Part 13 of 14

The Essential Spirit – The Three-fold Blessing of the Cross

We, by Adam, became partakers of Sin and death. Romans 5:12   Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin… God gives every created fallen man born of Adam’s fallen seed a God-planned opportunity to gain the deposit of God’s eternal resurrection life, which is only found in “the Son.” 1 John 5:11   And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Being fallen, mankind has three (3) great needs that are fulfilled only by the Cross of Christ.

1)     Man needs his sins forgiven. God did this for us by paying the price for the sins of the world’s inhabitants, redeeming, and reconciling all of us by the blood of His dear Son. 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2)     Man also needs the root of his sins to be negated or annulled. Man’s sins, or “acts of Sin,” are just that – they are the acts or outworking of the Sin nature in his flesh (Rom 7:17-23, 8:3b). This has been called original sin in many religious circles. Man’s acts of sin are the automatic manifestation of the Sin nature. “Acts of Sin” are the result of the Sin nature that indwells the body members of every human so long as they have a physical body. Thus, man needs the root of his act of Sin, his Sin nature, to be dealt with. When we believe and trust in the fact that we died with Christ on the cross (Rom 6:3, 7:4), then the Sinful nature is made of no effect. Romans 6:6 (Darby) knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with [him], that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin. The Sin nature is not destroyed, but rather annulled or made of no effect. The Sin nature is still present in the believer alive on earth, but, the Sin nature is in fact negated. Overcoming Sin then is effectual for us believers as we abide or walk in “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” trusting Christ, as our death and our new and overcoming life.

Galatians 2:20-21 (Darby) I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me; but [in] that I now live in flesh (body), I live by faith, the [faith] of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me.

3)     Man, now being forgiven of his sinful acts and delivered from the power of Sin as a nature, now needs to have a new and capable righteous life. Gal 2:20, above in point 2, tells us we have not only died with Christ, but now He lives within us, as a new us. He is alive in us, as our new person.

Therefore, Paul gives us instruction as to how we may practically live righteously, how to overcome the Sin that is still present in our flesh. Galatians 5:16 (Darby) But I say, Walk in [the] Spirit, and ye shall no way fulfil flesh's lust. From this verse we see that the “lust,” which here are the “strong evil desires,” emanates from the “flesh’s lust.” The remedy, Paul tells us, is to walk in accord or union with the essential “spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus,” now resident within our spirit. Paul simply calls this “the spirit.” “The spirit” here is the unified spirit; Christ's Spirit in our human spirit (1Cor 6:17).

In summary of these three points; 1) Christ shed His blood to wash our sins away, 2) His death is now our death as to our old fallen, sinful, Adamic man, and 3) His eternal, resurrected, “Spirit of life” is now our new life at our spirit-core. He then in us is the absolutely essential spirit.

From this we see that God, by both the negative side of the cross and the positive side of the cross of Christ, has accomplished our threefold salvation – fulfilling every need. By the result of the cross, Christ’s “spirit of life” is now in us; we are now equipped with all that we need to live or lives on earth in accord with Him. What a glorious and all-inclusive cross God has provided; yielding a life for man, to simply…”receive.”

To the lost the message of the cross means absolutely nothing. 1 Corinthians 1:18 …the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. Their sad destiny is seen in the foregoing Part 12. Our destiny as believers born of God’s Seed is quite different from that of the lost. Col. 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.