The Crucified Life
As a boy, I came to faith in Jesus Christ, and as a young man, I began serving the Lord. Yet in those early years, I often sensed that something was missing. I worked, prayed, studied, and tried – but soon reached a breaking point. Human effort and good intentions are never enough.
In the good providence of God I came in contact with a wonderful book by V. Raymond Edman, They Found the Secret. Through it, I discovered that my experience was not unusual. The overwhelming sense of frustration and failure was the first step toward real victory! When we come to the end of ourselves, we are coming to the beginning of God’s abundance.
At the point of my exhaustion I began to understand “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19). So many sincere believers “hit a wall” because they operate only by the energy of self-effort. The spiritual truth of the indwelling Christ in the person of His Holy Spirit opens the door to divine resources.
God used a host of rich passages in my life, but one was particularly instrumental. Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” That was it! “Not I, but Christ.”
I began to see that power and victory were through Him alone – through our identity with Christ and faith in His sufficiency. Jesus is enough. Enough for eternity and enough for today.
In my library, I have a host of wonderful books on this subject. Now, I am very happy to add another. Each generation must study God’s truth and teach it afresh. While I am always thrilled to see any author address such Scriptural truth, it is especially encouraging when the writer is a friend and former student.
This new release, Crucified, is full of biblical truth. In Crucified, Pastor Joshua Johnson has done of wonderful job of explaining vital passages in the Word of God and applying them to the life of the believer. He has written out of diligent study and out of his personal experience with the truth.
It is my sincere prayer that many hungry hearts will come to realize the victory and joy that comes through the Crucified life. The principle of death to self and life in Christ is both liberating and motivating. It is the most wonderful life of all. In the words of Jesus, it is life “more abundantly” (John 10:10).
There is victory for you. I encourage you to read its pages carefully and study the Scriptures prayerfully. By the grace of God, may each of us learn to live the crucified life.
