By Pat Hodges
For this blog article, it would be helpful if the reader would take a moment and read Romans 8:1-7
Gal 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.
What does Paul mean when He states, “I have been ‘crucified’ with Christ”? I would submit that by in large the Christian world doesn’t have a clue as to what he’s actually referencing to in this passage. The term crucifixion, or crucified isn’t a term we like to commonly talk about nor think about . . . oh we’re fine with the thought that Jesus was crucified for our sin and that through that selfless act we can experience the joy of eternal life . . . but when we look at that term and how it relates to us personally as in living a “crucified” life . . . well, we just kind of give mental ascent to it without really looking into how it applies to our daily lives.
Taking a look at a practical example, have you ever been in a situation where you were actually wronged, wrongly accused or wrongly judged? Maybe someone jumped to the wrong conclusions about something they heard about you . . . also known as gossip (gossip runs amok in many churches by the way)! Very real wounds result from this, wounds that run deep and all too often won’t heal without some serious intervention. What do I mean by intervention? Taking deliberate steps to get healed!
There’s only one who can truly heal the deep wounds, and His name is Jesus Christ…
Ever hear the saying, “time heals all wounds”? That my friend is the farthest from the case, and it certainly isn’t based in any reality. There’s only one who can truly heal the deep wounds, and His name is Jesus Christ. The kind of healing that I’m referring to can only come one way, and that is by the crucifixion. Actually, there are 2 crucifixions that apply to this level of healing. The first being the crucifixion that Jesus accomplished 2,000 years ago, but also the process of being crucified with Him.
In the case of offence, being crucified with Christ requires at we willingly lay down our rights . . . the right to be offended and walk in that offence . . . the right to walk in rejection, the right to be resentful . . . or how about this . . . the right to be right! Now there’s a tough one . . . giving up the right to be right. Laying down our rights doesn’t mean that we ignore what happened, but what it does mean that we take our hands off, quit holding onto the offence and allow the Lord himself to bring the healing that is so desperately needed within us. Only then can we experience and actually live in the power of His resurrection.
Numerous times in my life I’ve had the opportunity to apply this very principle I’m referring to here. To be honest, early on, I knew about the principle but didn’t quite understand how to apply it practically in my own life in a real-life situation. Nothing will teach us like real life. Oh, I’d would say to myself, “Yes, I forgive that person”. I might even pray for them . . . but I would still feel the anger, the resentment or even the sting of bitterness. As long as I was feeling these things, I had not forgiven, nor was I healed in my heart.
I learned early on that If I was to be healed, I had to actively seek out the Lord my Healer, spend time in His presence and soak in the balm of Gilead as He ministered to me and restored my soul. Deep wounds don’t usually heal “overnight”. It takes time, and in order to have time, we must make time.
How did I know when I was truly healed? Very simple . . . when I would remember the person or what occurred that wounded me . . . but there was no corresponding emotion with it! When we experience the feeling like it was another lifetime, then we know we are truly healed.