Cross of Christ

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the complete core of our born-again experience. Our born-again experience is the Gospel of Jesus written on our heart.

• Forgiveness:
  The Cross of Christ is where Jesus gave His life to atone for sin.
  
  “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:8 “For God so love the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16
  
• Cleansing:
  The Cross of Christ purges the sins that arises within us.
  
  When we invite Jesus into our life, His Cross comes with Him. The Cross lives within us to crucify and put to death the sins that arise within our heart from day-to-day. That is the process of sanctification.
  
  “…knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin…For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:6, 14
  
  The beast has power over physiology to be able to enflame many carnal desires within our feelings and thoughts. We will even say and do things that we regret. Even so, we do not live our life by the prodding that the beast enflames us with, we walk by the Spirit and not the flesh. “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21 Whatever we are made to feel, think, say, and do, the grace of our lord Jesus Christ enables us to continue in belief in God the Creator, to lift up Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior of the world, and to continue embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit.
  
  “What will we say then? Will we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” Romans 6:1-2
  
  As our sins are crucified within us, newness of life is resurrected within our heart, soul, and mind, “…that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4
  
  The Holy Spirit in us is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance in the New Jerusalem, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance…” Ephesians 1:13-14
  
  We know we have the Holy Spirit when we do not speak against Jesus and say that He is Lord, “Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3
  
• Affliction:
  “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25
  
  “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” 1 Peter 4:12-16
  
  Those of today’s culture, which is global, despise belief in God, scoff at the Cross of Christ, consider His Gospel to be hateful, and they do not want the Holy Spirit to be part of who they are. They afflict we who live for Jesus Christ. They live by the beast that gives them what to say, do, think, and feel and welcome the image of the beast that is given breath/life to speak by speaking and living through them. By what they are given to say and do, people are conformed to the number, name, mark of the beast.

“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.
I am coming soon. 
Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11