IN WHAT DOES CROSS-BEARING CONSIST?

The Master’s cross-bearing did not consist in fighting the weaknesses of the flesh, for he had none; nor are these weaknesses of the flesh our crosses. Because all our weaknesses of the flesh are fully covered by the merit of our Lord’s sacrifice; our standing before God is as New Creatures and not as imperfect fleshly creatures – the imperfections of the flesh, which are contrary to our wills and opposed by them, being fully pardoned by the Lord.

The Lord’s cross-bearing consisted in the doing of the Father’s will under unfavorable conditions. This course brought upon him the envy, hatred, malice, strife, persecution, etc., of those who thought themselves to be God’s people, but whom our Lord, who read their hearts, declared to be of their father, the devil. We are not able to read the hearts of those about us who profess to be the Lord’s people, yet we may be sure that there are plenty still now who profess the name of God and of Christ (nominal Christians) who have none of his Spirit and are not his children, but are the children of the Adversary, – begotten of an evil spirit.

Since we are walking in the same “narrow way” that our Master walked, we may reasonably expect that our crosses will be of similar kind to his – oppositions to our doing the will of our Father in heaven – oppositions to our serving his cause and letting the light shine out as our Master and Leader directed. It is a pleasure for us to do the Father’s will – no cross about that. We delight not only to consecrate our wills, but the Lord’s law of righteousness is in our hearts to such an extent that we delight to serve the right, the Truth.

Our cross-bearing comes when we find that the Truth, so beautiful to us, so charming, is hated by others and draws upon us their anger, malice, hatred, as the same truths drew the same opposition upon our Master. Our faithfulness in cross-bearing consists in our willingness to stand up for the Truth and for every principle of righteousness; – meekly, humbly, yet firmly, speaking the truth in love, no matter what the cost of friendships broken or enmities enkindled, or evil words spoken against us falsely for the Truth’s sake.

Our Master forewarned us of just such experiences when he spoke of our crosses in following him. He was explaining the matter more fully when he said, “Marvel not if the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” “If ye were of the world the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, – prince of devils, – think it not strange if they will call his followers by evil names also. Yea, he forewarned us, “They shall say all manner of evil against you, falsely, for my sake.”

He even implied that some who are not children of the devil (true children, howbeit misguided, misled by the blind guides) would be found amongst the persecutors of the cross-bearers, and assured us that some of these would verily think that they were doing God service.

And are they not doing God and us also a service in the sense that Satan is serving God’s purposes in the present time, in the persecution of the Church; – in making her path a “narrow” one, and filling it with difficulties; that thus the Lord’s faithful cross-bearers might be tested and proven, and that he might thus select and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works and zealous of the Truth?

Continued with next post.