Must Jesus bear the cross alone?

[OneFaith]

(Here’s where the rubber meets the road folks)...

I’ve heard it said that Jesus bore the cross so that we don’t have to. Oh really? Then why did Peter? Why did Paul lose his life for the sake of the gospel? Do you think John chose to have his head chopped off? What about all the martyrs of the 20th century? What about all the Christians who were executed at the foot of Muslims? Many only want to be Christians if it means prosperity for them. Is God your genie? Or are you His servant? “Sure, as long as Christ did all, and I don’t have to do anything on my part, I’ll be a Christian.”

Do not be deceived, obedience is not optional. Remember the man who was told not to touch the ark of the covenant, but out of good intentions caught it to keep it from falling, he died instantly because he touched it. God does not accept excuses. We must DO what He says. Jesus said the same, “Only those who DO the Will of My Father.”

Sure, not every one of God’s people will be executed, Moses was not. But we must be willing to bear our cross to whatever extent God chooses for us. He says not to shrink back. “Whoever clings to their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

“For Your sake we face death all day long, we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.“ Romans 8:36

“Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

“Greater love has no one than this: that he gives up his life for his friend.” Is Jesus your friend? How much do you love Him?



Hymn: Must Jesus bear the cross alone, and all the world go free? No, there’s a cross for everyone, and there’s across for me.

 

[Ugly]

This is a joke, right?

 

[Dino246]

Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for humankind's sin. No other person has ever done that, and none ever will again. So yes, Jesus bore the cross alone.

It's usually good to grasp the sense in which a term or phrase is being used before analyzing it.

As for the rest of us, "in the world you will have troubles". We are neither guaranteed a peaceful death, nor a violent one. We are only guaranteed that we will not remain in these mortal bodies indefinitely.

 

[Nehemiah6]

Do not be deceived, obedience is not optional.

Who says obedience is optional?

1. Sinners must obey the Gospel in order to be justified.

2. Saints must obey Christ in order to be sanctified.

Jesus said "If you love me keep my commandments". Period.

As to the cross of every Christian, it must be taken up daily. Which means that "the flesh" must be crucified daily. Paul said "I die daily".

 

[OneFaith]

Who says obedience is optional?

1. Sinners must obey the Gospel in order to be justified.

2. Saints must obey Christ in order to be sanctified.

Jesus said "If you love me keep my commandments". Period.

As to the cross of every Christian, it must be taken up daily. Which means that "the flesh" must be crucified daily. Paul said "I die daily".

I agree, our cross is daily, to various degrees, but one day it might be to the greatest degree.

 

[OneFaith]

This is a joke, right?

Are all the scriptures I posted a joke?

 

[OneFaith]

Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for humankind's sin. No other person has ever done that, and none ever will again. So yes, Jesus bore the cross alone.

It's usually good to grasp the sense in which a term or phrase is being used before analyzing it.

As for the rest of us, "in the world you will have troubles". We are neither guaranteed a peaceful death, nor a violent one. We are only guaranteed that we will not remain in these mortal bodies indefinitely.

Jesus is the only one to die to wash away our sins, but we do share His cross. Romans 6:3, Matthew 16:24.

 

[Miri]

Jesus is the only one to die to wash away our sins, but we do share His cross. Romans 6:3, Matthew 16:24.

But what about this.


Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
[28] Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. [29] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am
gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For
My yoke is easy and My burden is light."


I just wanted to point this out, because there were many in the middle
ages who literally thought they had to suffer daily for Christ and they whipped
themselves and strapped themselves up in all manner of tortuous ways, to
“Daily carry their cross”.

 

[Miri]

Oh and just wanted to add, that OneFaith I know you have gone
through a lot of stuff, many of us have. It doesn’t mean God
wanted that for us, mostly it’s a product of living in this fallen sin
sick world.

But there is healing of body soul and mind in Christ. Christ came to
set us free, He doesn’t expect us to desire to “daily bare heavy burdens”.


Things happen, some times terrible things, just because God causes all
to work together for good to those who love God Rom 8v28

It doesn’t mean God causes the bad in the first place.

 

[wattie]

Following Jesus isn't a have to... when you are saved the chains are gone... righteous requirements of the law gone. So because the chains are gone then we WANT to serve God.

So the obedience is out of love for what Jesus has done and is doing.. not a have to

 

[Nehemiah6]

Following Jesus isn't a have to... when you are saved the chains are gone... righteous requirements of the law gone. So because the chains are gone then we WANT to serve God.

So the obedience is out of love for what Jesus has done and is doing.. not a have to

The correct understanding is that it is BOTH a "have to" and a "want to". And it is important that we present Bible truth as given.

 

[mcubed]

This is a joke, right?

It is a joke if you live in America. I do. But it is not a joke for people in Muslim countries or Communism like China.

If I was in Africa and had to choose between denouncing G-d or getting rolled over by whatever that machine is that has the roller in front and all of me be crushed as much as I want to say it is a no-brainer I choose G-d. But I am a "spoiled" American; I have had to have faith for insulin because I am type I diabetic, for 39 years, but I have never had to have faith to denounce G-d or someone will shoot me in the brain if I'm lucky. If I would not die for my faith I am screwed.... It's all I have... to be honest living with it sucks sometimes, I can't picture life without it....

 

[Embankment]

Are all the scriptures I posted a joke?

Greatly misinterpreted would be a better way of saying it .
It’s not about how an when you die but where you go afterwards....
It not complicated at all.

 

[OneFaith]

But what about this.


Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
[28] Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. [29] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am
gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For
My yoke is easy and My burden is light."


I just wanted to point this out, because there were many in the middle
ages who literally thought they had to suffer daily for Christ and they whipped
themselves and strapped themselves up in all manner of tortuous ways, to
“Daily carry their cross”.

He gives us rest from our burden of sin, when we are in Christ we no longer have to pay for our sins. But we do still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling by sinning no more, we need to fear to disobey God so that we don't go back to living in sin and lose our salvation.

Our yoke is light compared to His. The odds of us going through the kind of torture He did is very slim. But that doesn't mean we won't have to give our life for Him. In Revelation 20:4 there is mention of those who had been beheaded for their testimony. Just because we live in America doesn't mean it's impossible for someone to put a gun to our heads and ask us to denounce God. All I'm saying is if we are tested that way, that we must not fail the test by denying God.

The bible says that a husband is to treat his wife like his own body- to feed and clothe her. I say that to say this: we need to treat others like we treat ourselves, and we need to treat ourselves like we treat others. Which one of these people who whip their own backs goes and whips other people's backs? This is evil. The bible says "They have an appearance of wisdom (meaning it looks like wisdom but it is not) with their self-imposed worship, their false humility (fake humbleness), their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence (sin).

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

Abiding in Christ means suffering with him when necessary - "we will reign with him if we endure"

The saying is trustworthy: For if we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13​

​

Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it. Therefore strengthen your slackened hands and your weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be turned aside, but rather be healed. Hebrews 12:11-13​

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

This is a joke, right?

Is your faith a joke?

 

[OneFaith]

Oh and just wanted to add, that OneFaith I know you have gone
through a lot of stuff, many of us have. It doesn’t mean God
wanted that for us, mostly it’s a product of living in this fallen sin
sick world.

But there is healing of body soul and mind in Christ. Christ came to
set us free, He doesn’t expect us to desire to “daily bare heavy burdens”.


Things happen, some times terrible things, just because God causes all
to work together for good to those who love God Rom 8v28

It doesn’t mean God causes the bad in the first place.

I don't blame God for all I've been through, people did that, not God. The only thing I questioned of Him was why He had me born to such evil so-called parents and into such an evil family. My answer came back: Why put a light in a dark corner?

Thank you for caring, but I don't need healing of the soul, my soul is already healed. I no longer hurt from these things that happened, and I completely forgive those who made them happen. But just as Paul mentioned his sufferings, I mention mine for other purposes.

My exhusband kidnapped me, kept me as a secret in a dark basement for years, raped and abused me for years, put a gun to my head and forced me to marry him, kidnapped my son from me from 12-17 years old, and abused our son out of my care. But today I see him often over my sons house. I've eaten dinner with him, had conversations with him, let him fix my car, etc.

There is not one hint of unforgiveness in my words, tone of voice, facial expressions, or thoughts. I truly forgive him completely, as does my son. Why? Because I want forgiveness from God to be completely true and genuine. He says with the same measure you forgive-that is how much you will be forgiven.

 

[garee]

Sounds like a Catholic doctrine. Christ with an unknown amount of grace plus any suffering a person does in this life and the remainder in a place called purgatory.

According the finished work of Christ He alone was eligible to pay the eternal price it requires an eternal being not a temporal.
The cross is an emblem of the eternal suffering not seen. Just as the garden it was used to as a picture. In the garden when the father poured out the cup of wrath by which the father bruised the Son (Isaiah 53 ). We find the father, who in mutual submision sent power to Christ to finish it . It is the work of the father and son working together in prefect harmony to bring the peace of God that surpasses all human understanding

Isaiah 53:1-5 King James Version (KJV)
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Jesus looked for help to strengthen but the Holy Spirit put to sleep the disciples until he and the father finished it alone. Salvation is not group work or coop. None of the disciples were crucified for the sin of the world .They might of been crucified or even died suffering as a Christian but not for their own sin or that of others

 

[OneFaith]

Following Jesus isn't a have to... when you are saved the chains are gone... righteous requirements of the law gone. So because the chains are gone then we WANT to serve God.

So the obedience is out of love for what Jesus has done and is doing.. not a have to

We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are now slaves to righteousness. There are requirements, look at all the 'ifs' in new testament scripture. Jesus said calling Him Lord is not enough, we must DO the Will of the Father- which is to obey the Son. Yes, we want to serve God, not just because we have to but because we love Him.

 

[OneFaith]

It is a joke if you live in America. I do. But it is not a joke for people in Muslim countries or Communism like China.

If I was in Africa and had to choose between denouncing G-d or getting rolled over by whatever that machine is that has the roller in front and all of me be crushed as much as I want to say it is a no-brainer I choose G-d. But I am a "spoiled" American; I have had to have faith for insulin because I am type I diabetic, for 39 years, but I have never had to have faith to denounce G-d or someone will shoot me in the brain if I'm lucky. If I would not die for my faith I am screwed.... It's all I have... to be honest living with it sucks sometimes, I can't picture life without it....

It is not a joke anywhere. America has mass shootings, and many evil people with their own agenda, haven't you ever watched criminal minds? Many of the murderers murder for religious reasons. The test to give up your life for God can happen anywhere in this world. I don't want it to happen, here or anywhere, (and I can't emphasise that enough), but if it does happen our minds need to be prepared in advance in order to pass that test. And if you can imagine giving your life for Christ, it makes other things, like turning down sin, seem much easier. We need to be sober-minded folks, not live out a fantasy that being a Christian only means receiving blessings, but doing blessings unto God. Like Job said, whether God takes or gives I will love Him just the same.