There are six Bible verses in which Jesus emphatically tells everyone that they must deny themselves, pick up their cross, and follow him, and whoever fails to do so is not worthy of him.
After telling us we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him, Jesus himself then died on the cross to show us the obedience necessary of following him, as he followed the Father's commands to die on the cross. He died on the cross as an example to us, to show us that we too must die to our selfish, fleshly life to gain the eternal life in God. The cross is to deny our will and obey the commands he speaks to us - doing his will instead.
As we deny our will and follow his will, we are putting to death our selfish, sinful nature — the inward cross of self-denial. And as Jesus destroys the sin in us, he increases his Spirit in us, until we join in union with Christ.
The cross is the only way to salvation — and Christendom has totally lost the true meaning of the cross, and so to has lost the true gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. After we have crucified our selfish nature in the inward cross of self-denial, then and only then are we in Christ, as we are raised with him resurrected in us to be our true Lord in control of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Source:
http://www.hallvworthington.com/MissingCross.html
After telling us we must deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow him, Jesus himself then died on the cross to show us the obedience necessary of following him, as he followed the Father's commands to die on the cross. He died on the cross as an example to us, to show us that we too must die to our selfish, fleshly life to gain the eternal life in God. The cross is to deny our will and obey the commands he speaks to us - doing his will instead.
As we deny our will and follow his will, we are putting to death our selfish, sinful nature — the inward cross of self-denial. And as Jesus destroys the sin in us, he increases his Spirit in us, until we join in union with Christ.
The cross is the only way to salvation — and Christendom has totally lost the true meaning of the cross, and so to has lost the true gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. After we have crucified our selfish nature in the inward cross of self-denial, then and only then are we in Christ, as we are raised with him resurrected in us to be our true Lord in control of our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Source:
http://www.hallvworthington.com/MissingCross.html
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