The Cross-Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing

by C.J. Mahaney

Remember Jesus Christ? Although it seems almost too obvious, the center of our faith is surprisingly easy to forget. Dynamic pastor C.J. Mahaney shows how to overcome our tendency to move on from the gospel of grace. Finding joy in the gospel -- whose promises allow us to escape condemnation whenever it attacks -- helps us avoid the prevalent trap of legalism. With practical suggestions, Mahaney demonstrates the difference between knowing the gospel... and making it the main thing in daily decisions and daily living.

What Are You Centered On?

Sometimes the most important truths are the easiest to forget. It’s time to get back to the starting point of the Christian life—the cross of Christ. Jesus’ work on your behalf must be the central motivation for your life and faith—the main thing.

“Never move on,” says C.J. Mahaney, who shows you how to center every day around the cross of Calvary and how to escape the pitfalls of legalism, condemnation, and feelings-driven faith.

Tap into the gospel’s power and see how a cross centered focus can transform your life today!

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Devotional

97 pages, Kindle Edition

About the author

C.J. Mahaney leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to establish and support local churches. He spent 27 years pastoring Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

He currently co-hosts the Together for the Gospel conference with Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Albert Mohler and serves on the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, and on the boards of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood and the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation.

Reviews

[Ashley Harp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, practical advice. Need to read it again. Maybe multiple times a year. Never tire of reminding yourself of the gospel.

[Patrick Lacson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book that explains our blindness to inadvertent Law-keeping that nullifies the work of Christ on the cross.

Mahaney explains a helpful definition of legalism: Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance by God through obedience to God (chapter 3).

Mahaney observes the consequences of such thinking, "Legalism claims that the death of Jesus on the cross was either unnecessary or insufficient. It essentially says to God, ‘Your plan didn’t work. The cross wasn't enough and I need to add my good works to it to be saved.’"

This is a helpful and practical book that demonstrates the work of Christ as the source and cure for many non-Christians who believe in self-works righteousness. Unfortunately, that same mindset holds many Christians captive still.

Read it and rejoice in what Christ has done on your behalf.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book belongs on that list that you read regularly... once a year or more so. It serves as a simple reminder of the affect of the Truth of what Christ has done for me - and drives home the fact that the Gospel is not just for the unsaved - quite the contrary actually.

[Mark Christenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus, keep me near the cross.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book, but a powerful reminder to live in the light of the gospel daily. I found this a very helpful reminder of keeping the main thing the main thing.

[Hannah Dye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful, concise reminder that we never graduate from the gospel!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book marked a defining moment in my relationship with God. It clearly defined for me the difference between justification (Christ's redemptive act that allows me to stand holy before God...permanently) and sanctification (the Holy Spirit's continued act of making more more like Christ). Since I'm justified, I do not have to continually feel guilty for my sin. There is no condemnation for me because of my Savior!

Which brought me to another realization...that God is not sad when I sin. He cannot be sad because He has chosen to overlook my sin, since His son paid the price for it. He desires for me to be holy, but I do not have to carry around the guilt of not living up to His high expectations. My righteousness is like rags to Him. My acceptance of His Son is all that He requires of me.

I have never been more grateful for the cross. Even when I enter into sin, I now can turn away from it and instead of feeling guilty, I feel completely in awe of the One who chooses to make me holy, despite my obvious flaws.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an abridgment of a (slightly) longer work. But despite it brevity, it packs a punch! There is nothing here that I haven't read elsewhere (more than once!), but the author's perspective and enthusiasm for the topic is refreshing and exciting. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am planning to read the longer book later this year or next year.

[Cale Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sometimes the most obvious truths are the ones we need to be reminded of the most.”
We need reminded often of the centrality of the cross. One of the things the author says that a cross-centered life helps us guard against is false views of God and our relationship with him. Keeping the gospel central will help us guard against the dangers of legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism. He also gives some practical advice on how to keep the cross central in your life. He also explains how the cross helps us see everything in its proper perspective—the Old Testament, the Second Coming, prayer, holiness, relationships, and suffering. This book is a very good reminder with a lot of great quotes.

[Caleb Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Main argument: keeping the cross of Christ central combats three dangers to our faith—legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism. This book helps cut through the fog and sustain weary saints with joy in the gospel.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in high school. It’s good.

[Tristan Chabanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful reminder that, “every day of our Christian experience should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace.”

[Anna]

A nice, short refresher / apologetics introduction. Not the biggest fan of the two dramatic interpretations of Bible passages, but the rest of the book was quite good.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, but rich read on the cross and why it is central to the life of every Christian everyday.

[Mikayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightfully short, well done and gave me a lot of food for thought.

[Sydney Herron · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to live a cross centered life, our days must be centered around the message of the cross. Christians never grow past the gospel - it is the reason for everything we do. The final chapter is a great reminder that we must continue to preach the gospel to ourselves daily. CJ lists five ways we can do this: We can memorize the gospel, pray the gospel, sing the gospel, review how the gospel has changed us, and study the gospel.
This is a book that deserves to be read and re-read, as we all need to be reminded of the importance of the centrality of the gospel - “Sometimes the most obvious truths are the ones we need to be reminded of the most” (pg. 15).

[Chas Morse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book ... really helps with your focus in day to day Christian living (sanctification) as we walk in the newness of life. A very quick read and full of great quotes and helps. Chas Morse

[Al Garlando · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the essential elements of the gospel.
Excellent counsel in the last chapter about "how" to keep preaching the gospel to yourself (& others!).
The only point I would add/change is to add an extra area that talks about recognizing the gospel at work in the lives of each other within the context of a gospel-based community (aka church, aka fellowship, etc)

[Brian Nicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeping the main thing the main thing is the main thing that must happen in the life of a believer. What is the main thing? The Gospel. The Cross. The penal substitutionary atonement accomplished at Calvary that we so easily forget. C. J. Mahaney writes a magnificently simple book with a profoundly important message: live a cross centered, gospel centered, Christ centered life!

[Philip Mcduffie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful reminder. It has been a while since I have picked up a book that simply taught the importance of remembering the most fundamental truth in all the world. That truth is, "Jesus Christ has died for my sins." This should be on our mind continually. Everyday should be a day of exulting in what Christ has once and for all accomplished for us in his life, death, and resurrection.

[Christopher David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book three times now and every time there is some new take away. What C J Mahaney has done in these few pages is nothing short of brilliant. This is a book that will challenge, convict and ultimately change you. Without doubt one of the best books on Gospel centrality.

[José Roberto Marte Nuñez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es hermoso

Es increíble un librontan pequeño y tan poderoso, que hermoso es cada palabra sobre la cruz de Cristo y como debemos poner siempre nuestra mirada en el sacrificio de Cristo

[junia]

will *hopefully* read with my sister.

[Christopher Brehm · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lacking the full emphasis and exploration of all of Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension. Too much focus on only one aspect is not healthy.

[Amy Kannel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book has so profoundly influenced my life.

[Helen Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to keep your Christian life in focus

[Havebooks Willread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really an excellent, quick read to remind one of what is truly most important: Christ, and Him crucified so that I can live forgiven.

My very favorite quote: "Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself. We can either listen to ourselves and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He’s accomplished for us at the cross. Are you going to build your life on what you feel or on what is real?"

Other quotes:
--"We make time for what we truly value. We build habits and routines around the things that really matter to us. This is an important principle to understand as we seek to build our lives around the gospel. Do you want a cross centered life? A cross centered life is made up of cross centered days."
--"effectiveness in your relationships are directly tied to your understanding of the cross. Because of sin, relational conflict is inevitable. You’ll sin against others. They’ll sin against you. You’ll need to forbear with others. You’ll need to forgive. Your relationships with others must be based on your relationship to God through the cross. Ephesians 4:32 states, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” When I become bitter or unforgiving toward others, I’m assuming that the sins of others are more serious than my sins against God. The cross transforms my perspective. Through the cross I realize that no sin committed against me will ever be as serious as the innumerable sins I’ve committed against God. When we understand how much God has forgiven us, it’s not difficult to forgive others. God’s been patient with me so I can be patient with others. God has forgiven me so I can forgive others. God’s grace is changing me so I can trust that he can also change others. There’s so much more that can be said. This is just a brief introduction to the transforming effect of the cross on every one of our relationships. But the point is simple yet powerful. If you’re single, live a cross centered life. If you’re married, build a cross centered marriage. If you have children, practice cross centered parenting. The “practical” stuff flows from the “central” stuff."
--"three main tendencies that can draw our hearts away: 1. Legalism, which means basing our relationship with God on our own performance. 2. Condemnation, which means being more focused on our sin than on God’s grace. 3. Subjectivism, which means basing our view of God on our changing feelings and emotions."
--"The woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears was someone who had repented of her sins. This isn’t her first encounter with Jesus. No doubt she had listened to Him teach, and had found in His words the hope for forgiveness and cleansing no one else was willing to grant her. When we meet her she has already believed in Jesus and turned away from her old life. This is not the account of her salvation; rather, this is a beautiful expression of Christian worship born of her love, adoration, and thankfulness toward her Savior. She recognizes her sin and unworthiness, and weeps deeply. But here’s what is so important for us to see. Her tears are not tears of condemnation. She weeps because her guilt is gone. She loves much because she’s been forgiven much. These are tears of joy, gratitude, and extravagant devotion."

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastor Mahaney wrote this little book to remind Christians that the Gospel isn’t just a one-time message to bring us to faith in Christ and salvation. It’s a message to live by daily, to take us joyfully and steadily through this life and into the next. After reading many of the New Testament letters of Paul, you should notice that the cross is a central theme. He wasn’t content to preach about the death of Christ for sinners just to unbelievers to get them saved; he continually preached it to the believers to whom his letters were written.

Unfortunately, many Christians after hearing and believing the Gospel seem to put it on a shelf and move on to what they may think are more relevant and practical matters as they walk the Christian path. But the Gospel is always relevant; it helps us to keep our focus on the reason and object of our faith. Mahaney comments,

"In our never-ending desire to move forward and make sure that everything we do, say, and think is relevant to modern living, too many of us have stopped concentrating on the wonders of Jesus crucified. Too many of us have fumbled the most important truth of the Bible, and therefore we’ve suffered the consequences."

Mahaney believes that if we lose sight of the Gospel, there is a likelihood of falling into one of three mindsets which he identifies: legalism, condemnation, and subjectivism. He takes a chapter to discuss each of these tendencies, sprinkling in some examples from his own personal experience. Let me share a little bit on each of them here.

Legalism can sneak in as a Christian begins to think that his obedience and service to God somehow earn him more love, approval, or acceptance by God. Do you see how this attitude undermines the importance of Christ’s death? If I believe that my performance in any way earns merit from God, then what I’m really saying is that Christ’s death was insufficient. Attending and being actively involved at church, reading the Bible, giving sacrificially to various ministries, witnessing to the lost – all of these are wonderful and even necessary activities to be engaged in. But as Mahaney puts it, we can so easily turn “what God intended to be a means of experiencing grace…into a means of earning grace.” Here Mahaney takes some time to briefly explain the important difference between justification and sanctification – terms that every Christian needs to understand. Justification occurs at the time we are converted; it’s the one-time pronouncement by God of our being “not guilty” because of the work of Christ on our behalf. On the other hand, sanctification is the ongoing process of becoming more holy, and it’s a process that continues throughout our life on earth.

Condemnation can affect any Christian, not just the “really sinful” ones. It’s basically the weight that plagues a person who harbors a sense of guilt, shame, regret or failure for something in the past or present. While claiming to believe in Christ’s death for his sin, this person cannot seem to accept the free forgiveness of God that Christ earned for him. If your sin overshadows the work Christ accomplished on your behalf, this is not honoring to God. We’re not saying to deny the fact that you’re a sinner; the truth is, you must come to grips with the reality of your sinful condition if you are ever to be saved. However, Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” and Mahaney states, “God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned.” If God’s Word promises that you have been forgiven if you believe in Christ, why won’t you forgive yourself?

Subjectivism is basically when we base our decisions and behavior on how we feel rather than what we know to be true. Humans are emotional beings, but unfortunately like every other aspect of the natural man, our emotions have been affected by sin. On top of that, our feelings are always changing. Much of the time, we have to fight the tendency to react to situations based on our feelings at the time. We let our circumstances dictate how we behave and what we say. As Mahaney puts it, “we let our view of God and life be shaped by our constantly shifting feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. On the other hand, God and His truth never changes. When situations arise that tempt us to look around and within us for an answer, we must keep the Gospel foremost in our thinking and let it govern our decisions and attitudes, looking outward and upward to Christ.

Mahaney next offers several practical suggestions to help us keep the Gospel central in our everyday lives:
1. Memorize the Gospel - Some key passages that speak of Christ’s accomplishment for His people are suggested.
2. Pray the Gospel - “The gospel should be woven in throughout our praise, our petition, and our intercession.”
3. Sing the Gospel – Find times in your day to listen to hymns and worship music.
4. Review how the Gospel has changed you – Write out your personal testimony! Share it with others!
5. Study the Gospel – 2 Peter 3:18 encourages believers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Along with of course making the commitment to read through the entire Bible, Mahaney offers a short list of recommended books.

Every Christian should be a student of theology, which is simply the study of God. Of course, the topics related to God and the Bible are many and wide which we may be interested in delving into, but none are as important as the gospel itself. Mahaney explains that “The gospel isn’t one class among many that you’ll attend during your life as a Christian – the gospel is the whole building that all the classes take place in!”

[Jon Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In C.J. Mahaney's book The Cross Centered Life, the author shows how why and how every Christian should look at their life as a whole---through the lens of the cross. At first I found the book to be a bit disorganized. But when I got to the end everything came together. There were some especially helpful chapters on dealing with emotions and dealing with trials. I thoroughly recommend this book to all Christians, especially for newer Christians. It's a good introduction to what Christianity is all about and how to live life the way Jesus did, gaining the most satisfaction and giving the most from self.

[Janessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's interesting because I was given this book about a month or so ago from a sister in Christ but because I was in the middle of four books (a bad habit) I ignored it. God has a way of getting our attention; for the past several months I've really been struggling with legalism, condemnation, and overcoming my emotions which Mahaney addresses directly in the majority of this book. It took me a couple tries to start reading the book and I was going to set it down but something in me kept nudging me to be diligent to read. I'm glad I did because it really defined for me the difference and relation between justification and sanctification which I really needed to understand.