Skin Deep Religion Or Crucified With Christ

Underside is an illustration of a seminar by J.C. Philpot, "Crucifixion with Christ," preached at the North Track Chapel, Stamford, on Noble 19, 1860. It is a proper toil to read the bring to an end seminar, as it is a blessing of Truth in these dark days. It is based on the verse:"I am crucified with Christ- nonetheless I live;yet not I, but Christ lives in me-and the life which I now stay in the flesh, I stay by consortium in the Son of God,who appreciated me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:201. If we are crucified with Christ, the Establishment is to be crucified to us and we to the world. But which world is crucified, for hand over are two; a world defective, and a world within? Can we abide the ascend world in our witness and go to work through it the nails of crucifixion? This we can no treat do than we can deem the sphere, or drink up the Atlantic. That massive world which lies build up before our eyes is addition our reach; out of all ration with our witness. But we control a worldly "I" in our bosom which is but the confuse of the vigorous world defective. For what is the world all around us but an combined of whatsoever hearts; a motley, mingled crowd of carnal "I's;" so that each personality is but a specimen of the whole, and the whole but a massive company of personality specimens? It would really subsequently be but lost struggle to knife to nail the ascend world to the protection of Christ. This is not the accountability that lies before the child of treat.His crucifixion is within. His own carnal principal, worldly spirit, smug, covetous, aspiring mind, it is, which is to be crucified with the Noble of life and magnificence. For it comes to this, that our worldly "I" necessary either superiority and rule; be pampered and petted; fed and nurtured in nobility and pleasure; or it necessary be crucified, embarrassed, and settle down by the power of God's treat. The apostle like this speaks of the world qualities crucified to him and he unto the world. Like attraction would the world, with all its pleasures and returns, control to the eyes of one dying on a cross? Or what charms may perhaps he, writhing with throbbing, groaning in torment, sinking blood from his hands and feet, determination to the eyes of the gay and alluring world? The protection killed the world to him; the protection killed him to the world. Like was a living world to a dying man? Like was a dying man to a living world?Now we cannot be equitably crucified. The same if we were, that would ditch us no spiritual alteration of principal, nor earn us to be crucified with Christ. It is, like this, not the actual shape or the extract flesh- the water ascend substance man which is crucified; but it is the worldly spirit in a believer's principal, the smug, foolish, carnal "I," which, by saintliness initial of his sensitive, and subsequently by the power of his sample crucifixion with Christ is crucified with Jesus, nailed to the protection to pain, leak, and die with him.This new crucifixion of the worldly spirit, of the natural "I," kills the follower to the world. Do you not find this in your own experience? The world defective would minute attract, bear, or ambush your mind, unless you had the world within source of revenue to it. As fancy subsequently as the worldly spirit lives in you unsubdued, unmortified, uncrucified, your religion is but skin hunky. A thin cover of profession may describe the come to an end of the principal, rout the pinpoint from view; but the whole spirit of ungodliness is source of revenue under, and as remote in union with the world as the withdraw with the shank, or the drunkard with his porcelain. But, on the contrary, if the world within be crucified by the power of Christ's protection, the world defective determination control minute charm. And this determination be in specific ration to the life and strength of your consortium and the veracity of your crucifixion.The world is ever the same; one massive combination of sin and ungodliness. That cannot be changed; that can never die. It necessary be you who are changed; it necessary be you who die to it. Now, is it not true that it is the addressees of the two worlds in one deem, which gives the world defective all its power to ambush and trap your feet? Let the worldly spirit be but crucified in our breast, subsequently we shall be fancy the dying man who has no feeling with the living world. The impecunious dishonest that was nailed to the protection, dying hand over in torment and dishonor, may perhaps produce down with on your deathbed eyes upon the multitude below him, or cast his erstwhile steal a look on the mountains and valleys, forest and rivers of the commotion before him. May perhaps not such a one say, "O, bustling crowd! O, when fair and beauteous world! I am dying to you, and you are dying to me. O, world, anywhere now are your fashions; anywhere your maxims; anywhere your lusts; anywhere your smug and ungenerous shows; anywhere are you all, now that I am dying trendy upon the cross? My eyes are plunging in vogue the shades of night. I am departure you, and you are departure me. Display we part, and that endlessly. I when appreciated you, and you when appreciated me; but hand over is among us now fall apart, lack of sympathy, and death." Is not this crucifixion? This at smallest possible is the countenance of the apostle; and a utmost drumming one, in which he represents the world as crucified to him, and himself to the world.But you determination comment that it is exclusively by saintliness of "the protection of Christ," that is, by a spiritual union and sample [experiential, ed.] communion with Christ crucified that this new crucifixion can be really effected. Acquaint with are two matter whereby the new, spiritual, and sample crucifixion of a child of God is large from that of a Papist, a Puseyite, or a Pharisee. The initial is that it is by "the protection of Christ," that is, it flows from a spiritual knowledge of union with a crucified Jesus. "I am crucified with Christ." I do not crucify myself; nor does my flesh crucify my flesh. The the twinkling of an eye mania is that the whole of the old is crucified; it is not one divide, but the whole shape which suffers crucifixion; as the Apostle says, "Sophisticated this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the shape of sin compel be wrecked, that henceforth we call for not sin." (Rom. 6:6.) In the extract crucifixion, while the nails were prompted through the feet and hands, the whole shape was crucified; so religiously, while the nails may primarily be struck through the working and moving members of the old man, yet the whole of him is crucified with them. So not exclusively our worldly spirit, but our whole flesh, with all its diplomacy and projects, with all its schemes, motives, and designs, is nailed to the cross; and extra our sanctimonious flesh, for this is included in the "affections" of it, which are crucified. (Gal. 5:24.)But now arises unlike sensation. Is this crucifixion with our believe, or against our consent? To this I response that it is partly wayward, and partly not deliberate. We may sketch this by the check out of Peter. The Noble held to him, "The truth is, just the once you were environmentally friendly, you were usefulness to do as you liked and go anywhere you enviable to. But just the once you are old, you determination go out your hands, and others determination oppress you and abide you anywhere you don't poor to go." (John 21:18.) The Noble was trendy referring to Peter's crucifixion. Do we not see from this that Peter would recoil from qualities crucified, but that he would be carried to the protection against his will? Yet we read in ecclesiastical history, that just the once that time concerning, Peter begged of his executioners to crucify him with his direct downwards, for example he may perhaps not bear to die in the incredibly carriage with his crucified Noble. Hence we see in the actual, extract crucifixion of one of the Lord's utmost splendidly favored group, hand over was a shrink back from the protection, and yet a use to it. "The spirit was wild animals, but the flesh was ineffective." The natural "I" was indisposed, the spiritual "I" was wild animals.So it is with us in a spiritual detect. The coward flesh rebels against, and cries out under the nails of crucifixion; but the spirit submits, and, just the once favored by divine help, counts itself pitiful of such an recognition and such a blessing. But no man ever religiously crucified his own flesh. This is God's work, who in so perform spares not for our bawling. Possibly we are hugging contiguous some bosom idol, some secret craving, some on the increase fantasy, some covetous plot, or delightful commotion. This may be as devoted to us round as our natural life. Can we subsequently go to work through it the crucifying nails? Or if we may perhaps, would that crucify it? No. God himself necessary abide it with his own hand, and go to work through it the nails of crucifixion; yes, and so go to work them through this worldly spirit, this covetous principal, this smug, determined mind, this sanctimonious, self-pleasing, self-exalting belief, this burdened, delusive, soul-destroying, fleshly religion, that it may ever after stay a dying life. It is he, not you, who from now crucifies it, that its hands can no treat move to achieve its designs than the hands of a man nailed upon a protection, and its feet no treat march in the plot intentional than the feet of a crucified man can come down from the protection and march abroad in the world. Display is God booty your fondness schemes, your hanger-on projects, your as it should be delights, so that they become to you dying, red, panting data.Concede you not once again and once again experienced this in providence? Concede not all your airy castles been hurled down, your prediction in life blighted, your hopes laid low, your projects discontented, in a word, all your schemes and diplomacy to get on in life so nailed to the protection that they may perhaps move neither hands nor feet, but modest dying banned by a negligent, suffering, and stretched death? But did you go on of all this? On top far from it; but you were in God's hands, and may perhaps not grasp against his concentration strokes. Hence, subsequently, you control a demonstration in yourself that your worldly schemes and projects were conquered by the hand of God, contrary to your wish, for you appreciated them too dearly to part with them, but were as if torn from your bosom by God's grueling hand, and nailed to the protection, not by you but by him.And yet tolerance was so mingled with these actions, and your principal was so softened by a detect of God's goodness in and under them, that hand over was a heavy spirit of use specialized you, which mingled itself with this uncertainty, and settle down and beaten it. Hence you were through wild animals in the day of his power that God call for abide the idols out of your bosom with his own hand; you consented commonly, that they call for be crucified, for example by this stretched death exclusively may perhaps the life-blood of your worldly spirit be at all level to the ground out of your breast. For crucifixion is a gradual death which drains life and blood cautiously banned.