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Continuing our discussion from part one, I hope that you can now see that in a subtle way, to suggest -- as this man did -- that we must somehow be placed on the Cross along with Christ, is like saying that Jesus' Sacrifice alone was not enough. It is to suggest that His Atonement was not really a sufficient price to redeem us from our sins, and thus from the penalty of death. It is to suggest that we need to share in Christ's sufferings in order to merit Salvation. It is as if a person is saying, "Move over Jesus, and let me help you save me". In other words, by adopting this rather misguided mentality, one is replacing a Salvation Plan which the Bible informs us is completely based upon the Love, Grace and Mercy of God through Jesus Christ, with a human-devised plan that is based upon one's own supposed goodness and "good works". It is trying to add our supposed "goodness" to the finished Work of Christ on the Cross, and making it a prerequisite for Salvation.

This idea of trying to help Jesus save us by adding our good works to His Sacrifice is a prominent doctrine in a number of Christian religions today -- such as Roman Catholicism, to name one chief offender -- and it is very wrong. In fact, as many of you will already know, within Roman Catholicism, they even take this modern deception a step further by insisting that Mary -- that is, the mother of Jesus -- is the so-called "Co-Mediatrix" and "Co-Redemptrix", which is totally contrary to Bible-based Christian doctrine. Of course, non-Christian religions are even worse. All of them leave Jesus completely out of the picture, and insist that by simply being loving and kind to each other, we will all partake in some kind of heavenly bliss and afterlife. They are religions of works and human merit, and nothing more.

As I point out in many of my articles which deal with the topic of Salvation, the idea of mixing God's Grace with our own goodness and human works in order to somehow merit the Gift of Salvation is totally contrary to the teachings of the Holy Scriptures. Consider the following verses:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."


"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"


"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."


"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."


"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work."


In short, as the Apostle Paul tells us in that last verse, it is either one or the other. Either we believe that we are saved only by the wonderful Grace of God through our faith in the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, or else we believe that we are somehow saved by our own supposed good works. I am reminded of a helpful little acronym which I have shared with my readers a number of times before, which helps us to remember exactly what Grace signifies. It goes like this:

G = Gift
R = Received
A = At
C = Christ's
E = Expense

That is precisely what it means to be saved by Grace. As we learned in part one, even though we are really undeserving, Grace simply means to accept the free Gifts of Forgiveness, Redemption, Salvation and Eternal Life, which God offers to each one of us through the Atoning Sacrifice of His own dear Son. Jesus Christ alone bore our sins on a Roman Cross. He did what we cannot possibly do for ourselves. Jesus offered Himself as the Perfect Sacrifice for sin, because He alone met the full requirements of the Law, being as He is a Lamb without spot or blemish. He has paid the price in full for our sins. It is for this reason that the Apostle Peter writes the following in his first Epistle:

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:"


Nothing we do can ever save us, or make us worthy of Eternal Life, short of accepting the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We cannot participate in His Sacrifice on the Cross in any way; and we most certainly cannot mingle our blood with His. Why? Because the Scriptures clearly tell us that we are all dead in our sins. As such, we are totally unfit to be any form of atonement. Consider the following verses which are found in the New Testament:

"Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."


"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."


"And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."


"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins . . . But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."


"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;"


"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."


In conclusion, to be crucified with Christ simply means to be willing to forsake the sinful ways of the world, to abandon our personal interests and desires, and to wholly dedicate ourselves -- and our time -- to daily, sacrificial, Christian service to God the Father and Jesus Christ. To reiterate what I stated in part one, being crucified with Christ has nothing to do with atonement for our sins. It is simply a part of our daily service to Him.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

Are You a Burning Ember for the Lord?
Are You Just a Baby Huey?
Are You Redeeming the Time?
Message to the World
So You Really Think You Are So Humble?
Striving for Perfection: Are You a Sinless Saint?
The Battle is Not Yours Alone
The Blood Atonement: In Jesus' Own Words
The Lord Will Lift You Up
The Parable of the Sower: Salvation and Service
What is God's Will for My Life?
Where Are the First Century Churches?

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