I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
— Galatians 2: 20
The Bible teaches that when a person is truly born-again, they are a new creature with a new nature and a new life.
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things have passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5: 17, 18.
Satan does all he can to keep a person from coming to the light of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and getting saved, (2 Corinthians 4: 4) and after they get saved, he does all he can to turn them around and keep them from moving forward.
There are some that make a profession of Christ that soon after their so-called conversion are back to living as sinful as before. Peter depicts these:
“The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
— 2 Peter 2: 22
The habits of such false converts never changed because they never had a change of heart.
But the true born-again believer meets up with things such as persecution and trials that make them want to turn around and question if following Christ is worth all the hardships they go through.
But the Christian must remember that they are crucified with Christ. To be crucified means we’re facing only one direction; the direction of God and aren’t looking back nor going back.
A crucified man has said goodbye to his past because he is finished with his old life. Another thing about the man on the cross is he has no further plans of his own.
The Christian who says “I’m crucified with Christ” knows that Christ is making all his plans for him.
Noted author and theologian A.W. Tozer said: “If I see aright, the cross of popular evangelicalism is not the cross of the New Testament ... The old cross slew men, the new cross entertains them. The old cross condemned; the new cross amuses. The old cross destroyed confidence in the flesh; the new cross encourages it.”
Only the old cross accomplishes the work of Christ.
James H. Cagle is a Ray City resident who pastored several churches for a total of 11 years. Email him at pastorjameshcagle@ yahoo.c om
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