The Death of
the Lord Jesus Christ Is the Fountain from which Proceeds a Holy Walk with God
The Lord
Jesus Christ came to this world to save sinners from their sins. His death on
the cross is not only the basis for the forgiveness of sins, but also the
fountain from which proceeds the renewal of life; it empowers us to break with
sin and live a holy life before God. The connection between the crucifixion of
Christ and a holy walk before God is articulated in various passages of the New
Testament. For example, in 2 Corinthians 5:15, the Apostle Paul states, “The love
of Christ constrains us.” He then proceeds to explain that if Christ died as
one on behalf of all, they have all died with Him. He died so that they would
no longer live unto themselves, but for Him who “died for them, and rose again”
(2 Cor. 5:15).
The love of
the Lord Jesus Christ, who vicariously surrendered Himself to be nailed to the
cross, is the fountain from which proceeds our love toward Him. The Apostle
John wrote in his first letter, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1
John 4:19). Paul wrote to the Galatians that the world was crucified unto him
and he unto the world through the cross (Gal. 6:14). Since the cross of Christ
had become the governing principle of his life, the world was no longer
attractive to him, and he was no longer attractive to the world.
It is an
essential component of the Christian life that we serve God voluntarily and
wholeheartedly. Such readiness to serve proceeds from the fact that the love of
Christ toward us, unveiled in His passion and death, has renewed our lives. The
inseparable connection between the atoning work of Christ and the holy walk of
the Christian is also formulated in Colossians 1:21–22: “And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he
reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.” The way Paul connects the cross of
Christ and the holy walk of the Christian is yet another confirmation of the
internal efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ.
It is
inconceivable that those for whom Christ has died would not also tangibly begin
to live a holy life. His death is the sole and complete foundation of both the
forgiveness of sins and a holy walk with God. The stripes that Christ received
on the cross are the cure for our sinful walk and existence. Christ has borne
our sins so that we would die to sin and learn to live righteously (1 Peter
2:24). He who knows that his sins have been pardoned for Christ’s sake will
desire to be conformed to Christ. We can only live a holy life before God if we
have tasted the love of Christ. Only he who is in Christ will be a new
creature. Living a holy life before God is a daily struggle; as we endeavor to
do this, we will be opposed by the world, the devil, and our own sinful
existence.
Meditating
upon the passion and death of Christ and looking to Him who is seated at the
right hand of the Father are divinely ordained means to mortify sin and live a
holy life. It is how we can be connected to the fountain of a truly holy life,
Christ Himself. Not only has He been given unto us to be our wisdom,
righteousness, and redemption, but also our sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30).