Taking up your cross is not what you think it is. If you think it is related to outward actions then you have missed the point. It is a mindset. And BTW, Jesus IS a get out of Jail ticket!! Why do you think He is called SAVIOR? What in the world do you think He was doing up on that cross? "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".KingJ said:
As well, we do in fact get preferential treatment from God as children of God, if we are born after God through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. 1John 2:1,though it exhorts us to not sin, also assures us that if we do sin, Jesus has not failed to accomplish what He set out to do, as He is named as our advocate with the Father. If your old man has been crucified with Christ (through faith in Him), then most assuredly you have taken up your cross. One cannot have been crucified with Him if he had not taken up he cross.
In reference to denying oneself, we must understand that we are saved by grace and not of works..."not of ourselves, lest any man should boast" (Eph.2:9).. This is how we deny our self. In fact, the original issue was not sin. It was pride. It was the exaltation of self. This was Lucifer's downfall, who determined to take on the role of God, forsaking his God given role and purpose. Sin arrived as a result of the original issue, thus sin became an issue. But it is and always has been a mere symptom and not the cause. Are symptoms a problem? Of course. But the solution that mankind has taken on concerning symptoms is to remove them and feel that they have solved the problem. However, this does not happen in any permanent way until the cause is dealt with. (health and medical professionals, take note)
However, what Jesus did on the cross was to remove sin as the main issue that separates man from God. Jesus satisfied the wages of sin and the judgment thereof. What this accomplished was to remove sin out of the way so that the original issue could come back into the forefront. Thus, God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.
The constant bringing back of sin into the arena of contention between God and man, is a distraction from the real issue. Furthermore it serves as a subtle means to retain the original offense, as they who think their behavior is what is sustaining their standing are putting their confidence in self rather than in Jesus. There is a constant bombardment upon and against the church to keep self on the throne by implanting a self serving and self saving agenda into the minds of the unsuspecting and weak, by teaching them that they must save themselves through their own effort and resources.
As well, you mentioned the law in our hearts. Concerning this fact, we need to keep it in its proper perspective. In Gal.3:21, we read that ..."if there had been a law given that could have brought life, then truly righteousness would have been by the law". This holds true for the law written in our hearts as well, Do not confuse the cause with the effect. The law in our hearts is the result of the life that was given to us by faith. It is not there to bring us life, but rather to express the life we have in Christ. Therefore this law in our hearts is not there for the purpose of justifying us any more than than any other law. To imply that we must keep this inner law to be justified is to put the cart before the horse. If we were not already justified, this law would not reside in us.
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