Luke 9:23 NASB [23] And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
Romans 6:3-6 NASB [3] Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? [4] Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, [6] knowing this, that our old self c was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done d away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; …
Here are a set of verses that seem to contradict themselves, but of course we know there can’t be a contradiction, simply a misunderstanding on our part. In Romans 6, we are told very clearly that when Christ hung on the cross we were there and were crucified with Him. We were also told in those verses that not only were we in union with His crucifixion, but we were also in union with His burial and resurrection, and as we know from other scriptures, His ascension. Verse 6 says our old self was crucified with Him, but Luke chapter 9 seem to indicate that if we are going to follow Jesus we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily. Which is it? Is death to self something that I do every day, or is death to self something that Jesus took care of 2000 years ago? Actually, the answer is very simple. Death to self has already happened in the finished work of Christ. The old self, the old man that was under the condemnation and the control of sin, died on the Cross with Jesus. The independent self that lives life in its own strength by its own wit and self-determination was crucified 2000 years ago. Jesus took care of that, and we can celebrate that reality. The self apart from Jesus was taken to the place of execution in Christ, and you were raised up with Him in union with the resurrected Jesus as a totally new creation.
Let me say it again, death to self has already happened, and it happened 2000 years ago in Christ at the Cross. So what in the world is Luke 9 talking about? You and I still have a fallen body, and in our members there is a law of sin that works like a spiritual gravitational pull to try to get me to live like the old fallen self, or the old man, by choosing self-determination and independent effort again. That is me trying to live out of my humanity apart from trusting in Jesus who is my life as a new creation. You are not the old man, but you can give a good imitation of the old man by choosing to do things your own way and in your own strength.
To deny yourself and to take up your cross daily is to simply remember that independent self has already been crucified and step-by-step say yes to Jesus whose life is pulsating in you and trying to manifest through you. All that I have to do is be in agreement with what He has done and all that He is in me now. I don’t have to spend time begging God to put self to death. He already did. A surrendered life is just a life with a giant YES branded on your will.
Romans 6:10 – 11 magnificently declares the truth about all this. Let these words sink deep into your heart; “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives He lives (continually, moment by moment) to God. Even so consider yourselves to be (already) dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Do you see it? The old self has died, and you now are in union with Christ who continually lives a life to God, or a godly life. I have a godly life in the person of Jesus living inside of me and wanting to manifest through me right now. All I have to say to that is YES and THANK YOU. Holiness is a gift.