But what is it to thus die his death. Is it simply to put “away the filth of the flesh,” that is to deny ourselves only such things as are sinful?

No, that would not be “being made conformable to his death.” “In Him [Jesus] was no sin;” consequently he could not put to death a sinful nature. But while his nature was pure and his every desire was to do things right and proper for him as a perfect man, yet he yielded his rights and will as a natural man for us. For instance as a holy undefiled one he had a right to seek his own ease and pleasure but instead of so doing he was moved with compassion toward the people and went about spending his life for the sinner’s benefit, taking our infirmities and bearing our sicknesses, and on more than one occasion he might have said: “Virtue [power, vitality] is gone out of me.”

Yes, he went about doing good spending his perfect life powers for the good of sinners because he was full to overflowing of the perfect love. Finally, after having thus shared our sorrows and our griefs, He bought us and paid the price of sin [death] for us, that we sinners might be accounted righteous, and therefore have again the right to live. This was the great, grand, culminating expression he gave of his love: When he gave the life upon which sin and death had no claim in order that, in due time the race should go free, from sin and from death by a resurrection to perfect life. Surely, he might have kept this life which he gave. It was not like ours, forfeited; as he himself testified: “No man taketh it from me; I lay it down of myself” – Even now I could ask the Father and he would give me more than twelve legions of angels, but these things to which he had a perfect right he gave up freely.

Now it is his death, that we are to be conformed to. True it will include the giving up of the sins or “filth of the flesh,” and the “denying of ungodly lusts,” etc., but thus far it is simply duty. You are only giving up things you never had a right to, there is no sacrifice in that. If we would be made conformable unto his death, it must be by the giving up of things not sinful and to which you have a right, as men. Jesus did not his own will, but the will of him that sent him, and we should “Let the same mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Father’s will as done in Christ Jesus was the giving up of natural things, and comforts, and life, on account of sin in the world.

Sin and sufferings are still in the world and the disciples of Jesus most willing to “spend and be spent,” to “labor and suffer reproach,” making “themselves of no reputation,” such ones, disciple indeed most closely follow Him “who has set us an example that we should walk in His footsteps.”

When asked of the two disciples whether they might sit on the right and left hand in the kingdom he answered: “You know not what you ask; are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am [to be] baptized with?” Jesus shows what cup he meant when in the garden he exclaimed, “Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me.”

He shows the baptism referred to also, that it was not the baptism of John in Jordan, but of death when he says, “I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straightened ’til it is accomplished.”

Such, baptized into Christ’s death will not make earthly ease and comfort their aim, but will seek to “do good unto all men as they have opportunity especially to the household of faith.” Their self-denial and God-likeness will seek to benefit and lift up the physical man, and how much more will it lead to self-sacrifice in order that others may be helped on to the divine life. Thus, it was that the apostles spent themselves that they might declare “the unsearchable riches of Christ.” It was for this cause that Paul says: “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.” Jesus left a measure of suffering, etc., for his church as his body to complete, or fill up, and Paul was zealous to bear as much of it as possible. Glorious ambition to spend his life in bearing the glad tidings of the “High calling” to those who would receive it. This is the ambition which Jesus both exemplified and commended, saying, “He that would be greatest among you let him become servant of all.”

If we thus live a divine life and crucify and ignore the natural life, we shall be considered “a peculiar people zealous of good works,” and we will thus be so very different from the ideas of the natural man; that we must needs remember Jesus’ words – “Marvel not if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.” “The disciple is not above his Lord.” “If any man will be my disciple let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Self-denial means much, and will never be experienced except as we crucify the human nature with its affections and desires.

We see what it is to be baptized into Jesus’ death.

Let us inquire whether it is an instantaneous act performed when we first come to Christ and seek admission into “the body” or, a life work?

We will address this in our next post.