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That is because all these are dealt with by the
cross (Galatians 2:20, 5:24). None of these is cleansed by the blood; rather,
they are all crucified: “they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh
with the passions and the lusts thereof” (Galatians 5:24). Here we can readily
see that the flesh is not washed by the blood. Yes, our outward uncleanness can
be washed with blood, but our inward flesh and old man cannot be so washed. Instead,
the flesh and the old man must be crucified.
    Every time the Bible speaks of the cross, it refers to
self (or the flesh) and the old man. The cross in Scripture never points to
sin. Sin needs to be washed with the blood, but the old man must be dealt with by
the cross. Do we now see the Lord’s full salvation here?
    We all know that China today forbids the smoking of
opium, and its supply in the possession of her citizens, if discovered by the
governmental authorities, will be confiscated and disposed of. Opium comes from
one or more secret opium factories and is those factories’ sole product. Our
old man can be likened to the opium factory. The latter can produce opium every
day; so that even if the authorities are able to confiscate the factory’s daily
production of opium on any given day, the opium factory can still continue to
produce more and more of its illegal product. In like manner, though our
outside sin may be washed by the blood, soon afterwards our old man will
nonetheless continue to commit sin. Hence, whereas the blood “confiscates,” as
it were, the sin committed outwardly, it is the cross which gets rid of the old
man that commits the sin. The work of the cross cannot be likened to the
authorities who dispose of the opium factory’s daily supply of its product but
likened to those who successfully bomb the factory to extinction. Once the
factory has been destroyed, opium will not be produced anymore. Once the cross has
eliminated the old man, sin can no longer be committed.
    What is meant by the cross? We will recall that when the Jews
rejected the Lord, they cried out: “Crucify him!” (John 19:6) This was followed
by another cry: “Away with him” (John 19:15). The cross is a total putting
away. They got rid of the Lord by using the cross. Similarly, today the Lord
gets rid of our old man with the cross. Blood is for the remission of sins;
cross is to rid us of our old man. Once our old man is gotten rid of, there is
full salvation. Christ’s blood is objective in its effect for the remission of
our sins; cross is subjective in its effect for the elimination of the old man so
that we can be emancipated from sin.
    All issues of salvation are resolved on the basis of “faith.”
All the necessary works of salvation have been accomplished by God. His word
tells us that we have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). Perhaps you
do not have faith and hence doubt that there is such provision. You are still you;
you do not feel any differently. But do please recall the event of your initial
salvation: you as a sinner believed in the Lord’s blood that washed away your sins,
and you were instantaneously saved. So, also, as you now believe in the cross,
you can immediately praise God, saying: “Thank God, my old man is dead!” [†]

4: “Reckon”
    “Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but
alive unto God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).

Reckon
Ourselves as Dead in Christ Jesus
    Yesterday we came to understand the fact that God has already
crucified our old man. What must we do, now that our old man has been crucified?
The Bible tells us that we should reckon ourselves as being dead in Christ
Jesus and our also being alive in Christ Jesus. Towards sin we reckon ourselves
as being dead but towards God as being alive in Christ Jesus.
    What does reckoning mean? We know that in the world our
speech is often inaccurate and even our writings may be incorrect. We dare not
say that what is recorded in history and in historical