There is a common misconception that the cross is where the Christian life begins — and then we move on. We were saved at the cross, we say, and now we are walking in resurrection life. The cross is behind us.
This is partly true, and wholly dangerous.
The Cross as Centre, Not Starting Line
Paul writes to the Galatians: "Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Note the present tense. Paul is not speaking of a past transaction. He is describing a present reality. The crucifixion of the world to him — and of him to the world — is ongoing.
The cross is not a starting line. It is the central organising principle of the entire Christian life.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." — Galatians 2:20
What the Cross Demands Daily
Jesus himself is explicit about this. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." Daily. Not once, at conversion. Daily.
To take up the cross daily means to daily choose death to self. Death to my preferences, my comfort, my reputation, my rights. It means agreeing with God's assessment that the old man — the self-centred, self-seeking, self-protecting self — must be put to death continually.
This is not popular teaching. But it is unavoidable teaching if we take the words of Jesus seriously.
The Cross and the Resurrection
None of this negates resurrection life. In fact, it is precisely through the cross that resurrection becomes real. There is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. There is no genuine resurrection power in a life that has not passed through the cross.
The believers who walk in the deepest experience of Christ's resurrection are those who have not tried to bypass the cross but have embraced it as their daily companion.