On the verge of His crucifixion, Jesus said: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

According to the Greek, He understood the cross was the scene of the cosmic crisis—the ultimate showdown with and triumph over Satan, the cosmic archon, or ruler. Through the very act of dying, Jesus would cast out the power of Satan.

As Jesus’ followers, we must embrace His road to triumph—the “deep secret” of His disciples: those who die win.

Millions of martyrs have understood this dynamic, and in dying, have undone the powers of darkness. This is why Tertullian could boldly say, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

Many more have never “resisted unto blood,” but, understanding and choosing the way of the cross, have given themselves over to a spiritual crucifixion, thus ensuring the defeat of Satan and the triumph of King Jesus in their own lives.

This cross must be the uncompromised mark (or the stigma) of real Christians. We cannot conquer evil and temptation in our own lives, until we are ready to die doing it. We cannot escape the control of Satan, except via the way of the cross. We cannot be useful in the economy of the kingdom, until we have given up ourselves to be crucified. We cannot win until we die.

The triumph of the cross has been forgotten by many Christians. Thus, they justify sin (the control of Satan) in their own lives. They defend utterly human methodologies for doing Jesus’ work. Their only intention is to “be saved,” not to be smitten.

If you are one of God’s children, I beg of you to embrace the cross.

Take up your cross, and head for Golgotha. Let others nail you to it. Suffer on it, refusing the vinegar that would soften its pain. And, by all means, die.

Without it, your Christian toil is futile; your life is wasted. Aside from you dying on the cross, Satan will not be cast out of your life, and victory over sin will be a mere desire. Without the stigma of the cross, your life will never have the clarity that is essential to making kingdom decisions in an anti-kingdom world. Without the agony of crucifixion, your Christianity will never exceed a comfortable, religious status quo.

You may not, like Jesus, win a cosmic battle on your cross. But the crisis remains, and you must choose whether you embrace this kingdom secret.

Please do, because only those who die win. ~