cross as an instrument of torture by which Christ died. However, Paul summarizes Christ’s suffering in a single word, the cross, in several of his letters to the recently converted Gentiles (i.e., Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians).

Therefore, we should remember that the act of crucifixion was how Rome demonstrated its power over all who were conquered. People were terrified by it. The Roman historian Appian reported that the surviving slaves from the Third Servile War were crucified throughout 105 miles, from Rome to Capua.41 The Jewish-Roman historian Josephus vividly depicts how crucifixion was used in Jerusalem’s destruction:

“They (the Jews) were first whipped, and then tormented with all sorts of tortures, before they died, and were then crucified before the wall of the city. . . . [The Romans] caught every day five hundred Jews; nay, some days they caught more . . . their multitude (the crucified Jews) was so great, that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses wanting for the bodies.”42

These facts help us understand that Paul did not have to write much besides “the cross” for the Gentiles of that time to realize that Christ had terribly suffered for our sins, and that, by His blood, we are atoned before the Father. Conversely, a Jewish readership did not require much poetic illustration about the cross. Its depiction is cruder, and its meaning more precise (see Hebrews 12:2 and 1 Peter 2:24). Taking Galatians 6:14 as an example, someone may replace “the cross” with “blood” or “suffering” and “crucified” by “dead” and soon realize that the text does not change its meaning. This singular exercise helps us to understand how Colossians 1:20 clarifies the meaning of Galatians 6:14 or Ephesians 2:16, or many other complex passages. It further explains why 1 Corinthians 1:17 has been misunderstood by some who take this verse out of its context in the letter or to the time that it was written (please compare 1 Corinthians 1:17 to 2:2). Such misinterpretation has led some early Christian writers to provide a dim view of the cross.

Tertullian, a prolific early Christian writer (a.d. 155–220), wrote that “a figure of the sins which the soil of the flesh brought forth for us, but which the power of the cross removed.”43 Here, sins are not cleansed by Christ’s blood anymore, but by the cross instead. Tertullian’s understanding about the cross is further found in the Catholic prayer “Stations of the Cross” (“Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.”)44 Tertullian also wrote “Ad omnem progressum atque promotum . . . frontem crucis signaculo terimus.” (On every step we take . . . we make the sign of the cross on our forehead.)45 Accordingly, Hippolytus of Rome (a.d. 170–235) established that the “sign of the cross” combined with “the trinitarian formula (In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti)”46 is an essential ritual in Christian liturgy and daily duties. Around the same time, the Carthage bishop Cyprian (200–258 C.E.) declared that the sign of the cross had had miraculous powers since antiquity: “when Moses, for the overthrow of Ama-lek, who bore the type of the devil, raised up his open hands in the sign and sacrament of the cross, and could not conquer his adversary unless when he had steadfastly persevered in the sign with hands continually lifted up.”47 ,  48 These examples illustrate how far off humans may go in trying to interpret God’s message, and how a single distorted idea may lead to a far more outlandish interpretation of the scriptures.

In clear contrast, a valid Bible message echoes the same tune throughout the millennia. As Isaiah (7th to 8th centuries B.C.E.) wrote, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16). And Zechariah (5th to 6th centuries B.C.E.) added, “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zechariah 13:6). And John the Apostle (6–100 C.E.) confirmed, “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands” (John 20:27). And Ellen White described, “Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion.”49 This beautiful chain of God’s inspired revelation has undergone more than two thousand years of human history unchanged. This heartbreaking message contains the proper understanding of the cross, which the apostle Peter synthesized well: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

The cross has been an ancient religious symbol that many streams of Christianity have adopted through the centuries. Although most Christians would agree that the heathen worship of the cross is against God’s holy law, a lesser number would realize that the focus of the Christian is to be the sacrifice of Christ and His suffering for our sins. Rather than the embellishing of churches with crosses or the body with amulets, Christianity is a personal call to a life of self-denial and fellowship with Christ in suffering. Human traditions have turned the symbol of this call into a mysterious relic. But for those who look beyond the relic to the word of God, they see Christ’s suffering and death on the cross as the foundation of their faith. For them the word of God alone is sufficient to establish their faith, for faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). May the blood of Christ and what its shedding on the cross means for us be the focus of our faith, as it is written: “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” and “having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself” (Hebrews 12:2; Colossians 1:20).