The Power of the Preaching of the Cross

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"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him." (Romans 6:8-9). Therefore death no longer has dominion over us. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me has everlasting life." (John 6:47). Even if we have to pass through physical death, we know that what dies then is the body that has not yet risen. But our spirits are alive, eternally alive, so that we pass from this earth to heaven without a single second of separation ! We are already alive in Christ. As soon as our bodies die, our living spirits are instantly reunited with Christ in heaven ! It must be clear to you that the doctrine of purgatory derives from the absence of the message of the Cross. A Christian who is born again in Christ cannot be engulfed in death. Only our physical bodies will know death, but they are already dead in Christ. I am already expecting the resurrection and the return of the Lord, who will change my body of humiliation into a glorified body. However, I am already alive in Christ and whatever befalls me, I remain alive in Christ ! "For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all ; but the life that he lives, he lives to God." (Romans 6:11).

In verse 11, Paul makes an important statement : "Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Therefore sin will no longer rule over us. The Cross has broken the power of sin over us, because that power resulted from the rule of death over our mortal bodies and our past mortal lives. Now, the Cross has broken the power of sin by nullifying the mortal body over which sin ruled. So Paul concludes : "What then ? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace ? Certainly not !" Do you not know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness ?"(Romans 6:15-16).

"But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness." (Romans 6:17-19).

Now that your spirit is alive in newness of life in Christ, you will use your members as instruments of righteousness, and no longer as instruments of sin. They are simply changed into instruments for the Lord’s service, till the day comes when they will be gloriously transformed, when Jesus and all His saints will come to reign on earth ! We shall reign with Him and rule over the earth with Him, with an iron rod. First, we need to understand the message of the Cross and accept it in faith, so as to walk in holiness with Him.

Paul goes on to say : "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:22-23). That is because now, through faith, Christ is alive in me forever.

To summarise, in Romans 5, Paul explains that "Christ died for you." In Romans 6, he explains that "you died in Christ". In Romans 7, he takes us a step further, and wants us to understand the struggle of a new convert who has not quite fully grasped what it means to have died in Christ, but finally receives the revelation of it, and in Romans 8 stands once again on the ground of victory and walks in the Spirit.

In Romans 7, Paul explains that not only we have died to our former selves, but also to the Law. That means we are no longer constrained to walk in obedience to its commandments, however good they are. From now on, we will walk according to the Law that God has written in our spirits. That inner Law is a life that enables us to produce the fruit of holiness.

We no longer have to submit to a divine Law that is outside us, a Law given to us to put in practice. That was what was required of believers under the old covenant. The Law declared : "Do this, don’t do that !" They endeavoured to obey, but never managed to come into full obedience. Men had set up a legalistic system that was powerless to produce the holiness of God or to express His life.

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