194. World is Crucified
Galatians 6:14But God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
God promises a separation between the believer and the world. The world is crucified to me = I am dead to the world. There is no life-giving or energizing connection between the world and me. We have nothing to do with one another; we have nothing in common. The world is not intrinsically evil, but it is corrupted and controlled by Sin and the Devil, who is the prince of the power of the air. The world is used by Sin and Evil, like Sin uses and corrupts human flesh.
We cannot get rid of the flesh; similarly, we cannot get rid of the world. God does not take away the flesh nor does he get rid of the world. We are forgiven of sin and saved from its penalty, but God leaves us in the flesh and in the world, both of which are used by Satan to continually tempt us. We renounce the devil and all his works and ways. So we also renounce the ways of the world and the works of the fleshbecause they have been corrupted by the sin, death and the devil.
Practically, the three “P’s” of the world are dead to me; they do not tempt me or influence me to sin. It doesn’t always work out that way because I often allow the temptation to overcome. I need this promise: the world is crucified to me, and I to the world. The three P’s: Pleasure, Profit, Power. This is what the world offers to me in exchange for my soul and my life. No sinner is exempt from these powerful temptations, but reckoning my soul as dead to the world is a big help.
- Profit: No one is free from the love of money, what money buys and what money can do for us. Covetousness is idolatry. Mammon is against God. We want security and we want freedom: we think money will give us both. The greed for money and more money is a deadly sin that leads to many more sins. Can I be crucified to Money? Jesus says, “Yes, you are.”
- Pleasure: Seeking for pleasure easily becomes an all-consuming craving and desire that drives much of what we do. We all want creature comforts and consumer convenience. We decide things according to what makes us feel good. Lustis a deadly sin that leads to many sins. “Intoxication” in all its varied forms is very close to a basic human need. Can I be crucified to Lust? “Yes, you are.”
- Power:Every person, child or adult, seeks to have some kind of controlover at least something, except we are not too desirous of controlling the self. The world offers to meet this deceitful desire in very many ways and areas of life. The world connects with this deep desire in every soul and tempts with sinful ways to get power and fame. Can I be crucified to self-glory? Yes.
Another way of describing the temptations of the world is by the three “G’s:” Gold, Girls, Glory. Whatever helps us remember the world’s temptations can be helpful in seeing ourselves as crucified to the world. True liberty comes from being crucified, dead and buried with Christ. That’s the promise.