Monday, November 16, 2009

What does it mean to be Crucified with Christ?


"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Galatians 2:20

I love what Oswald Chambers has to say...(From Nov 3 My Utmost for His Highest)

These words mean the breaking of my independence with my own hand and surrendering to the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. No one can do this for me, I must do it myself. God may bring me up to the point three hundred and sixty-five times a year, but He cannot put me through it. It means breaking the husk of my individual independence of God, and the emancipating of my personality into oneness with Himself, not for my own ideas, but for absolute loyalty to Jesus. There is no possibility of dispute when once I am there. Very few of us know anything about loyalty to Christ - "For My sake." It is that which makes the iron saint.

Has that break come? All the rest is pious fraud. The one point to decide is - Will I give up, will I surrender to Jesus Christ, and make no conditions whatever as to how the break comes? I must be broken from my self-realization, and immediately that point is reached, the reality of the supernatural identification takes place at once, and the witness of the Spirit of God is unmistakable - "I have been crucified with Christ."

The passion of Christianity is that I deliberately sign away my own rights and become a bond-slave of Jesus Christ. Until I do that, I do not begin to be a saint.


Taking your place with Christ on the cross is something that very few are willing for...they will not fully identify with Christ because they still hold back something. of the world, sin or self. I remember my own struggle with willingness and although I wanted to live the victorious Christian life I wasn't willing to come to Christ for that life. I tried all the different methods and tricks in order to live a life of victory but I always failed, which was be God's grace. My act of unbelief in His finished work kept me from the abundant life and the lies of satan who steals that life (John 10:10) made me think that being fully consecrated with Christ was going to be less then desirable. I would say I was 95% His and still 5% my own yet the words of Jesus would cut me with the accuracy and truth of this particular verse.

Mat 6:24 "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can't serve both God and Mammon. (HNV)

What are you going to do today? Can you go on and on living and struggling with the skewed Christian life that many churches teach where many well meaning Pastors are still struggling with sin or are you going to come to Christ for life and live the "Normal Christian Life" where the struggle with sin is no longer a problem because you are now living in the new covenant(Eze 36:26). The New Covenant where God promised that He would cause us to walk in His ways (Eze 36:27). Take the time today to go to the Holy Spirit and ask Him why you are not willing to be fully identified with Christ...then rest in the goodness of God and stop struggling against Him and be freed from the entanglement of living under the weight of sin, self and the world's system...but only do so if you are willing.

1 comment:

Pamela D said...

I don't like this! I LOVE this! Thanks