The defining principle undergirding living the christian life is self sacrifice. How serious one's commitment is to the savior is made obvious by how much one is willing to give. Jesus is the one who introduced the whole concept when he told His first followers "Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."(Matt 10:36) First thoughts of this taking up of crosses generates images of Marine Corps drill sergeants, or for women, what's involved in the push to care for small children while holding down a full time job! The thought is "it will be hard, but doable." Take up my cross? How hard is that? I'll just clench my teeth and do it!
The bad news is, it's actually much worse than that! When Jesus spoke these words, the cross was the favored method of execution. One reason it was used was that besides killing the one suspended from it, it also made a public spectacle of their death agony. Witnesses of the event were also being taught what not to do by seeing what they had to look forward to if they repeated the same error! You were supposed to be very afraid of that happening! What kind of respect could be maintained by anyone involved in this extremity? You weren't supposed to want to repeat this, or God forbid, volunteer to go through it! Yet that is exactly what Jesus is saying we need to do! He's saying we need to die!
Further illumination on the spiritual meaning may be gained by comparison with another of Christ's analogies where He told Nicodemus, "You must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven." If you remember the response of Nicodemus, he was bewildered, wondering aloud how such a physical reality could be accomplished!
What Jesus is speaking of is the total change of perception, perspective, and worldview that comes from leaving unbelief to live by faith. What Jesus is saying is that the old guy, the one affiliated with the world, has to die!He does not pass away quietly. A new creation, a bond servant of Christ, has to be born! It is done publicly as a witness to others!
A new mind will be obvious in all following behavior. Now comes the actual living of the faith written of with such sublime poetry in the Bible. "But 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."(Gal 6:14) "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."(1 John 5:4) We are now free! "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are (born) in Christ Jesus......who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Rom 8:1,4) Let's celebrate because we have died and all things are now new!
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