By Ian D’Souza

The title suggests that this may be a Good Friday message.  It is the crucifixion scene for sure and the words “come down from the cross” we know were spoken by the soldiers, pharisees and the crucified thieves to Jesus, mocking Him to come down, save Himself and them too.  But, that is not what this message is about.  There is someone else who was crucified on that day together with Jesus.  That is the Christian believer.  Paul says in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

Our co-crucifixion with Christ is an integral part of the Christian life.  Upon it hinges the success or downfall of our Christian walk. Our self-life or the old man was crucified together with Christ on that cross 2000 years ago, but became applicable to me from the day I believed.  Though this is a positional truth, it has to be made experiential in our everyday lives by taking our position of faith upon it, reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, through Christ.  Then it  is that the Holy Spirit comes in and makes it real by applying the victory of it to our lives.  For He will only back up God’s Word and God’s method of crucifixion of the self via the cross.  Crucifixion is not something that we do, but something that is already position-ally done for us by Christ.  By faith, we enter into it and rest our case, while the Holy Spirit outworks the details as He sees fit.

Word of caution:  This truth is not automatic, nor is this victory easily come by.  The Word of God will first test us before it will work for us, as it did in the life of Joseph (Psalm 105:19).  But it is the only way of final victory over the flesh.  For the flesh cannot drive out the flesh.  The flesh will only yield to the cross of Christ.  Therein lies our victory.  The crucified life then, is God’s standard for all men, so that the victory of the cross may be ours through Christ!