October, 1940
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
364
Crucified with Christ By W ILLIAM L. PETTINGILL Wilmington, Delaware
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the black cap was pulled down over his head and face, and the trap beneath him was sprang. The body was con vulsed for a time and then came to rest. The official county physician pronounced the man dead, and by previous arrange ment the body was given to friends who planned to give it private burial immediately. On the way to the ceme tery, a noise was heard issuing from the box containing the casket; and when the lid was removed, the supposedly dead man sat up and hurriedly got out of the box, and the journey toward the place of burial was stopped. When the prosecuting attorney heard of this event, he went into court and moved that the prisoner be re-arrested and re-executed. This motion was op posed by the defense on two grounds: first, that, according to a well-settled principle of jurisprudence recognized ev erywhere, no man could be brought into jeopardy twice on the same change; and second, that according to another equal ly well-settled and recognized principle, no court could repudiate its own record in a» closed case. According to the rec ord of the court, the sentence had been duly carried out, and the prisoner had, at the appointed time and place, been hanged by the neck until he was dead. “But,” said the prosecutor, “ this man is alive now.” “That makes no difference,” replied the defense attorney. “There was noth ing said in the sentence about his re maining dead. We stand upon the rec ord.” The court decided in favor of the de fense. And thus the prisoner went free. He was alive, but according to the rec ord he had one day died. So the Chris tian, according to the record of the court of heaven, was one day crucified. He may say, and say truly, “I have been crucified.” “And it is no lodger I that live.” I came to my end at Calvary, or, speaking practically and experientially, I came to my end on the day I was born again and baptized* into Jesus Christ and into His death. Therefore “it is no longer I that live.” Two sisters, prominent society women, were saved on a particular Thursday night, and when on the following Mon day they were Invited to a certain func tion such as they had been accustomed [Continued on Page 395]
“ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me” (Gal. 3:30, K.V.). I N THE reckoning of God, the Chris tian is a person who has died on a cross, thus paying the extrejne and righteous penalty for sin—“the wages of sin is death.” The Revised Version of the passage which appears at the beginning of this article should be stud- , ied carefully, for it brings great enlight enment as to our position before God in Christ. *Just what is the position of the Chris tian, this one who has been “ crucified with Christ” ? If you are a Christian, a truly born-again person, then at the moment of your new birth you were “ in one spirit . . . baptized into one body,” and thus you be came a member of Christ, a member “of his body, o f his flesh, and of his bones” (1 Cor. 12:13, R.V.; cf. v. 12; Eph. 5:30); and by this baptism into Jesus Christ you were baptized into His death. “We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein ? Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptizfed into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:1-3, R.V.). Just as a, bud graft ed into the branch of a tree becomes joined to the whole tree and receives life from the taproot, so does the Chris tian become joined to Christ and de lv e s life from His death on the cross. God reckons that the believer was in Christ and was put to death with Him at Calvary. “ O the love that drew salvation’s plan! O the grace that brought it down to man! O the mighty gulf that God did span A t Calvary!” In a southern state, a man was con noted of murder in the first degree, and was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until he was dead. When the appointed day arrived, the prisoner was taken from his cell to the scaffold in the jail yard, his feet were tied together, *0/ course, it will be understood that we are not discussing water baptism here, which has its place, but that is another matter. We hère are considering the bap tism in, the Holy Spirit which is the com mon experience of all believers and . which tahes pJmtt • ! the moment of regeneration.
T H E V IC TO R
I hear th’ accuser roar Of ills that I have done; 1 know them well, and thou* sands more; Jehovah findeth none. Sin, Satan, Death press near To harass and appall; Let but my risen Lord appear. Backward they go and fall. Before, behind, around, They set their fierce array,' To fight and force me from my ground, Along Immanuel’s way. I meet them face to face. Through Jesus’ conquest blest; March in the triumph of His grace. Right onward to my rest. There, in His Book, I bear A more than conq’ror’s name; A soldier, son, and fellow heir. Who fought and overcame. His be the victor’s fame Who fought the fight alone. Triumphant saints no honor claim; Their conquest was His own. By weakness and defeat He won the meed and crown, Trod all our foes beneath His feet. By being trodden down. He hell in hell laid low; Made sin. He sin o’erthrew; Bow’d to the grave, destroyed And De^th, by dying, slew. Bless, bless the Conq’ror slain— Slain in His victory; Who lived, who died, who lives again. For thee, O man, for thee. — Author Unknown. V .................. ' ---------
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