Discussion Thread: Cruciformity
Approximately what percentage of the book was read in preparation for this discussion?
One hundred percent of the book Cruciformity Today: Challenges to, and the Challenges,
of the Cross was read in preparation for this discussion.
What do you believe the central premise of the book was? On what basis did you make this
conclusion (provide support from the book and explain)? Do you think the author
convincingly made his point?
The book’s central premise is to show the correlation between Paul’s personal experience
with God and the intersection of the cross. Gorman says. “We attempt in this book, then, to
understand Paul’s experience of God, mediated by the cross of Christ, as one of cruciform faith,
love, power, and hope, and to do so with an eye on how that experience may challenge us today.1
I come to this conclusion when Paul states, “For I determined not to know anything among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” ( 1Cor.2:2 King James Version). Gorman wants the readers
to understand the experience Paul has with God. The author submits evidence to validate his
point convincingly. “For Christians, spirituality is a relationship with the triune God that impacts
their daily life with others. For almost 2000 years, thanks to Paul, it has been described as a life
1 Michael J. Gorman, Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.:
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), 7.
of faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13). Our goal as Christians is to deny ourselves, casting away
2
our lives, taking up the cross that we must bear, imitating the life and death of Christ.
Do you believe this book emphasizes the crucifixion too much to the extent that it neglects
the resurrection? Why or why not?
No, the book does not emphasize the crucifixion too much to the extent that it neglects
the resurrection. The two events are intertwined; you can’t have one without the other. If there is
no crucifixion, there can be no resurrection. Paul states, “ That I may know him, and the power
of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”
( Phil. 3:10 KJV). Paul states that he wants to know God. The Greek word for knowing is
Ginosko – to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel, understand, and
experience.3 Paul also wants to experience the power of His resurrection. He wants the power to
speak to a dead situation and to act with healing power. That same power that raised Jesus from
the dead; Paul wants the same power operational in his life. How do we activate the resurrection
power residing in us in the person of the Holy Spirit? We must believe in our hearts that the
resurrection power is alive. We must verbally speak and proclaim resurrection power. Then, we
must put our faith and beliefs into action.
2 Ibid., 3.
3
https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/ginosko.html
The presence and power of the Spirit is a fundamental dimension of the experience
of Paul and his communities. “For Paul, the Spirit, as an experience and living reality, was
the crucial matter for Christian life, from beginning to end.”
4
“In other words, the Spirit is life because the Spirit transforms death into life. The Spirit of life is
the transforming Spirit. As James Dunn writes, Paul experiences both the power of the Spirit as
the power of life beyond death … a power which is superior to the forces of corruption and death
… [and] the power of the Spirit as the power of life out of death … a power which enables him
… to crucify himself in his fleshness (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:24) even while living “in the flesh.”5
(1 John 4:4 KJV) “greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.” The verse is to help
those of us experiencing difficulties in life. Whether we are dealing with a bad situation at our
job, or a friend has failed us and let us down. We can use this passage of scripture to overcome
any obstacle we may have. Paul urges us to use all the gifts that God has given us. I am reminded
of a statement I heard many years back. The statement is one of the wealthiest places in the
world is the cemetery. The reason why is that there is so much untapped potential buried there.
As we grow with grace and mercy, let us utilize the resurrection power within us to win souls for
Christ.
4 Ibid., 52.
5
Ibid., 55.
