Christian formation is “Cruciform.”

We are formed by the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus.

What this means is now that we are in Christ, but still live in this fallen world, we are to be formed by the gospel not just “saved” by the gospel.

God is crucifying the old you daily through suffering and raising you up. Each time the old you tries to take over, God crucifies that person through affliction and raises the new you to a new hope in the gospel of Christ.

Each time this happens layers of worldliness are pulled back so the new you can break through. 

Broken patterns of the flesh are repaired to look like Jesus:

• Lies put in our mind by demonic forces about us are exposed by the light of the Truth.
• The pattern of our growth is death and resurrection. 

We call this Cruci-formation.

In other words, our growth in God is not a steady march up a mountain. It is much more like a mountain we attempt to climb, but keep taking 3 steps forward and two steps back.

After we have fallen and rolled back several times and are bruised and bloodied by our own ability, Jesus then patches us up to heal and then throws us on his back and carries us up the mountain. When we get to the top he says, “Look what we did together.” 

He lets us almost fail and then he raises us up and puts our feet on a solid place.

We are not formed by our own blood, sweat and tears. We are formed by God’s faithfulness to mold us and form us into who we are in Christ. This, of course, is purchased by the blood, sweat, and tears of Jesus.

So then our justification (right standing before God) is purchased by the death and resurrection of Jesus.

When we put our faith in this historical reality we are “saved.”

In the same way, our formation comes by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus that is outside of us (objective) and the application of the death and resurrection of Jesus inside us by the Holy Spirit (subjective).

This is what we mean by cruciform. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us to continually form us by the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

This Sunday we will begin a three month series in 2 Corinthians called “Cruciform.” We will take a journey with the Apostle Paul. This is his most personal letter detailing his own journey of cruciformity.

Homework: 

Take 10 minutes to pray 

• for me to preach this book clearly
• for you to understand the work of God in your soul
• for our church to be formed by His crucifixion and resurrection

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey