Grace of the Cross – Self-Denial

Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:55 — 18.5MB)

If we ask our growing children today whether they are Christians, many will thankfully answer "yes." There are indeed many people around us who call themselves Christians. Yet only a few profess their faith in Christ. Therefore, I would like to ask every reader the same question today, albeit in a slightly different way: "Do you belong to Christ?"

In addressing this question, we must consciously clarify our affiliation. Which side are you on? Have you placed yourself on Christ's side? How can your allegiance to Christ be recognized? And how attractive is Jesus' call to discipleship, really?

Following Jesus, yes! But under what conditions?

Jesus chose twelve men, his disciples, and called them to follow him. They had extraordinary experiences with Jesus. In every emergency, Jesus had a way out. He protected them in the storm, he provided them with food, he healed many sick people – including Peter's mother-in-law. The disciples only needed to be with Jesus, and they were well. They had recognized Jesus as the Christ. For them, he was the Messiah, the Savior – the hope of liberation (cf. Luke 24:21).

The disciples were determined to become followers of Jesus. For Peter, there could be no other way. He asked Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68). And Jesus didn't hide the conditions of discipleship, as is often the case in contracts today, where the terms are printed in small type. Jesus spoke openly with his disciples about the risks, the costs, and the less-than-attractive reputation of following Christ—the cross. He spoke of being rejected and killed and rising again after three days (cf. Mark 8:31–38 and Matthew 16:21–26).

This open announcement shattered all of Peter's preconceived notions. He saw Jesus as the bearer of hope. Jesus, however, spoke of suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. Peter took Jesus aside and contradicted him, pleading with him: "Lord, spare yourself! This must never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22). Jesus, however, sharply rebuked Peter because he lacked divine perspective and judged according to human understanding. Turning to the disciples, Jesus said: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me!" (Mark 8:34). These are the crucial conditions that Jesus sets for his disciples: self-denial and taking up the cross.

He who bore his cross did not return!

“Taking up one’s cross” – What does that mean?

Almost all Christians are aware that they must bear their cross in following Jesus. However, ideas about what this means can vary greatly. Furthermore, Jesus speaks of taking up the cross daily (cf. Luke 9:23). This does not refer to accepting or acknowledging personal misfortunes such as illness, particularly difficult life circumstances, or similar events, even though these misfortunes are sometimes colloquially referred to as "my cross."

Once we have accepted these life circumstances, we learn to cope with the particularities of our lives. The daily taking up of the cross, which Jesus speaks of, is about dying. In Jesus' time, everyone knew: Whoever carried their cross did not return! They carried their death sentence on their back. After Jesus was condemned to death and led away, it was clear to every observer: This man is going his final way because he carries his cross on his back. And he will soon be executed on his cross.

The Apostle John reports: “And he, bearing his cross, went out to the place called the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha” (John 9:17). The other Evangelists report that Simon of Cyrene was seized as he passed by and forced to carry the cross after Jesus (cf. Matthew 7:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26).

How can a follower of Christ carry his cross every day?

Our own cross is about the death of the egoism within us—our selfish nature. We humans are naturally driven to fight for survival until the very end, for every breath and every tiny opportunity to save ourselves. This struggle is also particularly evident in our spiritual lives.

We see this when Christians try to become good enough in God's eyes through their own efforts. Indeed, even fasting and self-mortification will be of no use if a person secretly thinks highly of themselves (cf. Isaiah 58:3-6). Such people justify themselves with diligence, strict discipline, and good works. In doing so, they forget that a victorious life is only made possible through the cross. For our daily lives, this means renouncing the daily attempt to become righteous before God through our own efforts. Our "self" must surrender to God anew each day (= give up itself).

This is a daily admission: I cannot cope without God, I need Jesus.

 

1. To live dependent on Christ

This was precisely Jesus' message in the parable of the vine and the branches in John 15. There we read: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). This isn't just about praying alone now and then or reading the Bible; this parable is about constant dependence on Jesus Christ.

Once a vine is severed from the vine, that little branch is no longer capable of bearing fruit. Rather, such a branch is doomed to wither and die by being cut off from the vine. A vine depends on the vine—a Christian depends on Christ. Jesus says, “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned” (John 15:6).

If someone believes they can achieve something through their own strength, diligence, and effort, this reveals their strong ego and also shows that they live independently of God. All their efforts are ultimately doomed to failure. Jesus continues: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:7-8).

Dependence on Jesus means remaining "in Jesus," in His will and in His word. This is the source of our lives: being closely connected to Christ through word and prayer. In this way, we will grow in the knowledge of Jesus and be able to lead a fruitful life.

This thought will lead some readers to ask themselves why. We might even hear our children say, "But I haven't done anything wrong! I'm not aware of any guilt." Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "I am not aware of any guilt, but I am not therefore exonerated; it is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:4). The Apostle Paul had recognized and understood that nothing good dwells in him—that is, in his flesh (cf. Romans 7:18).

Even though Paul was already a true follower of Christ, an apostle, and had received profound revelations from God, he writes to his disciple Timothy that he is the greatest of all sinners—not was, but is (cf. 1 Tim 1:15). And that Christ demonstrates His mercy through patient endurance (long-suffering) in the example of Paul.

In his first letter, the Apostle John writes about life in the light of God and the forgiveness of sins: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).

The first thing we must understand in this text is that God is completely free from all darkness; God is light! When people say they have fellowship with God, yet in their practical way of life they are without insight into their sin, insincere, and unrepentant, then they walk in darkness. Those who walk in the light seek fellowship with the church, allow themselves to be admonished by God's Word, are convicted by the Holy Spirit, come to insight, and repent.

Through this, he experiences cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ. John continues: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). We learn that we must have daily insight into our imperfection and need daily cleansing through Jesus' blood.

3. Willingness to forgive others

The daily burden of a follower of Christ's cross includes not only dependence on Christ and a sense of guilt before God, but also a willingness to forgive others. After Jesus Christ suffered terrible agony and was brutally humiliated, He carried His cross and was raised up on it. Hanging on the cross, He turned to His Father in heaven with the words: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!" (Luke 23:34).

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did not merely address people with words of instruction, saying, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44); no, He put this prerequisite for sonship with the Father in heaven into practice. He Himself had become an intercessor with His Father for His tormentors.

Other men of faith lived according to this very example. The deacon Stephen is one such example. He too forgave his tormentors who stoned him and prayed for them: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” (Acts 7:60).

When Jesus taught about prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, He emphasized forgiveness in particular, stating it as a condition for forgiveness from the Father in heaven (cf. Mt 6:14-15). However, simply expressing forgiveness with words is not enough at this point. Forgiveness means refraining from blaming others and thus relinquishing one's own rights. This is grace, which flows from the cross. Paul exhorts us in his letter to the Colossians: “Forgive one another, just as Christ forgave you” (Col 3:13).

Christ lives in me

The life of the Apostle Paul clearly illustrates the three points mentioned above. He summarizes his discipleship of Christ in Galatians 2:20 as follows: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

When Paul writes of being crucified with Christ, let us also remember how he distanced himself from all his human advantages and achievements. His lineage, his excellent education, his impeccable reputation in society—all these were special advantages and desirable in the eyes of others (cf. Phil 3:5-8).

But for the sake of Jesus Christ, he relinquished these privileges and considered them a loss and a detriment. He much preferred to experience the power of the resurrection and share in the sufferings of Christ. Paul had experienced the grace of Christ's cross through faith in the Son of God and had become a new creation in Christ.

In his letter to the Hebrews, he even calls for this: “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear his reproach” (Hebrews 13:13). The “camp” (cf. the desert wanderings) is a metaphor for the community of Israel. The Hebrews had to endure the shameful exclusion from this community (cf. Numbers 5:1-4) if they fully committed themselves to Jesus Christ. Likewise, we who follow Christ are called not to conform to the way of the world (cf. Romans 12:2 and Galatians 1:4), but to separate ourselves from the world and worldly or earthly thinking (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Paul calls us to be "different"—different from the world. This can lead to being misunderstood, not accepted, or even ostracized and ridiculed. This is what happened to our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul recognized the enormous price Christ paid for him and was willing to forfeit all his achievements in society and his career for Jesus' sake. Therefore, he could say of himself: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Paul wrote to the Philippians, urging them to have the same mindset as Christ. For the apostle, the indwelling Christ meant a change of mind in accordance with Christ Jesus.

What was Christ's attitude?

In Philippians 2:5-8 we read: “For you should have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.”

From this we can see that Christ did not cling to the glory of heaven and His divine form like plundered riches. He was willing to leave heaven, take on the form of a servant, be rejected and humiliated on earth, and be obedient even to the bitter death on the cross. This is an indescribably momentous sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made. Paul describes this sacrifice thus: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Conscious renunciation and taking up the cross characterize Christ's disposition. Christ renounced himself and accepted the cross so that humanity might have a chance to restore the communion with God broken by the Fall. The grace of Jesus consisted in selflessly giving himself up and serving others—becoming poor in order to make others rich. Paul writes to the Romans that Christ did not take pleasure in himself, but rather experienced the insults directed against God (cf. Rom 15:3).

Jesus himself calls out to his followers: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Gentleness means being able to endure unjust evil without defending oneself or insisting on one's own rights. We read Peter's testimony about his Lord in 1 Peter 2:23: “When he was insulted, he did not insult him in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

A humble heart, on the other hand, is shown in the willingness to accept another's decisions, even if one would prefer them to be different, and to submit to the other's will. This attitude is very clearly evident in Jesus when he pleaded with the heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. Mt 26:39).

The Word of the Cross – folly or power of God?

This Christian and divine outlook stands in stark contrast to the thoughts and desires of this world. In the society around us, elbows are out. The worldly mindset is all about assertiveness, self-preservation, egoism, and vain honor or prestige. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Apostle Paul writes: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

For people who have not recognized God and do not want to, the message of the cross seems nonsensical. In their eyes, it is utterly unreasonable to relinquish one's own rights, let alone deny oneself or take up one's cross. People live without God because they want to be independent. They have no sense of guilt before God and lack the willingness both to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others.

The worldly mindset refuses to accept the true cross because it lacks insight into "being lost without God." Paul writes with regret in Philippians 3:18-19 about an earthly mindset that leads to hostility toward the cross of Christ: "For, as I have often told you, and now tell you again with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; they boast in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things."

The problem with these people is that they live selfishly and serve themselves. This earthly mindset, regardless of whether the person calls themselves a Christian or not, is completely contrary to the grace of the cross. For those who have recognized that, separated from God, they are condemned to eternal death, the message of the cross has become a divine power.

It is the power of forgiveness and restoration. It is the power to renounce human advantages. It is the power to endure injustice. To experience this power, one needs the insight that one is sinful and that one cannot achieve atonement (i.e., reparation for guilt) through one's own power. It requires the insight that Jesus Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. And thus, the only perfect atonement that finally removes our guilt and frees us from a guilty conscience (cf. Hebrews 10).

Do you belong to Christ?

I would like to revisit this question here. It's not simply about regularly attending church services, giving tithes, reading the Bible, and praying daily. It should be noted that these actions must necessarily be reflected in following Christ.

Rather, the question is whether the cross of Golgotha has become strength and life for you. Whether you are ready to relinquish your self-centered thinking and actions and allow God to transform your entire being, so that Christ's character may increasingly take shape within you (cf. Eph 4:23). In this sense, self-denial, or taking up one's cross, is a wonderful grace of Jesus Christ.

In Galatians 5:24, Paul answers this question as follows: “Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Anatoli Kramm

Lappenstuhl Municipality