“Knowing this,
that our old man is crucified with Him,
that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
Romans 6:6
Our relationship with sin reveals the depth of our identification with Him. There is something intrinsic concerning the deceptive heart of man. It seeks to alleviate us from our spiritual condition by a confession of faith rather than the evidential life of faith.
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10
As John the Baptist, in the power of the Holy Spirit, declared to Israel in his day, he struck at the heart of their boasting.
“Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Luke 3:8-9 (ESV) (see John 15:2)
John is clearly presenting to them, and to us, that their confidence in being the seed of Abraham is not enough, nor should we boast in a confession that is not evinced by our conduct. In God’s eyes, fruit is the evidence of our relationship to Him. Consider Jesus’s reply to the Pharisees: “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham”, John 8:39.
Confession vs. Fruit
“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.” *(see note below)
Matthew 7:20-21
The Cross of Christ becomes our cross only to the extent that we do His Will. To hide behind a confession will deceive us. We may say “Lord, Lord “ yet escape the workings of the cross and, in that final day, discover that our entrance into His Kingdom is denied. Salvation is the free gift of God, but the Kingdom of God is for those who come under His Lordship. *(see note below).
“The risk-free life is a victory-free life.
It means life-long surrender to the mediocre,
and that is the worst of all possible defeats.”
Jamie Buckingham
The purpose of faith is to reveal its Author in our daily lives. Faith is how we find grace to DO His Will.
“By Whom also we have access by faith
into this grace…”
Romans 5:2
The secret of His victory over our self-life is not in taming the unruly self but in our co-crucifixion with Him.
“Self is the root
of our alienation from the Life of God.”
F.B. Meyer
May our confession agree with Paul’s declaration:
“For ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3
And may the power of the Holy Spirit move us to cooperate with His declaration.
“Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth…”
Colossians 3:5
That which is true of Him is to become true in us by a “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20). By His Spirit we “draw near to Him” who is “the way, the truth and the life!” Only by the power of His life moving in us can we “work out our own salvation, with fear and trembling.”
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13 (ESV)
*Note: John’s letters written to the seven churches in Asia were filled with exhortations and great promises. Although the promises were offered to the entire church in each location, they were fulfilled only to those who overcame as He overcame (Revelation 3:21).
Revelation 2:7 – “to him that overcometh…”
Revelation 2:11 – “to him that overcometh…”
Revelation 2:17 – “to him that overcometh…”
Revelation 2:26 – “he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end…”
Revelation 3:5 – “He that overcometh…”
Revelation 3:12 – “Him that overcometh…”
Revelation 3:21 – “To him that overcometh…”
Crowns go to the victorious in Christ. Salvation is for all who call upon His Name.
“Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.”
Romans 10:8
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things;
and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.”
Revelation 21:7
Related Post: Where Are The Nine?
Crucified – By Watchman Nee
(continued – The Cross of Christ)
“Grace will ever speak for itself and be fruitful in well-doing;
the sanctified cross is a fruitful tree.”
Rutherford
Brian Troxel
The Sting of the Cross
Mark 15:23 (NKJV) 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
Before being nailed to His cross the Lord was offered what amounted to a painkiller so as to lessen the pain or sting, if you will, of being crucified. As is quoted in the aforementioned passage of scripture shown above, He refused. Note that the, “painkiller “, was offered by those crucifying Jesus who were obviously not His friends. Now to the dream I had last night. In the dream I saw what is described above except that those offering the Lord painkillers were pastors. In essence they were trying to lessen the sting of the cross for the Lord and possibly thought that by so doing they were showing compassion, “seeker sensitive “, The Lord in refusing the painkiller did not want to diminish the fact that the cross was an instrument of a cruel and painful death and therefore must be experienced as such. To offer a painkiller as I saw in my dream is to empty the cross of its power