Mathew 10:38-39
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. 39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
I would like you to focus your attention to the statement “he that taketh not his cross” in the above verse. What does this statement means to you? Your answer will vary depending upon your understanding about the Crucifixion of Jesus. Many interpret this verse as trials and tribulations that we have to face while we follow Jesus. I do believe that there are trials and tribulations that we have to face for the sake of Gospel, but this verse has more meaning to it.
The crucifixion of Jesus was not just an historical event; it was an event where you were also crucified with Jesus. You might be thinking “How can I be crucified with Christ? I was not even born at that time." If you can believe that you became a sinner due to the sin of Adam; you have to believe this truth too. When Jesus went to the cross, we were in Him, we were also crucified, dead and buried with Him. This death, burial and resurrection is talking about our human spirit, the spirit that was seperated from God because of Adamic sin. Whatever Jesus did as Last Adam, the whole humanity participated in it. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, the whole humanity was in him and we also eat the forbidden fruit. This is the Bible logic and we must believe it.
Our soul which consist of our mind, will and emotions did not go through the process of crucifixion, death and burial like our spirit. This soulish man (Self) must be on the cross, for our new spirit man to live through us. In other words, submitting our will to His will is the actual meaning of carrying the cross. God will never violate our free will, so we have to submit our free will to Him. This soulish man will never die until we leave this earthern body and the only way we deal with our soulish man is by putting him on the cross.
Adam when he eat the forbidden fruit , he gave birth to the soulish man and put death to the spirit man. Jesus through obedience gave birth to the new spirit man, but this spirit man cannot do any of his work through us until the soul man is on the cross. No more I (self), but Him is the patway to normal christian life.
Read what Paul says about our death and burial with Jesus
Romans 6:6
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. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Now let me come back to the verse; here Jesus is revealing the new covenant reality that “Whosoever follow him must reckon himself dead to self and sin and submit his body and mind to Christ to get His work done. As a disciple of Christ our cross is carrying the reality that “I am crucified with Christ, I am dead and buried, it is no longer I but Christ lives through me”. At the cross we have exchanged our lower life with HIS higher life, let this truth be in us while we follow JESUS.
Jesus wants us to be identified with HIS crucifixion, death and burial before we follow HIM.
Later on Apostle Paul reveals this truth;
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.