In the previous message we covered the matters of being regenerated crucified and of dying to live. The term regenerated crucified may seem strange, because the two words regenerate and crucify have opposite denotations. However, if we are regenerated, we are crucified. In our first birth there was no crucifixion. In that birth we were born to live. But in our second birth, that is, in regeneration, we were born crucified. We have been born, or regenerated, crucified. After being regenerated crucified, we continue to die.
After our baptism, every day we should live a dying life. Such a life is a continuation of our baptism. We should not forget that we are dead persons. Not only so, we should not forget that we are even buried persons. We are dead and we are buried. After our baptism we are dying. Every day we are dead persons, and now we live by dying.
In the phrase regenerated crucified and dying to live the conjunction and conjoins regenerated and dying. We are regenerated, and we are dying. We have been regenerated crucified, and now we need to die that we may live. After our baptism we live by dying and we die to live. Dying to live is the proper meaning of bearing the cross. From my youth I heard the teaching concerning bearing the cross. This teaching was based on the Lord's word in Matthew 16:24: "If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." However, the understanding of many Christians concerning bearing the cross is not logical. According to their understanding, to bear the cross is to suffer. Because of this wrong understanding I wrote a hymn (Hymns, #622) concerning the meaning of the cross. The first stanza of that hymn says:
If we take up the cross, will we but suffer pain?
Nay, if we bear the cross, be sure that we will die!
The meaning of the cross is that we may be slain;
The cross experienced the self will crucify.