Knowing This That Our Old Man Is Crucified With Him
Spiritual Building-Stone No. 143

"For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:5-6).

„But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

Where do you begin then? If there's a sinner here, you begin at the cross where you reckon yourself dead with Him.[1]

We must realize that we've got to die in order to bring forth new life. So He said so much in this, "If you want to see Me, you must die, die to yourself, and then you'll bring forth a new life."

Now, if we want to see Him, if you ever expect to see Him, you'll never see Him by some joining a church, some book of laws that you keep, some creeds that you serve. You'll see Him when you die. When you come to Calvary and are crucified to yourself, then you'll see Jesus.
The Greek said in St. John 12:20-25, "We would see Him." First, before Jesus said anything, He pointed them to the place to find Him. Like all Gentiles or all people, you find Jesus at the cross when you're crucified with Him.

Today we try to find Him in everything. We try to find Him in a church building. We try to find Him in a denomination. We try to find Him in saying some creed. We try to find Him by keeping certain days, by obeying certain rituals. But we cannot find Him till we come to Calvary. There we are crucified, fall into the dust of the earth, and die to ourselves, and then reborned again. Then we find Jesus.

Oh, so many try today to hold theirself and maintain your own idea, "I've got my way of it. I believe this." But you cannot find Christ until you die to yourself and accept Him, the Word, then you find Life.[2]

In God's own thinking... God, the great Spirit, in the beginning before there was a beginning, He was God. And did you know you were in Him then? If you are a Christian now, you was in Him then. And then if that be so, the whole Godhead bodily shaped up in the Person of Jesus Christ (Col. 2:9-10). And then when Jesus died at the cross, I died with Him, for I was in Him then (II Tim. 2:11-13); for He was the Fulness of the Word manifested, knowing that we would be manifested later. And we was at Calvary with Him. We went in the grave with Him, and we raised with Him in His resurrection, and now we've ascended by His Spirit to the throne of grace, setting together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, always (Eph. 2:4-6). For as the germ of natural life is brought down, germitized from father, to father, to father, to father, so is the Life of Christ germitized. That's the reason God uses Elijah's spirit five different times. What is it? It's a handing down.

Just as your natural life and traits is handed down from the natural breeding of your father, so is the Spirit of God that was predestinated before the foundation of the world (II Tim. 1:9-10). And when the entire Word of God in complete was headed up in a human body called Jesus Christ, in there God made me pay for my sins in Him there. Then He raised me up with Him in the resurrection (Rom. 6:4-5). And now we are seated with Him with power and authority over every devil (Eph. 2:4-7). Oh, if you could only believe what God has given. But if you're not seated there, you don't have it. And if you're seated there, and don't believe, and are afraid to move, you'll never use it. But if you are seated there, you will use it, for you're ordained to do what you do (Col. 1:12-15).[3]

And when God looked down upon the body of Jesus... (The Spirit left Him in the Garden of Gethsemane; He had to die a man, Matt. 26:36-46.) Remember friends, He didn't have to do that. That was God. God anointed that flesh, which was human flesh, and He didn't have... If He'd went up there as God, He'd have never died that kind of death; can't kill God. He didn't have to do it, but remember, He went there with you in Him. See? God had never separated the Bride from the Groom yet. So when God looked down upon the Body of Christ, He saw both male and female. It was all redeemed in that one Body. See? They are one, the same, same Word. the same Word spoke of the Groom speaks of the Bride.[4]

And that's just what God has: two different laws. And one of them is a law of death, and the other one is a law of Life. God has two laws. To follow Him, and serve Him, and worship Him is Life; to reject it is death. There's two laws in God.

Now, one of those laws was made--recognized to the world at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). God gave the law to Moses and Israel. Not that the law can help them, but the law only pointed out to them that they were sinners (Rom. 7:7-17). Until that time they didn't know what sin was, till they had a law (Rom. 5:12-21). There cannot be a law without a penalty. A law's not a law without penalty. So therefore, the transgression of the law is sin, and the wages of sin is death. So therefore, until God made them a law, there was no transgression reckoned to them. If there's no law here that says you can't run over twenty miles an hour, then you can run over twenty miles an hour. But when there's a law says you can't do it, then there's a law and a penalty behind it (Rom. 6:23).

Now, the law of death was the commandments given on Mount Sinai which told man that he was a sinner, and to transgress God's law he died (Ezek. 18:20). But there's no salvation in the law. It was only a policeman that could put you in jail; it had nothing to bring you out with. But then He gave another law. That was at Mount Calvary (John 19:17-30), where sin was reckoned in Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:5-6; II Cor. 5:18-19). And there the penalty was paid, and not without law, but by grace you are saved by the grace of God through predestination of God's foreknowledge of your being (Eph. 2:8-9).[5]

When the Great Shepherd was smitten, the great Sheep Prophet when He was smitten back there, He said, "It is finished." (John 19:25-30). And that minute, as soon as this Shepherd was smitten, it was over. Sin is settled; there was no more sin. They were clean; the penalty was paid. The believers whose names were written in the Book of Life, predestinated from the foundation of the world, it was finished that very minute that Jesus said it was finished (Rev. 13:8).[6]

And the whole purpose then is left in Jesus Christ to become God Himself, to take the penalty of His own Law (death), to die to redeem the wife that was lost by rejecting Him.[7]

If you're sick, I wished I could heal you, but no man can do that. It's already done. Healing lies in you. It's your faith in the finished works that God did on Calvary with Jesus Christ (Col. 2:13-15). And outside of that, there is no healing; outside of that there is no salvation. No church, no denomination, no ritual, nothing packs salvation. Jesus Christ, "He was wounded for our transgressions; with His stripes we were healed. He was wounded for our transgression, transgressions, by His stripes we were (all in past tense)--we were healed." (I Peter 2:24).[8]

Now, the same thing is this: If you are a son of God, and if I am a son of God, or a daughter of God, we were in God at the beginning. And when Jesus became the Fullness of the Word, then we were in Him, germ form. When He was crucified, we was crucified in His body (Rom. 6:6). When He rose from the dead, we rose with Him. And now, since we have recognized it, now we set together with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4-7). We, if we are sons and daughters of God, we are God's children; then we're attributes of God (Gal. 4:6). Then we got Eternal Life. And God is the only Eternal Life there is. Then we were in Him from the beginning. And when Jesus became all that Word, then we were part of Him then (John 1:1-3,14). Amen. There you are. When that's in there, there's no devil, no powers, no nothing can ever move it. That's the tie post of the soul.[9]

But the real, ordained of God, that real gene, that real germ, a soul of God that was in God before the foundation of the world... Remember, you that's really got the Spirit of God in you tonight, you were here in Christ, because He was the Fullness of the Word. He was the Fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9-10). God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (II Cor. 5:18-19). Do you believe that? Look, He was in Christ. Then if you were in God, a gene, a word, a attribute from the beginning, then you walked with Him here on earth; you talked with Him on earth, you suffered with Him on earth; you died with Him at Calvary; and you rose with Him again; and now you're setting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, communing with Him, the Word, as It feeds into your soul, that, "Man shall live by ever Word that proceedeth..." (Matth. 4:1-4).[ 0]

So you see, if you were in the foreknowledge of God, then you are becoming a part of God. And the only way you can be a son of God or a daughter of God, you had to be a part of God, and God isn't complete without you. Has to be. That's right, 'cause there is One, only one resource of Eternal Life, and that is God, and Him alone has Eternal Life (Psalm 36:9). See? Now, and you were a part of Him, insomuch that you're an attribute, or in His thinking in the beginning. And that, because He thought of you in the beginning, it gives that little tug towards Him. That's what has to be quickened. Some of them will never be quickened; they just don't have it; that's all.[ 1]

God knowing in the beginning who would be saved and who would not, therefore come down and pursued the enemy through life, through death, through paradise, into hell (Eph. 4:8-10). And all the way from glory to hell, and took over the powers of hell, and the keys away from the Devil, and rose again, and restored to mankind that he can be sons and daughters of God again (Rev. 1:17-18).

Where was Jesus slain at? At Calvary? No, sir. Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world. "Behold the Lamb of God that was slain before the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). God in the beginning when He saw the sin, He saw what was happen, He spoke the Word and Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world. And every person was saved, was saved (according to the Bible) when the Lamb was slain in the mind of God before the foundation of the world (Rev. 17:8); you were included in salvation then. So what are you going to do about it?[ 2]

You was in Him there as a thought; now you are a person that can fellowship with Him. See? Like you was in your fathers at the beginning, but now you're sons and daughters, so you can fellowship with your parents. Now, we're sons and daughters of God, who can fellowship with our Father, God. See, it's just as beautiful. Don't you like that? Then you become like Him (Rom. 8:28-30). And if we were sons, then you're attributes, and was in His form at the beginning.

And, remember, if you was in Him at the beginning; and when Jesus, which is God, the Word made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-3,12-18); then you were in Him and stood the insults that He took. You went to Calvary with Him, in Him. You died in Him. You rose in Him. And now you're seated together in heavenly places in Him. (Col. 2:11-15).[ 3]

When Jesus suffered in that body, He suffered... 'Cause a man and a woman are one person. Eve was taken out of Adam (Gen. 2:18-25), and the Church... What happened? God opened up the side of Adam and took out of there a helpmate, the bride. And God opened up the side of Jesus at Calvary and took out the Bride. See? And when Jesus died at Calvary...
Remember, the Bride was not taken from the body until the body was dead. He'd already died, and they was going to break His legs. And the prophet said, "There'll not be one bone broken." So they done drawed back the hammer to break a leg, and a man run up with a spear and pushed it through His heart; and water and Blood came forth; He was already dead (John 19:31-37). She was already redeemed in the body by His death, so there's no more suffering tribulation period for the Bride. See? She goes in. But the Gentile church that just believe on Him and take the denominational creeds and so forth...[ 4]

I am identified with Him in His death. I died with Him when He died at Calvary, and I rose again on Easter morning with Him in the power of His resurrection. I'm a witness of it. I died with Him at Calvary, raised with Him on Easter. Hallelujah. To be part of Him I have to be identified with Him. I was identified with Him in His death. I was identified with Him in His suffering. I was identified with Him when the denominations turned Him down. I was identified with Him when they run Him out of the temple, when they tried to get rid of Him. I was with Him there. I was with Him in His death, raised with Him in resurrection.[ 5]

As I said the other night, if I'm a Christian, I have to be identified with every character of the Bible. I had to stand with Noah and preach with him in the days and warn the people. That's right. I had to stand on Mount Carmel alone with Elijah. I had to stand at Calvary and be crucified to myself and my own thoughts, with Him (Gal. 2:19-21). But then again I raised with Him on Easter, triumphant over all things. All the carnal of the carnality of the world, raised above it in Him.[ 6]

Moses was in Him. Joshua was in Him. And if you are in Him (I Cor. 12:13), you was in Him before the foundation of the world, the family of God; you suffered with Him; you died with Him; you went to the cross with Him; you raised with Him; and now you're still with Him, setting in heavenly places, reflecting the Message of the age to the world, the Light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16).[ 7]

Reference:
[1] „Shalom” (64-0112), par. 197, [2] „Sirs, We Would See Jesus”, (61-1224), pg. 15, [3] „God Of This Evil Age”, par. 67-68, [4] „Rising Of The Sun”, pg. 34, [5] „God’s Chosen Place of Worship” (65-0220), par. 21-23,
[6] „Why It Had To Be Shepherds”, par. 181, [7] „Christ Is The Mystery”, pg. 26, [8] „A Paradox” (65-0117), par. 25, [9] „Christ Is Revealed In His Own Word”, par. 28, [10] „Modern Events Made Clear By Prophecy”, par. 172, [11] „Lean Not Unto Thy Own Understanding”, par. 17, [12] „Hebrews Ch.7 Pt.1”, pg. 298/324, [13] „Power of Transformation”, par. 297, [14] „Questions&Answers” (64-0823M), pg. 953, [15] „Identified Masterpiece of God”, par. 78, [16] „Harvest Time”, par. 201, [17] „God’s Only Provided Place of Worship” (65-1128M), par. 271

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 144 from the Revealed Word of this hour, compiled by: Gerd Rodewald, Friedenstr. 69, D-75328 Schömberg, Germany, Phone: (+49) 72 35 - 76 13, Fax: - (+49) 72 35 33 06

There's coming one with a Message that's straight on the Bible, and quick work will circle the earth. The seeds will go in newspapers, reading material, until every predestinated Seed of God has heard It.
[Bro. Branham in "Conduct-Order-Doctrine", pg. 724]