“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.”
- Galatians 5:24
We believe as Christians that when Jesus died on the cross, and we become followers of Him, our life in a sense is no longer our own. Not that our lives are much ours when we are slaves to our sinful desires, but we then change our master to be Jesus. It is a strange paradox.
Our sinful nature makes us believe we are in full control of ourselves, even though sin is our master.
Yet, when we make Christ our master, devoting our entire self to Him, we become a fuller version of our self than ever before.
No longer are we identified by the brand of sin that has been entrenched into our humanity, but rather we marked from within us as Christ representatives, adopted into the Holy Family.
Initial Crucifixion:
Christ is our Redeemer, our Reconciler, and our Restorer. He became the perfect sacrifice so He can take our place and overcome death for us. Two thousand years ago when Jesus was carrying the cross, He was actively bearing our burden, taking the punishment we rightfully deserve. The leaders could not stand Him, the zealots desired Him, and many of the disciples had deserted Him. He alone bore our punishment, and in doing so unlocked a door for us that we could have New Life. This is not just a New Life later in Paradise, but rather it is New Life now! New Life that no longer is bound to sin but rather bound to freedom in Christ, to serve and love God all our days, which is what the true self was always meant for.
Christ is the initial crucifixion. He died to self, more than anyone ever could, because as God, He humbled Himself by taking on human flesh and bone. What a beautiful image it is to follow a God who is so cosmically great, and yet gets on our level to care for us.
Along with Christ, we too have an initial crucifixion to make. I would not say this is our conversion moment, or when we say the prayer, or even at the baptism with water. Rather it is the baptism of the heart that I believe this crucifixion happens. It is when we truly realize that we can do NOTHING without Christ. That He has called us to be His disciples and follow Him all the days of our lives. To follow Him is to take Him at His Word. So when He says,
“Yes, and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and ill have eternal life in the world to come.” – Luke 18:29-30
Do we take Christ seriously when he talks about the cost of being a true disciple?
When we truly believe the Way of Jesus is the only way to live our life, that is our initial crucifixion.
Daily Crucify:
Now are we perfect from that moment moving forward? Do we become infallible and immune to sin? No.
That is why daily we must crucify our selves for the twisted desires we get. You cannot live the sexually pure life God has called us to and still watch porn. You cannot be poor in spirit, highly dependent on God, and still try to do everything by your own strength. You cannot worship God and God alone if you are still worshiping politics/sports/celebrities/video games/photography/art/music/and do I have to go on.
To clarify, sex is great when enjoyed in the confines of a Biblical union of man and woman in marriage. We still individually have work to do but it is out of God who guides and sustains us. We can still engage in politics, sports, pop culture, video games, photography, art, music, and more if God remains our top priority and love.
But daily we must seek the victory that is from God so that way we can overcome our inner sinful self, and continually mold our likeness after the model of Christ. Daily I seek victory to overcome my pitfalls.
We must look to Christ.
Final Blessing:
Christ is our Good News. It means no longer are we stuck to the trap and lie that sin tells us. It tells us we are free, but we are in a snare. Christ freed us to follow Him, will you pick up your cross today and follow Him? Pursue the victory over sin and death? I know I am, and I remind myself every hour right now to get “The Victory that is from Christ my Lord.” I beg you to do the same, pursue the victory that is from Christ.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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