Shame and the Gospel

Two words, seemingly unrelated, are “shame” and “gospel.” Shame is defined by Noah Webster as “Reproach; ignominy; derision; contempt; dishonor; disgrace.” The gospel of Jesus Christ is defined by Paul the apostle in I Corinthians 15 as the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – the message that brings salvation to a dying soul. The despicable, stomach-turning characteristic of shame should never be associated with a subject as glorious as the gospel of Jesus Christ. In spite of this, many have unapologetically mixed the precious elements of the gospel of Christ with their own shameful ideals. Allow me to expound upon this.

Some Are Ashamed OF the Gospel

Romans 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation; unto the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

By declaring that he was not ashamed of the gospel himself, Paul is also teaching us that it is possible for a person to be “ashamed of the gospel.” And it is clearly seen all around us that many professing Christians are ashamed of the gospel. The lack of soul-winning among Christians is evidence enough that professing Christians are ashamed of the gospel. The very souls who have been set free by the Bible message of salvation are ashamed to declare the very gospel that has made them free! One would think that deliverance from binding sins would in itself give courage and strength to the Christian to be a soul-winner. But, as I find often, many who have been delivered, are ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why are people who have set free by the gospel ashamed of the gospel? Some are ashamed of the gospel because its message is unpopular. In our society of tolerance, Jesus’ words are not in sync with such ideals. Words such as “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” rub the world the wrong way. Every Christian reader needs to understand this – the sick, perverted world in which we live will never accept your message. Those who are publicly against Christ and in alignment with this world absolutely HATE the gospel. Yes, they preach tolerance, and they themselves are the most hostile, intolerant people toward Christianity. They preach freedom of speech for perverts, cross-dressers, and those who are “transgender;” but they turn around and attempt to take away such freedoms from Christians. They want Christ removed from the public square; they want religion to stay within the four walls of the church; they want preaching that is against sin to be defined as a hate crime. Liberalism is, by definition, hypocrisy.

But Christians should not be surprised. Our Lord told us it would be this way, only promising that it would get worse! Look what He said:

John 15:18-20 – “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

John 16:2, 3 – “They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.”

Jesus told us it would be this way! When you take your stand for Jesus, you will be hated by this world! You will be an outcast! You will be falsely accused, cast into prison for the sake of the gospel, and even killed for the gospel of Christ. But remember this – Christ was rejected for you! Christ stood alone for you and me. He died alone and forsaken of the Father on Golgotha’s rugged brow. Whatever the cost to follow Him will surely be worth it. While Christ suffered, separated from the Father, He promised us that we would never suffer alone, for He promised, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you!” So, dear Christian, stand for Jesus! Say with Paul the apostle, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ!” He was not ashamed to suffer for us; may we never be ashamed to suffer for Him.

Mark 8:38 – “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Luke 9:26 – “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”

Some Are a Shame TO the Gospel

Volumes could be written concerning the truth that some live in a way as to shame the name of Jesus Christ. His name is holy, righteous, and pure, and if you are going to declare it, you should live a lifestyle that backs up your words. Look at this:

II Timothy 2:19 – “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

Plainly, the apostle states that if you name the name of Jesus Christ, then depart from iniquity! When a Christian sins openly before this world, he becomes a shame to the gospel with which he associates himself.

While it is true that the world will hate us, as we have already seen; while it is true that we will no doubt be falsely accused; DO NOT give the world a reason to accuse you! Professing Christians and ministers have brought much shame to the cause of Christ. I am told of ministers who contract debt and do not pay! I am told of Christians who borrow money and do not pay it back. I am told of Christians who, on the job, do not work their fair share. I know of professing Christians who will have their electricity to be shut off before they’ll get up off the couch and work for the money to pay the electric bill! All of these things bring shame to the name of Jesus Christ! I do not wish to be ashamed OF the gospel, but neither do I wish to be a shame TO the gospel!

Some Preach a ShameFUL Gospel

How glorious is the gospel of Jesus Christ! Dr. M.R. DeHaan said, “There are only two religions in the world – the DO religion and the DONE religion.” Man’s religion, or the DO religion, says that if you are to be saved, you must “do this,” “do that,” “perform sacraments,” “be baptized,” “keep laws,” “keep commandments,” “dress this way,” “dress that way,” and on, and on, and on. While I believe in living right (so that I am not a shame TO the gospel), “doing things” does not comprise salvation. “Doing things” to be saved is man’s false religion.

God’s religion, however, is the DONE religion. The final cry of our Saviour from the cross was “It is finished!” There is nothing left to perform for our salvation. There is nothing left for you and me to do. We must simply place all of our faith in what Christ has already completely done on Calvary’s hill. The songwriter put it this way:

It is finished; what a gospel!
Nothing has been left to do,
But to take with grateful gladness
What the Saviour did for you.

It is finished; Hallelujah! It is finished; Hallelujah!
Christ the work has fully done; Hallelujah!
All who will may have their pardon
Through the blood of God’s own Son.*

To preach anything less than salvation by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is to preach a shameful gospel. There is a problem with preaching that salvation either attained or maintained by keeping laws and commandments. The problem is not that those who preach in such a way are too strict; the problem is rather that they are not strict enough! The act of keeping laws and commandments is not “going overboard;” it is actually “not going far enough!” Keeping laws and commandments, being baptized, performing sacraments, and all other efforts of mankind is not too much for salvation; it is not enough for salvation. Notice:

Matthew 5:20 – “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The Pharisees, the religious leaders of Christ’s day who preached strict adherence to rules and regulations, had a problem. It was not that their rules went too far; it was that their rules DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH! So many today have read the above verse and have preached that we need to be stricter than the Pharisees if we are going to be saved. But that is not what Jesus preached. The answer is not more rules, more strictness, more sacraments, and more works of man! These things were not sufficient for salvation to start with, and they’ll never be sufficient for salvation, no matter how much of them you have! The attempt to keep laws, commandments, baptisms, and sacraments is man’s DO religion. The righteousness that far exceeds the law-keeping of the Pharisees is the righteousness of Christ. Christ is all my righteousness. His work is absolutely complete, and brings full salvation with no work of man added to it whatsoever!

To preach any other salvation, one is preaching a shameful gospel. May every Christian declare with boldness the true gospel of Jesus Christ without shame, living a lifestyle that supports such a message, and testifying only the work of Jesus Christ for the salvation of this lost and dying world.

*M. Fraser

Crucified with Christ - Part 2

Up to this point, it is been brought out, hopefully clearly, that those who are saved are not striving to be crucified with Christ; WE ARE crucified with Christ. Sadly, I hear so often individuals testifying that they wish to have their flesh crucified every day! How tragic that many are attempting to accomplish daily what Christ accomplished once for all! In the previous post, I examined a few scriptures that are commonly used by those who wish to have their flesh crucified daily. In every scripture that they use, the Bible plainly states that the believer’s crucifixion of the “old man” is not something done daily; it is rather something done when Christ died! Our crucifixion of our “old man” is WITH CHRIST. This means that we died when Christ died. At this time, I would like to examine one more passage used by these people.

Take up your Cross Daily

Luke 9:23 – “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

If the reader is one who advocates this “crucified daily” doctrine, I can hear him now. “See there,” he says, pointing to the above verse. “Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Yes, I believe that believers should take up their cross daily and follow Christ. But notice – this scripture does not command me to be crucified daily; it rather commands me to take up my cross daily. What is meant by the phrase, “Take up his cross daily”? Jesus defines this phrase for us in the previous verse. Let us look at the verse preceding our verse of study:

Luke 9:22 – “Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.”

In this verse, Christ tells us plainly what His cross is. Christ’s cross is defined clearly. He would be slain, and He would rise again on the third day. Then, He admonishes His disciples to likewise take up a cross for themselves. Somehow, however, when many speak of the cross of the believer, they want to be “crucified every day,” and they wish to stop there! Christ’s cross did not end with His death upon the cross. Look at Luke 9:22 again – “Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and BE RAISED THE THIRD DAY.” Christ was not just crucified; He was also buried! Christ was not just buried; He was raised from the dead! He was not just raised from the dead; He LIVED upon the earth for forty days! He did not just live upon the earth for forty days; He ascended to the Father and He lives forevermore!

After Jesus tells His disciples that He would bear a cross, be slain, and be raised again, He then commands them to take up their cross daily. What is the meaning of “Take up thy cross daily”?

Every day, I need to realize that when Christ died, my old man died, as clearly shown in the following verses:

Galatians 2:20 – “I AM CRUCIFIED with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s HAVE CRUCIFIED the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world IS CRUCIFIED unto me, and I unto the world.”

Colossians 3:3 – “For ye ARE DEAD, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Romans 8:10 – “And if Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

“Taking up my cross” does not just mean realizing that I died with Christ, when Christ died, but it also is composed of realizing that when Christ was buried, I was buried with Him:

Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death…”

Colossians 2:12 – “Buried with him in baptism…”

The meaning of the phrase, “Taking up my cross” is not limited to merely understanding that I died when Christ died; or that I was buried when Christ was buried; but it also includes the understanding that when Christ rose from the dead, I rose with Him!

Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Colossians 2:12 – “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Colossians 3:1 – “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

The meaning of the phrase, “Taking up my cross” does not even stop with my “new man” being resurrected when Christ rose. Christ ascended into heaven, and is set down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2); and every believer ascended with Christ when Christ ascended, and we are, as far as God Almighty is concerned, set with Christ in heavenly places:

Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.”

Ephesians 2:4-6 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

This phrase, “Taking up thy cross” does not even stop with believers ascending with Christ into heavenly places. Now that Christ has ascended, He lives forevermore, never to die again! We, who are saved by the grace of God, have been given eternal, or everlasting life NOW! Just as Christ ascended to live forevermore, believers have ascended with him into heavenly places to live forevermore.

John 14:19 – “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”

Romans 5:10 – “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

This phrase, “Taking up thy cross” does not end with the believer being crucified every day. Rather, it is fulfilled when we daily identify with Christ – realizing that we died when Christ died; that we were buried when Christ was buried; that we rose when Christ rose; that we ascended when Christ ascended; and because Christ lives forevermore, we live forevermore! Yes, I want to live as though my “old man” is dead, and should certainly do so. However, I do not want to stop there! I want my “new man” to live! I have heard people say (sincerely yet erroneously) that “Christ died so I could live.” That’s not entirely right. In reality, Christ died so that my “old man” could die. He rose again so that I could live! Jesus said, “Because I live, ye shall live also!” Listen to me very carefully. The “new man” living in newness of life is every bit as much part of “taking up your cross” as the “old man” being crucified. Don’t stop with the crucifixion of the “old man!” And don’t try to crucify the “old man” every day; the Bible couldn’t be plainer – your “old man” died when Christ died!

I hear people say (again, sincerely yet erroneously), “I want to live the crucified life.” NOT ME! I don’t wish to live a “crucified life.” When Christ died, my “old man” died a crucified death. Now, I wish to live a resurrected life! I want my “new man” to LIVE! It is God’s will for us to LIVE! Paul states in Philippians 1:21, “For me to LIVE is Christ and to die is gain!” Jesus stated in John 10:10, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Christ rose so we could live! And His resurrection is part of the way of the cross.

A Look at Romans 6

The best definition of the phrase, “Take up thy cross” is found in the sixth chapter of Romans. In this chapter, Paul gives three steps to victory over sin. To have victory, there is first, something we must KNOW; second, there is something we must RECKON; and third, there is something we must YIELD. First, there is something we must know:

Romans 6:6 – “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.”

“Knowing this,” Paul says, “that our old man IS CRUCIFIED with Him!” The first step to gaining victory in our lives is knowing that the crucifixion of our “old man” was WITH CHRIST – it took place when Christ died.

I am not trying to be critical, but I am trying to be honest. Out of all the individuals who are trying to crucify their flesh every day, I have never met one of them who have victory. I have never met one of them who are confident in Christ’s work. They are, for the most part, living in torment. They constantly live in fear that maybe they are not “crucified enough.” The only way I can’t be ‘crucified enough’ is if Christ wasn’t crucified enough, because my “old man” was crucified with Him! Those who KNOW THIS live in deeper depth of victory than those who do not KNOW THIS!

Second, there is something we must reckon:

Romans 6:11 – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

“Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin,” Paul says. Noah Webster defines “reckon” this way: “To count; to number; that is, to tell the particulars.” I know that I died when Christ died, but simply knowing it won’t give me victory. I must reckon my life to be that way. I must live outwardly what I know inwardly. This is reckoning! And notice what it is exactly we are to reckon – “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, BUT ALIVE UNTO GOD!” The crowd who tries to crucify their flesh daily is not big on being “alive unto God!” Don’t just count, or reckon, your “old man” dead, but count your “new man” alive unto God!

Third, there is something we must yield:

Romans 6:13 – “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

The third and most important step to victory is YIELDING. Allow me to look briefly at two verses at which I have already examined:

Colossians 3:5 – “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

In this verse, as I previously pointed out, the “members” we are to destroy are SINS. Fornication, uncleanness, and so forth.

Romans 8:13 – “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

In this verse, similar to the previous verse, we see that it is, not the body to be mortified, but rather the DEEDS of the body.

I humbly ask the reader to follow me just for a brief moment. The reader may ask, “If our ‘old man’ died when Christ died, then why are we still tempted to sin?” The answer is very simple. Though my “old man” is dead, sin is yet alive! Sin does not die! For this reason, we must mortify our members which are upon the earth, which are the sins he goes on to mention. Because sin does not die, we mortify the deeds of the body.

Every time you are tempted to sin, you have two choices. You can either reckon yourself dead to sin, and alive to God, yielding yourself as instruments of righteousness; or else you can yield yourself to the sin, as instruments of unrighteousness. When you KNOW that your “old man” died when Christ died; and you RECKON yourself dead to sin and alive to God; and you yield yourself to God, mortifying the deeds of the body; then you will live! You will then live the abundant, resurrected life!

This is the meaning of Christ’s words, “…take up thy cross, and follow me!”

Conclusion

The scriptures are clear – the crucifixion of my “old man” is WITH CHRIST. This means that I died when Christ died. Because my crucifixion is with Christ, there is only one possible way I can be crucified every day, and that is if Christ is crucified every day. Now, I ask the reader, especially if the reader is of the opinion that we must crucify our flesh every day, “Will Christ be crucified every day?” “Is Christ supposed to be crucified every day?” If you are a Catholic, then you would answer “yes” to these questions. The Bible, however, answers “NO” to these questions. The Bible plainly declares that Christ will only die once for sins:

Romans 6:9, 10 – “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, HE DIED UNTO SIN ONCE: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.”

Hebrews 10:10 – “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

The Bible further declares that it is a blasphemous thought to suggest that Christ will die more than once:

Hebrews 6:4-6 – “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened…If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

Clearly, Jesus Christ will never die for sin but once. The Bible, just as plainly, teaches that the crucifixion of our “old man” is with Christ. The only way that I would be willing to be “crucified” every day is if Christ will be crucified every day. I am only willing to be crucified WITH CHRIST, and Christ most certainly will NOT be crucified ever again. Neither will I. My “old man” died when Christ died.

Crucified with Christ - Part 1

For those who read this post, it is necessary to understand two facts: first, it is not my goal to offend the reader; and second, it is not my goal NOT to offend the reader.  Exclusively and without exception, it is my objective to declare the truths of God’s word.  Knowing this, I ask the reader to read the post in its entirety, especially before contacting me regarding its contents. 

Today I deal with a common misconception found in many churches.  Provided that you have been an attendee of a conservative church for any length of time, you have undoubtedly heard this line before: “We need to crucify our flesh.”  Or, perhaps you have heard it this way: “Every day, we need to keep our old man buried.”  I have heard this one: “I want to live a crucified life.”  Phrases such as these are commonplace in many churches; yet these are NOT biblical phrases.  While they sound pious, these expressions often originate from those who of the mindset that the Christian life is hard; that if we make it heaven, we’ll arrive but barely.  Those who preach this teaching usually define this phrase, “crucifying our flesh,” to mean “making ourselves miserable; denying ourselves of any pleasure; self-deprivation.”  However, when the Bible speaks of believers being “crucified,” or “dead to sin,” the scriptures are dealing with our “old man,” or the individual we used to be prior to obtaining salvation.

Recently, I sent a text message to a friend of mine.  Though I do not remember its exact wording, it went something like this: “I will not be crucifying my flesh today.”  I went on to explain my reasoning.  This friend texted me back, stating why he would be crucifying his flesh that day.  Assuming that the reader will be patient with me, I wish to give reasons from the word of God why I will not be crucifying my flesh today.  If you are of the mindset that we need to crucify our flesh every day, I hope you will at least give me your attention.  While you may not agree with me, I only ask that you will hear me out.  To begin, I wish to examine a few passages of scripture often used by this crowd who desires to crucify their flesh daily.

Passages in Galatians

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

I encourage the reader to read the above verses two or three times each.  Read them slowly.  Read them honestly.  Read them without regards to any opinion of your own.  If this is done, the reader will be forced to admit that there is a mood of finality to the believer’s crucifixion.  Yes, I believe that every believer should be crucified.  I believe that my “old man” should be crucified.  When I say, “old man,” I am referring to the individual I was before I was converted.  The above verses, however, do not teach that I should be crucified; the above verses teach that I am crucified!  Look at them again (italics mine, for emphasis):

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ.”

Galatians 5:24 – “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.”

Galatians 6:14 – “…the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

Yes, I believe that those who are saved should be dead to the world, and dead to sin.  But I believe more than that – those who are saved are crucified with Christ.  If you are saved, you are dead to sin and the world.  Listen to me very carefully.  I am not trying to be crucified with Christ – I am crucified with Christ!  I am not striving to be dead to sin; I am dead to sin!  There is a sense of finality to these verses.  Paul did not say, “I am trying to be crucified with Christ”; Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ.”  Paul did not say, “They that are Christ’s should strive to crucify the flesh”; he plainly says, “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh.”  Paul does not declare, “The world should be crucified unto me”; he says rather, “The world is crucified unto me.”  Can’t you see the finality of our crucifixion with Christ?  The Christian life is not a daily attempt to crucify the individual you used to be; the Christian life is rather living out a realization that the individual you used to be IS DEAD!  I am not trying to do away with the man I used to be; the “old man” is already done away with!  He is gone!  He has been crucified!

When Was my “Old Man” Crucified?

“If your ‘old man’ has already been crucified,” you may ask, “then WHEN were you crucified?”  Let us examine our text again for the answer (again, italics mine, for emphasis):

Galatians 2:20 – “I am crucified with Christ.” 

The answer is plain as day.  Paul plainly states, “I am crucified with Christ.”  My “old man” died when Christ died.  When Christ was crucified, I was crucified.  The man I used to be was executed on a cross on Calvary’s hill over 2,000 years ago.  Once the reader understands this, the fog lifts!  What a great joy it was when I finally understood that what I was trying to do daily – i.e. crucify my flesh – was already completely finished 2,000 years ago!  When reading the remainder of this post, keep in mind that the Bible plainly teaches that believers have already been crucified, and that crucifixion is with Christ.  Don’t forget it – we died when Christ died. 

Mortify Your Members!

Colossians 3:5 – “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

Here is yet another verse used by those who wish to crucify their flesh every day.  Understanding that the word, “mortify” means “to kill,” we have here a command to kill our members which are upon the earth. 

Look carefully at this verse.  “Mortify your members,” it declares.  Then, the verse defines the members we are to destroy.  It is not our flesh that we are to destroy; it is a collection of various sins that we are to destroy.  Whatever causes us to be tempted while living in this flesh – destroy it!  If it is a temptation to you, get away from it.  Listen to me very carefully.  If you wish to use Colossians 3:5 to preach that we need to crucify our flesh daily, that’s your business.  But if you’re going to do so, you need to back up two verses and do something with Colossians 3:3.

Colossians 3:3 – “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Before Paul tells us to mortify our members, he just as plainly tells us this – “Ye are dead!”  He does not say, “Ye are striving to be dead”; he says, “Ye are dead!”  I do not need to destroy my “old man” today; my “old man” was destroyed upon an old, rugged cross.

Mortifying the Deeds of the Body

Romans 8:13 – “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Here is another verse used to show that we need to crucify our flesh daily.  This verse, however does not teach us to mortify the body, or the flesh; it rather teaches us to mortify the deeds of the body.  As we just saw in Colossians, we will be tempted to sin.  These sins need to be destroyed!  It is not our flesh, or our “old man” that needs to be destroyed, for our “old man” has already been destroyed!  In the chapter we are currently discussing, Romans 8, look at what Paul states just three verses prior to our verse of study:

Romans 8:10 – “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

Did you catch that?  Three verses before Paul teaches us to mortify the deeds of the body, he states, “If Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD!”  When did our “old man” die?  When Christ died!  Paul teaches this again very plainly!  If you are going to use Romans 8:13 to prove that we need to crucify our flesh, then be honest with the word of God and use Romans 8:10 with it – “If Christ be in you, the body IS DEAD!” 

I Die Daily

I Corinthians 15:31 – “I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.”

Another verse popularly used to promote the daily death of the believer is before us.  I hear it said often, “Paul said, ‘I die daily.’”  Yes, he did.  But Paul is not speaking here of dying out to self, or dying out to sin.  This entire chapter, I Corinthians 15, is dealing with the doctrine of the resurrection.  Paul is teaching the Corinthians the chief importance of believing that we will one day be resurrected.  When Paul says, “I die daily,” he is teaching us that he counts himself as dead every day!  He places himself in jeopardy continually for the purpose of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Why does he do so?  Because he knows that death is not final!  There is a coming resurrection, and Paul will be resurrected.  His statement, “I die daily,” refers to his willingness to place his life in jeopardy on a daily basis.  You say, “Where did you get that?”  I say, “I got it out of the Bible.”  If you’ll look at the verse again, reading the surrounding verses with it, you will find that Paul is telling the Corinthians that he jeopardizes his life continually, and he wouldn’t do it if the dead rise not:

I Corinthians 15:30-32 – “And WHY STAND WE IN JEOPARDY every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, IF THE DEAD RISE NOT? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.”

So, to say that Paul’s statement, “I die daily,” is referring to “dying out to sin,” or “dying out to self,” is to take the scripture grossly out of context.

TO BE CONTINUED…