Popular as they are in some quarters, the believer has no need to be taught techniques of self-surrender and self-crucifixion. Self-crucifixion is both spiritually and physically impossible! Try physical crucifixion and see for yourself. You can hammer the nails into your feet and then maybe, just maybe, into one of your hands, but you can’t hammer the last nail into the remaining hand. This is also true of self-imposed spiritual crucifixion ... it is a myth!
With gospel faith, such techniques are done away with because, as a result of the gospel, we are reduced to our proper place of brokenness and dependency.
Jesus taught that true discipleship was to deny self, take up our cross and follow Him. This is exactly what happens when we receive salvation by faith alone. Faith fully agrees with God’s verdict that we, in ourselves, are nothing and that we stand in total need of the Savior. In that way, we are broken; self is denied; the cross is taken up and we follow Christ. Faith sees that the true believer is already crucified with Christ and that He, Jesus Christ alone, is his life. Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11).
Gospel Faith will cause us to give up our exhausting and useless efforts to do or feel something good in order to coax God to love us. Have you ever felt that, at times, you need to make that extra special effort at godliness to squeeze acceptance from the Heavenly Father? I've been there, done that and have many tee-shirts to prove it! However, to think like that is to walk in unbelief. The opposite of unbelief is faith and faith rests upon Christ alone to gain us approval and acceptance before the Father!
By faith, the scripture, "Having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Corinthians 6:10)becomes a reality. The unsaved person, seeing the apparent contradiction, may ask how we Christians have nothing, yet have all things. Perhaps a statement addressing this apparent contradiction, made more than one hundred years ago by the English preacher J.C. Philpot, can help us to understand this. He said,
“It means, having nothing in self, possessing all things in Christ. My own beggary leads me out of self into His riches. My own unrighteousness leads me out of self into Christ's righteousness. My own defilement leads me out of self into Christ's sanctification. My own weakness leads me out of self into Christ's strength. My own misery leads me out of self into Christ's mercy."
Having nothing-and yet possessing all things" 2 Corinthians 6:10. These two branches of divine truth, so far from clashing with each other-sweetly, gloriously, and blessedly harmonize.” J.C. Philpot: "Spiritual Poverty and Heavenly Riches.”
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
Written By: Miles McKee
[email protected]
With gospel faith, such techniques are done away with because, as a result of the gospel, we are reduced to our proper place of brokenness and dependency.
Jesus taught that true discipleship was to deny self, take up our cross and follow Him. This is exactly what happens when we receive salvation by faith alone. Faith fully agrees with God’s verdict that we, in ourselves, are nothing and that we stand in total need of the Savior. In that way, we are broken; self is denied; the cross is taken up and we follow Christ. Faith sees that the true believer is already crucified with Christ and that He, Jesus Christ alone, is his life. Christ is all and in all (Colossians 3:11).
Gospel Faith will cause us to give up our exhausting and useless efforts to do or feel something good in order to coax God to love us. Have you ever felt that, at times, you need to make that extra special effort at godliness to squeeze acceptance from the Heavenly Father? I've been there, done that and have many tee-shirts to prove it! However, to think like that is to walk in unbelief. The opposite of unbelief is faith and faith rests upon Christ alone to gain us approval and acceptance before the Father!
By faith, the scripture, "Having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Corinthians 6:10)becomes a reality. The unsaved person, seeing the apparent contradiction, may ask how we Christians have nothing, yet have all things. Perhaps a statement addressing this apparent contradiction, made more than one hundred years ago by the English preacher J.C. Philpot, can help us to understand this. He said,
“It means, having nothing in self, possessing all things in Christ. My own beggary leads me out of self into His riches. My own unrighteousness leads me out of self into Christ's righteousness. My own defilement leads me out of self into Christ's sanctification. My own weakness leads me out of self into Christ's strength. My own misery leads me out of self into Christ's mercy."
Having nothing-and yet possessing all things" 2 Corinthians 6:10. These two branches of divine truth, so far from clashing with each other-sweetly, gloriously, and blessedly harmonize.” J.C. Philpot: "Spiritual Poverty and Heavenly Riches.”
And that’s the Gospel Truth!
Written By: Miles McKee
[email protected]