Following, Denying, and Taking Up Our Cross, Part 4

So far, in this series of articles, we have looked at following Jesus and denying ourselves. This article is a continuation of the discussion, looking at what it means to take up our cross. The basis of these posts is this statement by Jesus:

If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24, NRSV. Also, see Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23)

As I read about picking up our cross, I found several explanations or interpretations of Jesus’ words. A statement like, “I guess that is just my cross to bear,” is associated with various kinds of suffering a person experiences. It is not necessarily used by Christians only but by anyone struggling with some type of problem. For the saints, taking up our cross typically has a more specific religious interpretation.

Most commonly, our cross is portrayed as an extension of denying ourselves. We must put our desires and plans to death and submit our lives to Jesus to do His will every day. We need to give up our hopes, dreams, and possessions if necessary. We must continually crucify our own will. Our cross is also portrayed as suffering for Christ’s sake. It is our willingness to give up our lives for Jesus, demonstrating our ultimate commitment to Him; we must be ready at any moment to die. Some say that the cross we need to carry is our story of what God has done for us. Others feel that it is choosing to do the right thing every day by dealing with our struggles or addictions.

As I have discussed in the previous articles about following Jesus and denying ourselves, there is some truth in how this verse is interpreted. However, there also is some thinking that is not supported by Scripture. In the previous post, we found that there are things that we need to deny. In this article, we will see that there are things that must be put to death. However, we don’t need to continue to crucify ourselves.

You may be thinking, if this verse isn’t describing a continual dying to ourselves, why does Luke say that we need to take up our cross “daily?” This is an excellent question. As I researched this statement, I had difficulty finding scholarly explanations of this term's use by Luke. Matthew and Mark do not use the word “daily” in their account of Jesus’ instruction. It is apparent from commentaries and interpretations of Luke’s version that the saints use this passage to describe some sort of ongoing action.

Whether Luke describes some continuous behavior or not, there is no support from the apostle’s letters to the church that this ongoing action is dying to self. For example, the apostle Paul tells us:

So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13, NASB®)

You may be thinking that the verse above supports that we need to deny ourselves or put to death a part of ourselves. Isn’t putting to death the deeds of the body just semantics? You could be right, except for one crucial reason; Paul precedes that comment with this:

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:9-11, NASB®)

We are given life in our spirit and our mortal bodies through Christ and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is not ourselves that we put to death; it is the deeds that we can perform with our body. We kill evil deeds because of the righteousness of Christ and by the indwelling help of the Spirit. Paul reminds the Galatians:

Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:24-25, NET)

Our good behavior is because of our new nature and the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is consistent with how the apostles tell us to deal with ourselves. We are not to go on dying. We are to live in a manner consistent with being saints. Possibly the most direct expression of this concept is Paul’s command to the Corinthians:

Sober up morally and stop sinning, for some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34, NASB®)

We who have come to know God and be known by Him have no reason to go on sinning. To further support this idea, let’s come back to the cross. The apostles never refer to saints taking up their cross. Whenever the cross is mentioned, it is to indicate what Jesus did and why He did it. For example:

And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14, NASB®)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2, NASB®)

He Himself brought our sins in His body up on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24, NASB®)

The Apostles don’t tell us to focus on our cross; they consistently look to Jesus and His cross. But we don’t stop with the cross; we also focus on the resurrection of Jesus. We died to sin because of the cross of Christ, and we rose to new life with Him. We should stop thinking negatively about ourselves and instead profess Christ, living by faith in Him. We must believe that we are new creations. We can be aware of who we were before and yet be confident in who we are now in Jesus. But what of taking up the cross “daily?”

We will face hardships in this life. We will face difficult choices. We will be hated because of our relationship with Jesus. Are these our cross? Perhaps, but I don’t believe this is what the New Testament teaches. Many of our problems are consistent with those experienced by anyone in this world. However, some of the issues we face are only problems because we have a new life and are no longer slaves to sin. These sufferings are our destiny because of our association with the cross of Christ. We face trouble for the sake of Jesus’ name, His gospel, and our brothers and sisters in the faith. We were crucified to the world, and we struggle against its forces, but this fight is never referred to as our cross. Instead, we can rejoice in our suffering (Romans 5, Philippians 1, James 1).

Before we end this discussion, there is something more significant to say about denying. When we are reborn as God’s children, Jesus never denies us. He is for us in our struggle, even when we fail to walk in our new identity:

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
(Hebrews 13:5-6, NASB®, bold added for emphasis)

The statement is trustworthy:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He will also deny us;
If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
(2 Timothy 2:11-13, NASB®, bold added for emphasis)

And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1b, NASB®)

If God is for us, who can be against us? Who will separate us from the love of Christ? The answer is nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:28-39). If we have this assurance, how can we look at ourselves as lacking and think that we are fighting against the Holy Spirit in us? Peter wrote, “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3, NASB®).” Let’s believe it and live accordingly.

The purpose of this series of articles has been to show that the life of the saints is more than just following Jesus. We walk in the Spirit with Christ’s presence in our hearts. Ours is not a life of continual denial and picking up our cross; it is a profession and celebration of the cross of Christ and His resurrection. Jesus’ redeeming work is finished, and we are made complete (Colossians 2:8-15). There are always troubles in this world, but we face them with Jesus. We wait eagerly for His return, but until then, we live confidently and righteously in Him. To Christ Jesus, our Lord belongs glory and honor, amen.