CENTRAL THOUGHT
The life of a Christian is a reflection of the degree of his yieldedness to Christ.
HYMN: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER
TEXT: Romans 6:1-23, 1 Peter 4:1-2, Galatians 2:20
INTRODUCTION:
The Word of God concludes that every man is a sinner. As a result, man is condemned to receive the wage for his sin. It does not matter how “righteously” man tries to live as he grows up, he is still expected to pay for the sin which was inherited by him from his adamic lineage. The wages of sin according to the scriptures is death (Romans 6:23). However, the provision made by God for the remission of sin is the shedding of blood. Man could not make this sacrifice because iniquity could not possibly pay for iniquity.
God in His mercy, not willing that any should perish send His dear righteous Son Jesus to the earth to die for mankind. For as Paul says to the Romans, “But God commendeth His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). This death of Christ on the cross according to F.J. Dake, showed that there was no salvation by the law or any other means for that matter. Since by that death, we were really crucified with Him (being our death that was substituted), it follows that we now live his own life which was exchanged for ours. The life we now live in the flesh is one of faith in Christ who loved us and made it possible for us to live without condemnation. It is the resurrected life of Christ that we now possess.
To the Christian, therefore, living the crucified life is a daily walk that reflects the character of Christ while depending on His Spirit for empowerment, guidance leadership and victory.
LESSON OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are:
- To explain the attributes characterized with the crucified life.
- To understand how the crucified life can be sustained.
- To know the rewards of living a crucified life.
Q1. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE CRUCIFIED LIFE?
Literally, to crucify means to put to death. One that is dead is not subject to sensitivity or any other form of responsiveness. Similarly, to the Christian the crucified life is one which through the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit has lost its attraction for the things of this world. This is made possible through the appropriation of the vicarious death of our Lord Jesus Christ unto oneself. Just as the case of the dead, where there is no response to stimulus, so also in the crucified life the passion for sin is dead.
In Romans 6:6, Paul declares that our old self was crucified with Christ in order to render our sinful nature powerless, and to break sins hold over our lives. In Galatians 2:20, Paul also use the word crucified, but notice that it is also in past tense, indicating that the work has already been done 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Beginning the verse with therefore means there is something before this truth recorded in the verse. What was before implies that sin has indeed been rendered powerless and we are no longer in its deadly grip.
Q2. WHAT ATTRIBUTES CHARACTERIZE THE CRUCIFIED LIFE?
The crucified life is actually life that is lived in union with Christ, and because such life is empowered by His Spirit, it is His own attributes that must reflect in such life.
In Romans 12:9-21, the character of love as expressed by God in the sacrifice of His dear Son is highlighted, it is love that is sincere and considers others above self/ It is one that rewards evil with good and makes hospitality its practice.
Other attributes as found in (John 13:35, Galatians 5:16, 17, 1 Peter 3:3-4,15: Proverbs 16:19) indicate that the crucified life is one that is humble, patient, fervent, and walking in the spirit, prayerful, modest in dressing, not slothful in business, and not talkative etc. There is no gain saying the fact that the natural man has no ability in himself to manifest these stated attributes. This is why in Galatians 2:20, Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of god, who loved me and gave himself for me”.
Q3. WHAT SHOULD BE THE ATTITUDE OF A CRUCIFIED LIFE TOWARDS:
1. Works of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-21
Fleshly lust is when we have an impulse or a craving to do something that is not glorifying to God, and is a sin. A crucified life walks in the Spirit and does not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The Christian should abstain from sinful desires. As long as we remain human, we cannot stop a fleeting thought from passing through our minds in the same way we cannot stop birds flying over our heads. But we can stop them from nesting on our hair. If we indulge the thought, play with it, allow it a lasting place in our minds, then we are engaging in the kind of sinful desires that will war against our souls. Sinful desires replace legitimate pursuit of the will of God with thoughts which make us feel guilty and separated from God. Eventually, desires give place to actualization of the thoughts in deeds, and we are told in Galatians 5:21, that they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
2. The world and its system. John 2:15-17
Galatians 6:14 says “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”. In the true reckoning of heaven about Christians, he is dead to the world and its system. That also should be the attitude of mind of the Christian about himself. He is conscious that the world and its systems are already sentenced to pass away and because he must not pass away with them, he keeps doing the will of God in order to abide forever.
3. Satan and his agents. Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 2:13-15, Romans 16:20, Ephesians 1:20-22
From the above scriptures we know that God through Jesus has freed us from satanic control, so we can choose not to have fellowship with them. The Christian should picture himself seated in heavenly places above Satan and his work (sin), realizing that his sinful desires are dead and crucified with Christ. The Christian should dwell in the confidence that he is now raised with Christ in the newness of life.
Q4. HOW CAN THE CRUCIFIED LIFE BE SUSTAINED?
2 Timothy 2:15, Philippians 3:12-14, James 4:7, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1 Corinthians 9:27
The word of God is food for the spirit that is born again. As newborn babes, we are enjoined desire the sincere mild of the word of God that we may grow thereby. (1 Peter 2:2). The word of God is an admixture of fluid, semi-solid and solid spiritual food. The crucified life can be sustained and kept vibrant by a careful and systematic study of the word of God. In order to make reasonable progress, the crucified life must forget all past glories and achievements and press forward towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
The Bible says we should resist the devil. It is the duty of the crucified life to recognize every ploy of the devil to cause setback and to fight against him. In doing this, he must remain submissive unto God. He must continue to put his faith in the finished work of Christ on Calvary and must continually remember what Christ did for us. He broke the hold that sin had on us, took the guilt of sin to the cross with Him and gave us a new and everlasting life. Satan has no more power over us than we give him. We must be careful not to hand back to him that which cost the Lord His life to restore. The crucified life does not give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). He must develop a habit of daily communion with God in prayers. Finally, recognizing that the Holy Spirit is given to the church to help believers do the naturally impossible, the crucified life must place his body under His control by “walking in the spirit”.
Q5. WHAT ARE THE REWARDS FOR LIVING A CRUCIFIED LIFE?
Romans 5:1, Proverbs 16:7, Philippians 4:7, Romans 8:11, Isaiah 26:3, Revelation 21:6-7.
We must realize that God Himself remains our exceeding great reward. One that puts on Christ has ceased to live in sin and he is justified by faith. A great mark of this work on him is the peace he has with God and with himself, which makes him live at peace with his neighbors. Even his enemies will be at peace with him.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable consequently, the Christian is assured that at the end of this life on earth he will enjoy eternal life with God in heaven. While the crucified life does not make the pursuit of maternal wealth his occupation. There is however, the promise of God’s provision of material blessings for him as he seeks the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
Daily Living Application:
The Christian must know that our spiritual warfare is real. Satan, though already defeated by Christ, is a formidable enemy lurking in obscure places, seeking whom he will drag along with himself to hell. Satan uses the Christian’s subtle love for the material things of this world, as well as guilt over sin to drive a wedge between him and God. To stop Satan, we continually remember what Christ did for us. He broke the hold that sin had on us, took the guilt of sin to the cross with Him and gave us a new and everlasting life. Satan has no more power over us than we give him. We must be careful not to hand over to him that which cost the Lord His life to restore. The crucified life does not give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).
Memory verse:
Romans 6:6
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin”.