Luke 9:23 - take up your cross! -- RSQUBF discussion forum

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Date Posted: 19:08:48 11/27/04 Sat
Author: Anonymous
Subject: Luke 9:23 - take up your cross!
In reply to: Nick T. 's message, "New thread on doctrine" on 10:27:55 10/22/04 Fri

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the "take up your cross" verse. My chapter director loved to push this one on people, and he especially liked Luke 9:23 because it includes the word "daily," where the other synoptics don't. The verse reads, "Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" This was often a year "key verse." I think I had it as my "key verse" for two separate years!

I was taught that there are two crosses, the cross of ego and the cross of mission. (Sometimes the cross of school work was added as a third, but others it was subsumed under the cross of ego.) The "cross of ego" was supposed to refer to mundane, quotidian hardships. The all important "cross of mission" of course referred to "fishing and feeding sheep," "establishing house churches," etc. Thus, effectively, UBF interprets Lk 9:23 to mean "propagate UBFism." Now, where did they come up with that?

For a more theologically sound teaching on this verse, I'll quote from Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary. Even Henry's interpretation sounds harsh and ascetic. I would like to point out that although self-denial is an essential concept, grace is, in my opinion, more important. And most UBFers seem to lack any concept of grace. Therefore, all they know is "deny self," "feed more sheep," "get up earlier," "work harder," "get all A's," "sacrifice your job," "neglect your family," etc.

And now here's Matthew Henry:
"We must accustom ourselves to all instances of self-denial and patience, Luke 9:23. This is the best preparative for martyrdom. We must live a life of self-denial, mortification, and contempt of the world; we must not indulge our ease and appetite, for then it will be hard to bear toil, and weariness, and want, for Christ. We are daily subject to affliction, and we must accommodate ourselves to it, and acquiesce in the will of God in it, and must learn to endure hardship. We frequently meet with crosses in the way of duty; and, though we must not pull them upon our own heads, yet, when they are laid for us, we must take them up, carry them after Christ, and make the best of them."

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Replies:

Re: Luke 9:23 - take up your cross! -- Chris, 20:29:02 11/27/04 Sat
Re: Luke 9:23 - take up your cross! -- PECAS, 13:45:38 11/30/04 Tue