That Rugged Cross

24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"
Matthew 16: 24 - 26 NKJV

A lot has been made in christian circles about he who "denies" himself in exchange for knowing Jesus.  In fact, Jesus Himself tells us that if anyone would come after Him, that he should deny himself and take up His cross.  Well, I got into a bit of a discussion the other night with a pastor who shall remain nameless about what it means to take up that cross of Christ.  These days we have used these words of Christ as sort of a cliche to describe a tedious situation we may or may not be in.  All too often we describe a job, a difficult situation or our own lot in life as "that cross we bear."  However, I tend to look at those words of Christ in what may be the context He meant them to be understood.  See, to people in Jesus' time, that cross meant something completely different than it does today.  For Jesus, the cross meant a cruel death at the hands of the Romans.  Christians today have come to see the cross as but a representation of the gift which Jesus gave of Himself on our behalf {2 Corinthians 5:21}.  Believe me, the cross is so much more than a symbol.  So much more, in fact, that Jesus called on all who follow Him to deny themselves and take up their own cross and follow Him.  That's the rub isn't it, to deny ourselves?  Now, at the sake of offending a few self loving millenials, let me just say that at the core of our trust in Christ lies something we hold onto pretty tightly.  That is our own independent self.  The missionary Norman Percy Grubb (1895 - 1993) would have claimed that it is no longer our own self which survives, but only the one true self in the universe...God.  Of course, this flys in the face of anyone who holds tight to the carpe diem mind set that we alone are responsible for the outcome of our own circumstances.  Of course, I have often wondered how it is one could lay claim to Christ in them while still holding to their own independent self mind set {Galations 2:20}.  Has someone who still holds to their own independent self really denied themselves?  I wouldn't think so.  So, they've yet to shoulder that rugged cross?

19Or 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? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20 NKJV

I believe that at the heart of our understanding of Christ in us lies that understanding that we no longer exist.  Yes, I realize that this might be a tough pill for most to swallow, but we're told it is true nonetheless.  The apostle Paul tells us that our own bodies no longer belong to us, but that we have been purchased at a high price.  You could say that the price was paid in blood...the blood of Christ.  So, how is it that we can deny something that really doesn't exist?  Can we deny something that we no longer identify with?  Are we indeed seperated from God?  If so, then how is it that we can claim Christ in us?  No, the ONLY way the belief of Christ Jesus in us works is if we ourselves no longer exist.  All which remains is Christ.  Trust me, there are still times where the struggle is real for me to understand all of this.  For we have been spoon fed from an early age that we are our own entity.  We have ourselves, and then we have Jesus.  Folks, that is seperation theology and it doesn't sit too well with the truth of Christ in us.  So, can we indeed die to ourselves?  I would say no, knowing that we have no self to die to.  All that remains is Christ.

~Scott~