The “cruciform life” is a life shaped by the cross of Christ. It is a life based on who we are in Christ Jesus—and Christ Jesus in us! It is a sacrificial servanthood that is breathed out and lived out in real time, not simply imitated from afar.
This is the Christ for you becoming the Christ in you. As your faith deepens, and as the knowledge of Jesus Christ becomes more-deeply ingrained in your worldview, you then begin to respond more naturally as Christ would respond. For as your faith in Christ grows and deepens, it even shapes the patterns of your thought and actions. That’s the cruciform life.
We see this cruciform life in the Apostle Paul. He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 delivered himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).
Is the Cruciform Life Simply Imitation?
If the cruciform life is living out a real life, why does Scripture tell us to “imitate” Christ? Examples abound:
- John 13:15: [Jesus said,] “I have given you an example: you should do as I have done for you.”
- 1 Peter 2:21-22: “To this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so you might follow in his footsteps.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:1: [The Apostle Paul wrote,] “Be imitators of me, as I also am of Christ.”
- 1 John 2:6: “The one who claims to remain in him [Christ] walk in the same way as Jesus did.”
Why this mismatch in speaking about our life in Christ? Is it imitation or is it real? Yes.
This is why Scripture tells us to “imitate” Christ: we are both sinner and saint. This causes us to be in a continual state of war, with sin waging war against the new self given in us in Christ. That is why we must always be reminded of who we are and to live out our identity in Christ.
This cruciform life is not a spiritual abstraction, simply imitated from afar (as if it is not real and we are “faking it” because it is not within us). Over time, the cruciform life even revealed itself in Paul’s physical appearance: “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).
That’s how real the cruciform life is. God’s own people recognized this reality. Paul wrote that when he went to visit the Galatians, they received him “as Christ Jesus.” He wrote:
I plead with you, brothers, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. You know that previously I preached the gospel to you in physical weakness, and although my condition was a trial to you, you did not despise or reject me. Instead, you received me as God’s angel [messenger], as Christ Jesus. (Galatians 4:12-14)
Our Sinful Nature Wreaking Havoc on our Cruciform Lives
Because we live in fallen bodies (which includes our brains) deformed by sin, we live in a fallen reality every day. You know this is true “by sight”: your bones creak, you become forgetful, you speak and say sinful thoughts, and you feel death creeping closer to you every day. Yet, “by faith” you also live in the reality of the cruciform life: You are a forgiven, restored child of God who lives in faith toward God and in love toward others.
Here’s where it gets especially tough. You live the reality of the cruciform life in and through your fallen bodies. On this side of heaven, there is no other way to do this. Thus, your sinful nature is always affecting how the cruciform life is lived out. You are always fighting against the inertia of a sinful nature that will erode and bring to nothing the reality of who you are in Christ.
That is why you are continually to be discipled, taught, fed God’s Word, and receive His Sacraments. That is why you are to meditate on God’s Word night and day. Anyone who thinks otherwise has been deceived by his sinful nature and is teetering on the brink of apostasy (if not fallen already from the faith).
All this being “Jesused” is to counteract the continual onslaught of your sinful nature trying to erode the cruciform life in you and through you.
Caregiving Truths to be Ingrained in our Thinking
Situation: After Death of Another
| God | Scripture Passage | Truth |
| cares for you in your grief
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Luke 7:11-15: Jesus has compassion on a widow whose only son has died. Jesus restores his life.
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Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, for the old order of things has passed away.”
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| has overcome death | John 18-20: Jesus willingly dies. Then He overcomes death through His resurrection. | 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: “Now when the corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” |
| shares our grief with us | John 11:17-36: Jesus grieves with the sisters of Lazarus | Isaiah 53:4a: “Yet, He Himself bore our griefs, and He carried our sorrows.” |
| knows what it is like to have a loved one die | John 11:32-35: Jesus weeps at the loss of His friend, Lazarus. | John 11:25: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” |
| is with us and comforts us | John 14:1-3: Jesus comforts His disciples with the certainty of being with Him in eternity. | John 6:40: “This is my Father’s will: that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day.” |
Situation: Impending Death
| God | Scripture Passage | Truth |
| knows the fear and pain of death
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Matthew 26:36-46: Jesus agonizes over His approaching death.
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John 6:40: “This is my Father’s will: that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the Last Day.” |
| does not abandon us when we are dying
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Luke 23:39-43: Jesus promised the thief on the cross next to Him, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” | Hebrews 13:5b: “I will never leave you or abandon you.”
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| has overcome death | Matthew 28:1-10: On the 3rd day after being crucified, Jesus rose from the dead. | John 5:24: “I assure you: Whoever hears my word and believes in the One who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” |
| continues to care for our loves one after we die | John 19:25-27: While hanging on the cross, Jesus provides for His mother’s care after His death. | Deuteronomy 10:18: “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving him food and clothing.” |
Situation: Illness of Another
| God | Scripture Passage | Truth |
| cares for our loved ones
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Matthew 5:22-24, 35-43: A mans asked Jesus to heal his daughter. Before arriving she died. Jesus restored her life after He arrived.
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Psalm 41:3: “The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.” |
| is always with us | Genesis 27:41-45; 28:10-15: When his brother threatened to kill him, Jacob fled. God appeared to Jacob and promised to stay with him and bring him home again. | Deuteronomy 31:8: “The LORD is the One who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be discouraged.” |
| does not blames us for our child’s illness or disability | John 9:1-5: The disciples asked if a man was born blind because of his parents’ sinned. Jesus said no. | John 9:3: “Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents. This happened that works of God might be displayed in him.” |
Situation: Personal Illness
| God | Scripture Passage | Truth |
| does not blame us for being ill | John 9:1-5: The disciples asked if a man was born blind because of his own sin. Jesus said no. | John 9:3: “Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents. This happened that works of God might be displayed in him.” |
| cares for us when we are ill | Luke 10:30-37: Robbers badly injured a man. Another man picked him up, took him to an inn, and cared for the stranger. | 2 Corinthians 12:9: “[God] said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ So I will most-gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so the power of Christ may dwell in me.” |
