August 12

“Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23

We are said in the Bible to be "crucified" with Christ, but never in relation to sin. Liberation from sin and its consequences is for us an accomplished fact. Man is not required to do anything to achieve it, for he cannot. He need only accept by faith as accomplished the finished work of Christ on the cross, in order himself to reap the benefits of that death for him.

What the Bible does say is that we should take up the cross, in the sense of denying self, and that this should be our continual attitude. The Lord Jesus instructs us several times to follow him in this. The explanation is that God deals with our "sins" and with our "selves" in two very different ways. To conquer sin the believer needs but a moment; to deny self he will require a whole lifetime. Only once, on the cross, did the Lord Jesus bore our sins, where as throughout his lifetime he denied himself. The same will be true of us, that denial of self is an experience of long association with him. We follow him daily.