To be a Christian is to deny self and get on the road Jesus walked. Nevertheless, many seek worldly things and selfish gain while claiming to know Christ intimately. Biblically it is an impossibility to know Christ well while avoiding the Calvary Road. Christ took upon Himself the cross. The cross was not simply indicative of His future death. Instead, the cross encompassed the Father’s will, dying to self, and surrendering to the will of God.
When Jesus died on the cross He cried out in anguish, “…Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit…” (KJV, Luke 23:46). Jesus’ cry to the Father was in prophetic fulfillment of Psalm 31:5. However, in Psalm 31:5, we encounter David, who did not die but was experiencing trials while living in the will of God. Despite David’s trials, we see that David also turned to the Father and committed his spirit into the Father’s hands. But what does this mean?
David and Jesus both surrendered their lives to the Father and took their cross while yielding to the Father’s will. Self-denial is marked by cross-bearing, and it comes in many forms. Interestingly, Jesus died much quicker than the average man when hung on the cross. Jesus’ death begs the question, “Why did He die so quickly?” While it is hard to know for sure, it is likely that one of the reasons He died quickly was because He did not cling to this world as so many do in death. It is common when people are dying to fight for their life. On the cross, Jesus is displayed as offering Himself to God and embracing death.
So must the Christian learn to die to self and surrender all to the Lord.
Denying sin
On Calvary Road, the Christian will encounter a great need to deny sin. Scripture says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Rom. 6:12). The context of this verse is that of Paul teaching the people of Rome that simply because they are justified by grace through faith, this does not give them license to sin. Instead, when someone is genuinely saved, he is baptized into Christ, and the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus become a reality in the believer’s life.
In other words, a believer has died to sin and risen with Christ to newness of life. As a result, of dying with Christ, the believer has died to the law and is, therefore, no longer under the law. Since the law is recognized as the power of sin, the power of sin is broken in his life.
When someone is under the law, he is enslaved to sin because the law keeps him bound, dead, condemned, and separated from God. The unbeliever is alive to sin and dead to God because of sin and the laws condemning force in his life. However, when someone is baptized into Christ through saving faith, he dies with Christ and rises with Him as well.
Jesus is no longer under the law, although He was under the law at one point. So it is also true for the believer who is in Christ that he is no longer under the law but has been seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
But when we get to Romans 6:12, we encounter a reality that must be reckoned with. While the believer has died to sin, he must still not let sin reign in his mortal body to make him obey the sinful flesh. There is still a war, but the Christian has a new position in Christ where he can overcome the sinful flesh. He must not let sin reign in his life. He must reckon himself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. He must affirm his position in Christ by faith, take a stand, deny sin, and glorify God.
Denying the unbeneficial
Many are misguided in their pursuit of God. Many get as close to sin as they can without going overboard. However, God has called the Christian to holiness and not to get as close to the enemy as he can without shaking his hand.
Scripture says, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1 Cor. 10:23). Paul recognized that while there were things that were lawful for him, they were not beneficial. Simply saying, “I am okay to do this because it is not obviously sinful,” does not make something good. The Christian must get beyond simply avoiding sin to doing what is spiritually beneficial.
Another portion of Scripture that attests to the same need is in the book of Hebrews. Scripture says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely…” (Heb. 12:1). Some would think that the author of Hebrews is telling his listeners to lay aside sin in two different ways, the first way being by calling sin weight and the second way by calling sin sin. But this is not the case.
The author of Hebrews was concerned that his listeners lay aside sin but not just that. He was also concerned that they lay aside whatever was weighing them down from pursuing the Lord. The rush of the day often brings many matters to the forefront that are not necessarily sinful but weigh the Christian down and keep him from pursuing the Lord as he ought. Therefore, the Christian must learn to deny the weight and seek the Lord.
Denying the world
Finally, the Christian must learn to deny the world. Many people would use Paul’s words of becoming all things to all people as a license to engross themselves in the ways of the world and say it is for the glory of God. There is a common tendency to stamp the Lord’s name on “Christian activity” and say that it is being done for the Lord as though the statement has a sanctifying effect.
But what would Paul have said? Scripture says, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Gal. 6:14). Elsewhere Paul said, “No man that warreth entangle himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4). Still, Paul has said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2). Finally, Paul states, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Cor. 6:17). Paul had much to say about denying the world and living for God.
The Christian must embrace his pilgrim character. This world is not his home, and when he begins to feel at home on this earth, there is an element to his Christianity that is lacking. This is not to say that the Christian should sit around and wait for death in a state of despondency. Instead, the Christian should look forward to a world without sin and a life of unbroken fellowship with God. He should look forward to the reign of Christ and the name of God being hallowed as it ought to be.
The one who has died with Christ and has risen with Him must learn to set his mind on things above. He has died, and his life is hidden with Christ in God. He must learn, along with Paul, that to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Denying the world is not simply turning from the world. God has not called anyone to simply turn from the world. Instead, God has called the Christian to forsake the world and turn to Him.
Final prayer
Father, I pray that You would give me a heart that desires to live for You. Teach me to deny sin, unbeneficial things, and the world. Help me honor You in all that I do and live a pleasing life in Your sight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.