I Am Crucified With Christ

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Hi B____,

I am gratified that you are beginning to see that “that old serpent [has indeed] deceived the whole world.”

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

You ask:

“… why do you call this strong meat – “But strong meat [‘I am crucified WITH CHRIST’]? I do not understand. I know the verse, and yes, believe it, but I now know I have been a babe who knew the word in context for 10 years, but not a mature Christian.”

I call the teaching of being crucified with Christ ‘strong meat’ because that is what it is. When we are “crucified with Christ,” we are also “risen with Him to live in newness of life.”

Gal 2:20  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.

Being crucified with Christ is not something we are to aspire to someday, rather it is something which we are to be living daily.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Almost all Christian ministers and their followers give lip service to being crucified with Christ, but the very meaning of being crucified with Christ is to die to self and to live the words of Christ. Now you tell me, how many orthodox Christian ministers really mean it when they say that they believe that you should love your enemies. They all with one voice affirm that you and I should “obey the laws of the land and go and kill our nation’s enemies. If that means Christians killing Christians, then so be it. However, if it only means Christians killing Arabs then that, to most so called Christians, is a no brainer.” As one very learned scholar of God’s Word put it: “To take Christ’s Words to  mean that we ought to love our national enemies is foolish at best and suicidal at worst.” To this man and to most Christians, ‘love thine enemies’ means ‘unless he really is your enemy and means you bodily harm, in which case you can kill your enemy.’

So you see, very few people are willing to be “crucified with Christ.” Like Peter they are more than willing to die for Him, they just cannot believe that He actually meant it when he told Peter, “All who take up the sword shall die by the sword.”

Mat 26:52  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Like most all Christians today, Peter, who had heard Christ teach this same message for three and one half years, was willing to die for Jesus, but He was not able to digest the strong meat of dying with Christ.

This is but one of many of Christ’s doctrines which are despised by the masses of “historical orthodox Christianity.” Many Christians believe that Christ died for them so that they do not have to die. That is anything but scriptural. If that were so, how could Paul say that he “dies daily.” How could he say that he “fills up what is behind of Christ’s afflictions”? We “lay down our lives for our friends”, and we “fill up what is behind of Christ’s afflictions” when we simply take time to help others, especially those we consider our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Christ did not die to sin so that we could live in it. He died to sin so that He could live His life in us and so that we, too, could, with Him in us, also die to sin. Christ lived a life of service. His greatest service was to His own disciples in setting for them an example of a life of service of fidelity to the words of His Father. Listen to the talk given in Dallas by Willard Rogers entitled, “What is Your Part in the Body of Christ?”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

It is strong meat to say that Christ’s afflictions are behind in my flesh. But that is what the scriptures teach.

I hope this gives you some idea of what I meant by saying that being crucified with Christ is the strong meat of the gospel.

Mike

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