At a certain point in our Christian life, the Holy Spirit will show us that we have been nailed to the cross, even though we restrict and hinder God as life. In other words, the Holy Spirit will show every pursuer and follower of the Lord a vision, a revelation, that his person has been put to death on the cross of Christ. This is a turning point that every lover and pursuer of the Lord must experience; it is unavoidable.
When we are saved or revived, we always have a certain amount of zeal, a love for the Lord, a desire to pursue Him, an eagerness to follow Him, and a fervency to express our love for Him. However, we soon discover that our very being hinders Him the most, even though we pursue and zealously follow the Lord. Regardless of whether we are good or bad, we are a hindrance to the Lord. At this moment, the Holy Spirit will show us that we have been crucified. With such a view, we pass through a gate. From this point forward, we will begin to touch the way of life in our Christian living. We also will realize that we were merely being zealous and excited in our pursuit and love of the Lord and that we have not actually entered the pathway of life. When we are shown this mercy by the Lord, we will realize that our very person hinders and troubles Him the most.
The Holy Spirit will show us that the one thing that hinders the Lord the most in the universe is our person. Then the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to fully show us that our person has been put to death on the cross. At this point we will experience death; we will pass through a gate, and we will enter onto the pathway of the spiritual life. This is the beginning of our taking the way of the spiritual life. From this point forward, the Holy Spirit will bring us into the way of the cross every day, and He will bring us into the life of the cross.
When we speak of the cross, whether it involves the way or the living of the cross, we are not referring to suffering, which is a common thought. The cross actually refers to death. The final result of the cross in us is not suffering but death. For us to live a life of the cross and to walk on the way of the cross mean that we live a daily life of death and take the way of death. To unbelievers, this sounds strange, but to believers, who are pursuing the Lord, it is a sweet and real experience.
In other words, if we have really touched the way of life and if the Holy Spirit has brought us into the way of life, we will live under death and walk in death every day. Although we may love, pursue, and follow the Lord, the Holy Spirit still must open our eyes to show us that we are a hindrance to God. At such a moment, the Holy Spirit will also show us that we have been crucified and have died on the cross. Then we will pass through the gate.
However, passing through the gate does not mean that everything is complete and finished. Passing through the gate is only an entrance; after we pass through the gate, we still need to walk on the way. In spiritual matters we do not walk on the way and then enter through the gate; instead, we enter through the gate and then walk on the way. Matthew 7:13-14 speaks of this principle: We enter the narrow gate, and then we walk on the constricted way. In our Christian living, the Holy Spirit eventually will bring us through the gate of the cross, and then He will lead us to take the way of the cross. This means that the Holy Spirit will lead us to a point where we see that we have been crucified with Christ on the cross. Thereafter, we will know the cross and the death of the cross, and the Holy Spirit will bring our whole being into the way of the cross. We will enter through the gate and walk on the way of death. It is at this point that we will truly begin to take the way of the cross and live a life of the cross. In other words, we will enter into death, and the effect of death will be in us every day. Christ’s death will target and deal with us, putting us to death and killing our thoughts, opinions, preferences, choices, and emotions; it will deal with all of our likes and dislikes. This death, which is carried out in and by the Holy Spirit, is like a sharp razor, a sharp knife, which continuously does a killing work in us. This is the cross.
In spiritual matters we need to go through the gate and then walk on the way. Consider the matter of prayer. Many people do not know how to pray when they first believe in the Lord, so they imitate others’ prayers and even write down prayers before praying. After imitating others for a period of time, the Holy Spirit will bring them to the point of passing through the gate. Once they know the purpose of prayer and touch the secret of prayer, they will know how to pray. This, however, does not mean that they have graduated from prayer or no longer need to pray. On the contrary, touching the secret of prayer is the beginning of prayer; it is an initiation. Thereafter, they need to live a life of prayer, praying daily to advance in the way of prayer.
Our experience of faith is the same. Many saved ones hear the truth of the gospel and sing songs of faith, but they do not live by faith. One day, however, they are enlightened by the Holy Spirit and begin to know the reality of faith, fully believing into God, relying upon God, and touching God’s faithfulness. This does not mean, however, that they have graduated from believing. On the contrary, they are just beginning to enter into a life of faith. It is at this point that they can begin to live a life of faith and walk on the pathway of faith. In spiritual matters we first pass through the gate and then walk on the way. Consequently, in our experience of Christ’s death and of being put to death on the cross, we first pass through the gate and then walk on this way in life.
Many Christians have been saved for five, ten, or even twenty years without passing through the gate of the cross. They are zealous. They love and pursue the Lord, and they preach the gospel. Few, however, have experienced the Lord by passing through the gate of the cross. We meet Christians everywhere who are zealous, love the Lord, pursue the Lord, preach the gospel, save souls, and help the saints. But it is very difficult to meet a saint who has passed through the gate of the cross and who knows the death of the cross.
Some people ask, “How can we tell whether someone has passed through the gate of the cross?” When we contact someone who has passed through the gate of the cross, we immediately sense the imprint of the cross, the dealing of the cross, and the breaking of the cross in him. There is a mark of the cross in him from the work of the cross. Even if he has only passed through the gate of the cross and its work is not very deep or very great in measure, it is still possible to sense that he has passed through the gate of the cross. Since he has passed through the gate, he knows something of the cross and of the meaning of being crucified with Christ. Thus, he spontaneously begins to take the way of the cross and live a life of the cross.