SIDES OF THE CROSS OF JESUS CRUCIFIED “But God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14) Both Paul and the world were crucified through the cross of Jesus crucified, but Paul and the world were not on the same side of the cross: Therefore, there are different sides of the cross of Jesus crucified. The two thieves were crucified with Jesus, one on his left hand side and the other on his right hand side; but only one of them was on the same side with Jesus in that day, when he was taken to Paradise (Luke 23:40-43). To understand the sides of the cross of Jesus crucified, let me re-introduce and differentiate among the uses of the word ‘TO’ the word ‘FOR’ and the word ‘WITH’ in connection to the sides of the cross and to dead men generally. When a man is said to have died, these three words, “for, with and to”, are used to further probe into the relative nature of his death, apart from the cause of his death. 1. He died ‘for’ whom or he died ‘for’ what? Is used to probe into the sacrificial aspect of his death or measure the value of his death relatively; 2. He died ‘with’ whom or ‘how many’ died with him? Is used to number him among his dead neighbors; 3. He died ‘to’ whom? This is more spiritual than the previous two, for the use of the word “to” in relation to the dead makes death a relative term, and not an absolute term or event. The word ‘To’ was used to describe the world as crucified to Paul and Paul as crucified to the world, even when both Paul and the world was yet physically alive (Galatians 6:14). Using the word ‘To’ in connection to the dead, a man may see one as dead, another man may see him as alive; to the one who sees him as dead, he is dead to him; and to the one who sees him as alive, to him he is alive. The word ‘to’ can be used to relate a living man as dead, and a dead man as living: Therefore, it is only God who can view a dead man and say he is living or view a living man and say he is dead, and he will always be correct in his use of the word, “To”: As it is written, “For none of us lives to himself, and no man dies to himself. For whether we live, we live to the Lord; and whether we die, we die to the Lord: therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” (Romans 14:7-9) So it is possible and recommendable to be dead to sin, and at the same time alive to God (Romans 6:11): This describes the best side of the cross of Jesus crucified; for even Jesus who died on the cross died to sin once, so anyone who is on the same side with Jesus crucified, will also be on the side that is dead to sin: As it is written, “For in that he died, he died to sin once: but in that he lives, he lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:10-11). No man living to sin is on the same side with Jesus Crucified, for he became sin who knew no sin so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him, not to be made sinners again in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). 1. To use the word, ‘For’ to relate Jesus crucified with the world, ‘Jesus died for the world, because God so loved the world’; 2. To use the word, ‘With’ to relate Jesus crucified with the world, ‘Jesus died with the world, for he was sent into the world to be numbered among them as transgressors, and the dead buried their dead’; 3. To use the word, ‘To’ to relate Jesus crucified with the world, ‘Jesus died to the world and the world died to Jesus, for they are no longer on the same side after his resurrection. To be on the same side with Jesus crucified today, which is the side crucified to the world, is to be alive to God or live to God; not to be alive to the world or live to the world: Jesus crucified was once having something with in common with the world, when he ceased to have something in common with the thieves crucified with him – that thing he had in common with the world was being dead with world, because all were dead. But when he rose from death, he ceased to have anything in common with the world. Therefore, 1. What Jesus had in common with the two thieves crucified with him, was facing the same condemnation of Pilate and his soldiers; but when he died, he no longer had anything in common with the thieves in terms of the condemnation, except what he had in common with one of them in Paradise. 2. What Jesus had in common with the world of sin was the death of sin, even though he knew no sin: He was dead as all the world were dead because of sin to God; but when he rose from the dead, he no longer had anything in common with the world, because of whom he is now alive to. The world is still on the other side of the cross of Jesus crucified. The church is collection of men and women who rose with Jesus from the deadness of the world: As it is written, “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:12-14). Cease to be dead in sin, and become dead to sin: whoever is dead in sin is, not dead to sin; and whoever is dead to sin, is not dead in sin.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 07:21:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015