The Significance of the Body Death of Christ (Part 2) by Richard Manus (facebook/richard.manus.37?fref=ts ) “Obedience” was lost in the garden by our first parents. Therefore, obedience had to be reinstated for the salvation of man. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19) Christ was empowered by the Holy Spirit to walk in obedience to His Father’s will. By the obedience of our Lord, He would go to the cross and lay down His life. It is here that God would accept Christ’s obedience for our salvation. Yes, and now, the same power of the Holy Spirit has been given to us, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we ask , dear brother and sister in Christ, what kind of salvation would we have if we remained unable to obey God? Surely,“salvation” is more than just having our sins forgiven, and we go on sinning, and yet, there are doctrines and teachings in the church which give “sin” a permanent power over man as long as he is in this body. What we fail to realize is, that Christ has taken “the body of sin” to the cross that it would be destroyed by his body death. (Romans 6:6) In being crucified, Christ died “a sinner’s death. It wasn’t just sin that died on the cross, but the sinner himself was crucified with Christ. If it was only sin and not the sinner that was crucified, then we could go on sinning. However, the scripture says, “He that is dead is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:7) The person you are when coming to Christ, is the person who died with Christ on the cross of Calvary. Since you were put to death with Christ, the very nature of sin was also crucified. Yes, the inherit nature of sin received from our first parents had now ended in death. In the full scope of sin with its effect on man, his nature had to be crucified. Wherefore, the body death of Christ was absolutely necessary for our full salvation, since the body contained the nature. It was man himself that God was after in redemption. To deliver him from his fallen state, it was God’s way to take Adam and all who were born of him to the cross where death would come, thus, making it possible for whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. How does this wonderful and great truth of redemption through the cross work out in us today? Jesus said that we should take up our cross daily and follow Him. It is here on a daily plain with a daily cross, that the very nature of sin would be put to death in us. And what is the most predominant attribute of the sin nature? “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) It is the self-life! The self-life, apart from the cross where Jesus died, is the very epitome for “the man of sin.” There could be no man of sin without the vessel of “self.” When we consider the full potential of man’s degenerate self, we find a pit which has no bottom. From this bottomless pit every fowl and unclean spirit arises. “Man as a person is not evil, it is not man-himself, but rather, man as self which characterizes the evil. When sin came into the world, (which man had been set over), maIn b then became a captive to sin. It is from here that he would become a sinner. Again, “Man” as a person whom God had created was not evil. Sin would not have gained its entrance into the world if man had exercised his God given authority over the serpent. Man fell under sin’s dominion which brought forth evil into the world. Man became a sinner which gave him the potential to become evil. Thus, evil men with evil hearts have erupted all through history to this present hour. Early on the scripture reads, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great In the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5) For sin to become active in the earth, sin had to have a vessel to function, and operate through. Since man’s spirit was dead, and could offer no resistance, his soul would now become a vessel for sin to dwell. And what is the disposition which sin would hold within man’s soul? It is that of a self-natured man. Yes, sin produced in us a self natured man. Since man’s body functions according to the expressions of his soul, his body would also become subjected to sin’s dominion over him. Wherefore, sin would bring forth death in spirit, soul, and body. In one scripture Paul exclaims “ O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) In John chapter eight verse thirty two, we find an often quoted scripture which reads, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” What many of us fail to see, and realize, is that Jesus spoke these words in reference to our “being made free from the bondage of sin.” We know the truth by revelation which is given to us by the Spirit. God quickens the truth of His word in your spirit of how you were crucified with Christ. This word of truth has the power to “make” you free. In verse thirty six of John chapter eight the scripture goes on to say, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” Praise God! Here is the most profound, absolute and unwavering truth, where the Son of God took action to do something on our part! “If the Son shall “make” you free…” He has made us free by going to the cross and being crucified on our part! The enemy may cause you to doubt the revelation of God’s word, but he can never take away the “body death” nor diminish from His power to make you free! Now, I have some wonderful news for you today! God has created you, in Christ Jesus! What is true of Him is true of you. Let us walk in the light as He is in the light. The scripture reads...”which thing is true in Him and in you:...I John 2:8 All our doubts must cease when we look at Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary. It was stated by a union officer at the battle of Gettysburg while looking across the fields of thousands who lay dead, “ hostility should cease in death.” Dear brothers and sisters, if you can receive it, Christ our Savior has crucified and put to death the flesh with its lust, its pride, its greed, its hate, its envy and strife. By His cross these evil beasts were slain. Christ our Savior has crucified the flesh and its power over you! Even our minds which fell to alienation against God cannot withstand the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ! Powers and principalities have been spoiled by the cross of our Lord. Yes, hostility should cease in death! Let the peace of God rule in your hearts today! In the very heat of the battle, you can hold to the cross where your flesh has been crucified with Him! Speak it out loud if necessary, “this is not me, and I will not accept the flesh as being who I am any longer! I am a new creature in Christ. My old self has been crucified with Him on the cross of Calvary.” Jesus said “the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” (John 14:30) “Again a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you: because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth”. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ we have been given power to thread on serpents!
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 20:27:45 +0000
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