The Way of the Cross Means Sacrifice

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." - Luke 9:23, NASB

We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. - 1 Corinthians 4:10, NIV

 This is what we are called to. This is not a comfortable life, nor is it an enviable one by the world's standards. This is not to say that the wealthy/comfortable/well-off are not faithful followers of Jesus Christ (there are and have been faithful followers of Christ who have had great wealth), but it is to say that while Christ promises us many things if we follow Him, earthly wealth is not one of them. Christ does promise us that we will be hated and persecuted for the sake of the gospel (John 15:18-16:4). Paul reminds us that we will be persecuted for living godly lives (2 Timothy 3:12). But Paul also reminds us that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed (Romans 8:18). Christ promises that our sacrifices here are not in vain, but that we will have riches in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). But most importantly, Christ promises us that He will be with us (Matthew 28:20).

This hymn, The Way of the Cross Means Sacrifice, was written sometime in the late 19th century by a woman identified as Mary E. Maxwell. It is unclear exactly who she is, though there was a famous author, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, who married John Maxwell, who might be the author of the hymn. The music for the hymn was written by Ada Rose Gibbs.

This hymn is powerful. It challenges me (and hopefully you) to consider how I am living my life. Have I placed on the altar everything I have? Am I wholly true to the One who has claimed my entire being as His own possession?

Christ's sacrifice was as a sin offering for the sins of the entire world. Christ made atonement for our sin and cleansed us by His blood. So why are we called to take up our cross and follow? Why are we called to lay ourselves on the altar as well, if Christ's sacrifice is indeed all-sufficient?

This is an interesting question, best understood by looking back to the sacrificial system. Most people read about the various sacrifices in the Old Testament and completely ignore the different types of sacrifices. Christ's sacrifice was a sin offering. The sin offering was offered in different contexts, but the most famous one was the annual sin offering for the entire people on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), in which the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood of the sacrificial lamb over the Ark of the Covenant. Christ's sacrifice was all-sufficient in that it does not need to be (and never will be) repeated. Christ opened up the way for all of us in to the Holy of Holies, into the very presence of God. Christ is, even now, standing as our High Priest in the Father's presence to mediate between us and the Father.

So what is it that we are called to do? We are called to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1). We are called to make a burnt offering of ourselves, not in the literal sense, but in a spiritual sense. The burnt offering (along with the grain offering and peace offering) were offerings of worship to God in response to what God had already done and was doing. This differed from the sin offering, which was given in response to a person's failure to measure up to God's standard of holiness. However, the gifts for a burnt offering (or grain offering, or peace offering) were required to be without blemish. We are called to lay ourselves on the altar, knowing that Christ's sacrifice has covered our sins, and knowing that we are called to live holy lives in responsive gratitude.

Just as Ananias and Sapphira were judged by the Holy Spirit for trying to give only a portion and claim it was all they had received (Acts 5:1-11), we must not pretend to give ourselves to God and hold anything back. We must lay it all on the altar, knowing that God can do with it what He will. When those of us who are single hold back our desire to be married, we are not giving Him all that we are. We have to give it to Him, knowing that it may be burned and never given back to us. We may be called to live our entire lives in obedience as single people. That doesn't mean we're alone. We live in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The gifts given as burnt offerings were not things that the Israelites wanted to give away. They were the best lambs from the flock, the best grain, the firstfruits. We have to give God everything, especially the things we want most to keep.

The Way of the Cross Means Sacrifice

The way of the cross means sacrifice

As to God you yield your all

To be laid on the altar, the place of death,

Where fire will surely fall.

'Tis the way of the cross, are you willing for this?

What does bearing the cross mean to you?

You who've given yourself, your all to God,

To God are you wholly true?

As a voice of song and prayer we raise,

How easy to say, "We give all,"

Till some rougher cross lies just before,

And sterner is duty's call.

 Refrain

Do you falter then, or true to death,

Just die on the cross in the way?

Till the fullness of life from the living one

Is filling you day by day.

 Refrain

'Tis the plan of life, for you die to live

One with Jesus crucified,

With the life alone to be lived through you

Of the risen, the glorified.

Refrain

(Public Domain)