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CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST
The Apostle Paul said he had been crucified with Christ and he no longer lived, but it was Christ who now lives in Him. When we are born again, the “old man” dies and the “new man,” which is Christ (the seed), is born within us. Christ, the “new man” now lives within us, and the “old man” has become crucified with Christ.
Like Christ who came to serve and not to be served, we have been raised up to dwell in heavenly places with Him. Even though Jesus was the “Son of God,” He came to serve not to be served. On Earth, it was the purpose of the “nature of Christ” to serve. (Matthew 20:28). It was the nature of Christ to “seek and save the lost.”
In Heaven, it is the “divine nature” IN Christ which rules and reigns over His Church. Those who receive His “divine nature” were foreordained to serve Him as “Lord and Savior” for eternity. Christ, the “only begotten” Son of God, became the “first begotten” Son to lead the way for others to receive HIS righteousness. That righteousness is imparted to individuals when they become born again and receive “His divine nature.”
Being the propitiation for our sins and the Redeemer of our souls, Christ became our Lord and Master. Now that we are crucified with Christ and Christ now lives within us, He becomes the voice of our conscience to rule and reign forever in our hearts.
The life we now live in Christ we live by the faith of Christ who dwells within us. We are no longer subject to the Law of Sin and Death because the “Law of Life” is written upon our hearts. At times, however, many Christians are tempted to raise the “old man” from the dead when they allow themselves to be drawn away by the lusts and desires of the flesh. Demonic entities are hard at work in this world to deceive and draw godly men and women away from Christ.
We must be diligent in our efforts to keep the “old man” subdued and allow the “new man” to dominate our lives. The “old man” will always be trying to stick his head up from his “spiritual coffin” to see if the “new man” is still willing to “keep him under subjection.”
Christians are most certainly not immune from being tested and tried in this life. However, we do have an advantage over the rest of the world in that we have access to the “divine nature of Christ.” Christ lived a sinless life. Although He was tempted and tried in the same ways we are, Jesus was able to overcome the trials and temptations because of His “divine nature.”
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians, ch. 6, vs. 19-20.
Many Christians today are more concerned about how they look on “the outside” than on the inside. As Christians we should be more concerned with how we look on the inside than how we look on the outside. The inner man is where the true “beauty of holiness” resides. We become the Temple of the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. The “divine nature of Christ” then dwells within our Holy Temple which we have set aside and dedicated to God our Father.
When we neglect or fail to empower the inner man with the character of Christ, we are doing Christ and ourselves a great disservice. We neglect the inner man when we reject the righteousness of Christ. If we do not hunger and thirst after His righteousness, we will never be filled with the righteousness of Christ.
We will fall short of God’s glory if we are not continuously walking in the Spirit. If we are walking in the Spirit we will not be fulfilling the “lusts of the flesh.” We may fail God at times but He will never fail us. God is always ready to help us overcome unrighteous behavior when we call upon Him and sincerely repent of our sins. God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins if and when we repent with a contrite heart.
The Apostle Paul said, “I die daily.” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Our walk with Christ cannot be a once or twice a week event. When we have been crucified with Christ, we will pick up our cross DAILY and follow Him. (Luke 9:23). Like Paul, we must die daily. If we have been truly crucified with Christ, we will be hanging out with Christ and will follow Him wherever He leads us. We will faithfully and conscientiously be obeying His every command.
We cannot follow Christ if WE choose the direction WE wish for our life. Many Christians never fulfill God’s plan and purpose for their life because THEY choose to do what they want in their life. Paul said “And you are not your own, for you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Many Christians choose the wrong mate in life because they are more concerned about how their mate looks on the outside rather than how they look on the inside. Many Christian marriages end in divorce because people chose to marry someone who was not God’s choice for them, but their own choice. We must prayerfully seek the Lord in every important decision we make. If we fail to seek God for the answers we need, we will find that we will be dealing with many problems in our life.
The Spirit of God empowers us with the “divine nature” so we can live a life free from sin. The “divine nature” gives us the power to be led by the Spirit of God. When we are completely crucified with Christ, we will live according to “Kingdom Principles” which effectuate and govern the “divine nature” within us. When we become FILLED with the fullness of Christ, we will be shepherded by the Spirit of Christ who dwells within us. We can rule and reign in life because the “divine nature” empowers us to do so.
Faithful sons and daughters of God will always be led by the Spirit of God. They prefer to walk in the Spirit rather than fulfill the lusts of the flesh which conflicts with and opposes the “divine nature.” When we “put to death the works of the flesh,” we become raised in the likeness of the “divine nature of Christ.” His “divine nature” within us empowers us to daily walk and talk with Jesus.
Several years ago I worked as a Terminal Manager for a Trucking Company in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area. The Company had terminals in several cities in the Southeast. The President of the Company gave all the managers a plaque to place on the desk in their offices which read “TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK.” The plaque was a reminder for us to back up our words with our actions.
Many Christians “talk the talk” but fail to “walk the walk.” In the Kingdom of God our actions speak louder than our words. If we are going to talk the talk, we must walk the walk or we will be as a sounding brass or clanging cymbal. (1 Corinthians 13:1).
We can say we love the Lord with all our heart. However, our actions speak louder than our words and shows who we really are and who we are faithfully serving. If we are led by the Spirit of God, we will walk in the Spirit and not give place to the devil. When we are led by His Spirit, we will be following in the footsteps of Christ. If we are not following Christ, we will be fulfilling the lusts of the flesh.
From now on let no one trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks (puncture wounds) of the Lord Jesus. Galatians, ch. 6, vs. 17.
The Apostle Paul said he had been “crucified with Christ.” He died to the flesh and the life he now lives he lives by faith in the Son of God. (Galatians 2:20). In other words, Paul identified with the crucifixion of Christ and he put to death the works of his flesh by his faith in Christ when he became born again. He said the life he now lived he lived by faith in Christ.
When we are born again we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ because the Spirit of Christ now lives within us. We do not actually bear the wounds of Christ in OUR bodies, but in our spirit because the Spirit of Christ dwells within our bodies. We did not suffer with Christ on the cross; however, the Spirit of Christ whose hands and feet were nailed to the cross now lives within us.
Paul suffered many wounds in his body while taking the gospel to the nations. He was stoned, beaten with rods, and received forty lashes minus one on five occasions. Paul received many wounds for his faith and labor of love for Christ. He was stoned and left for dead on one occasion.
Isaiah declared that Jesus would be wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement of our peace would be upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5). We identify with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ because Christ now lives within our hearts.
No one will ever feel or suffer the pain and anguish Jesus felt as He hung upon the cross at Calvary. However, we can put to death the “works of the flesh” by allowing Christ who suffered and died for us to have preeminence in our lives. When we put to death the works of the flesh, Christ who died on the cross for us rises to take His rightful place on the throne of our hearts.