Paul has a double way of showing what it means to glory only in the cross. He is saying, "Since I met Christ, the world has come to look like a despised, worthless, cursed thing."
When something is crucified, it is rejected and scorned. That's what became of the world when Paul met Christ. He said, "I count everything as loss (crucified) for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8).
Paul was swallowed up by the love of Christ that the benefits of the world looked to him as cold and ashen as a crucified corpse.
But then he says it another way, too. "I am crucified to the world." When the world looks at me, it sees nothing very attractive, either. I am like a corpse as far as the world is concerned.
The reason Paul mentions his rejection of the world and the world's rejection of him is to accent the value of Christ crucified.
The world looks at our ministry like it did Paul's: "We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, yet well-known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed." (2 Corinthians 6:8-9)
As far as the world is concerned, a life devoted to Christ is a throw-away life. Paul said, "We have become, and are now, the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things." (1 Corinthians 4:1)
So another way of saying that the world is crucified to me and I to the world is to say the world has become refuse to me and I have become refuse to the world.
This world is like a big pile of GARBAGE compared to Jesus Christ! Paul was ravished by the love of Christ. He was held captive by one great scene in history: A CROSS ON GOLGOTHA, AND ON IT THE SON OF GOD WHO LOVED US AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR US.
Until we see this world as a big pile of garbage...it will have an attraction to us!
Why is it that some people just can't seem to die out to the world? Because they still have the love of the world in them.
It seems today that you can be a Christian and no one can tell unless you tell them. Can anyone tell you're a Christian?
- Do you dress differently than the world?
- Modesty
- Do you talk differently than the world?
- Choice of words
- Jokes
- Is your music different than the world?
- What's on your ipod?
- Is it Holy Spirit anointed?
- Is your movie taste different than the world?
- Are there movies you won't see?
- Is your TV watching different than the world?
- When is the last time you changed the channel?
- Is the content of your Internet viewing different than the world?
- What kind of comments are you leaving on facebook?
- Check out another blog called "Slapped In The Facebook"
- Is your church attendance different than the world?
- How's your Bible reading and prayer life?
- Is your politics different than the world?
- Is your treatment of others different than the world?
- Do you love your enemies?
- Is your money handling different than the world?
- Debt?
- Tithes and Offerings?
- Savings?
- Benevolence?
- Gambling?
- Is your attitude different than the world?
- Humility or Pride?
- Sweet or Sour?
- Nice or Nasty?
- Positive or Negative?
- Is your purity different than the world?
- Fidelity?
- Fornication?
- Living together unmarried? (also known as "shacking up")
