In the early centuries, death on the cross was the most brutal and painful death that any criminal could face. It meant being nailed by one’s hands and the feet to a cross and being left to die slowly and agonisingly, and it was often only after several days that one was relieved through death. This is what we call crucifixion. This is what Jesus faced for us. The cross was reserved for criminals yet Jesus, who had done no wrong and was pure and innocent, faced this shameful death for us. He was nailed on a cross so that we could have life (John 3:14-15), so that we could be saved (John 3:17), so that we could be victorious (1 John 4: 4-5), so that we could once again know the love of the Father. (John 17:3)
His death on the cross allows us all of this if we believe in Him as our Lord and Saviour; if we accept what He has done for us. It’s that simple. But once we accept His precious gift we are not called to return to our lives of sin because we are guaranteed a place in eternity. No. We are now called to act on that faith and Jesus tells us how to do it in Luke 9:23 (NKJV), He says:
… If anyone desires to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
When we accept all that Jesus did for us on that cross, we become followers of Jesus and as followers we are called to take up our cross daily. But what exactly does that mean?
Taking Up Your Cross: What Does It Mean?
As mentioned earlier the cross was a place of crucifixion; of death. But whereas for Jesus it was a place of physical and spiritual death, for us it is a place of fleshly death. Paul writes in Galatians 5:24 (NKJV) And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
When we accept Jesus’ gift of grace we become born again in our spirit. In our spirits we look exactly like Christ. We are perfect and pure in every sense. But the downside is that in the natural, it doesn’t look like that. In the natural we still battle with our fleshly desires – with anger, malice, passion, idolatry and the list goes on. (Galatians 5:19-21) In the spirit we are a new man but there is still the old, fleshly man to contend with. That old man manifests himself in our earthly desires.
These earthly desires are a result of our sinful nature. This nature naturally (no pun intended ha ha) leans away from the things of God, from spirit things. But if we are to be disciples and followers of Jesus, this old man along with these earthly desires, must be crucified. That is what Jesus is calling us to do in Luke 9:23, when we take up our cross we must crucify our flesh and we must do it daily.
Taking Up Your Cross Means Crucifying Your Flesh
When we take up our cross it means that we are crucifying our flesh. It does not mean that we take the burden of salvation and righteousness onto our own backs. No! Christ already removed that burden when He died for us and released us from the power of the Law and put us under grace. (John 1:17)
But we are to move into that grace and operate in its power and we can’t do that with our old selves, which are more concerned with the things of this world than with the things of God. We need to put on our new selves and put off the old (Ephesians 4:22) and we do that by renewing our minds.
Taking Up Your Cross Means Renewing Your Mind
Paul tells us in Ephesians that when we renew our minds we put on our new man (Ephesians 4:23-24) and again in Romans 12:1 he informs us that we are transformed when we renew our minds. This renewal takes place when we consistently dwell on and focus on the things of God. Instead of spending hours watching news and series and movies, we take that time to listen to sermons, podcasts, to uplifting Word filled music, to read the Bible.
When we do that; constantly feed our minds with the things of God, the old man with his worldly desires and passions dies; he is crucified. Renewing our minds also leads to us to renewing our actions – instead of reacting in anger we react in peace and love. Instead of being selfish we become more giving. Mind renewal changes us from the inside out.
But just as Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily, our flesh must be crucified daily. This means that we must renew our minds every single day. Just as someone who is crucified takes several days to die, our crucified flesh will also take several days, in fact several weeks and months and years to die, so we must be consistent. And just like crucifixion, it will not be pleasant. There will be days when taking up your cross and crucifying your flesh is uncomfortable, having to be sacrificial and patient and loving when you have been used to the contrary. It may even be painful; but then again who said it wouldn’t be? Crucifixion is not comfortable. But it is worth it.
The more the flesh dies, the more the Holy Spirit, God and Christ can work through you. And when They start their work in you, you will start thinking more God and living abundantly, victoriously and eternally. The change you will begin to see in yourself will be something to behold.
So take up your cross, crucify your flesh and renew your mind; do it daily. Let God work through you and move through you and then wait and see as the old, fleshly man dies and the new, spirit man comes alive and the ways in which this change will change your life.
