“If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.’” (Matthew 16:24)
In our culture, the cross is seen as a general symbol of faith. We wear it as jewelry and hang it in our homes as art. But the cross isn’t merely something inspirational or comforting—it’s a way of life. And if you don’t understand what the cross really symbolizes you’ll struggle as a believer. So what’s involved in this new way of life?
It begins by dying to self. To first-century Christians, the cross represented one thing—death. When you take up your cross, you surrender control when things don’t go your way and say “no” to impulses that pull you away from God’s will. It’s choosing humility over the need to be right. That means giving up the need to say, “I told you so.”
This new way of life is marked by forgiveness rather than offense. It’s releasing bitterness, refusing to hold grudges, and choosing not to retaliate. This doesn’t mean ignoring wrong but no longer carrying the burden of revenge. Remember, you’re following a Savior who forgave while being crucified (Luke 23:33–34).
The cross also calls us to choose obedience over comfort. Obedience means doing the hard thing when the easy thing is right in front of you. Jesus obeyed the Father’s will even when it led to a cruel and unjust death (Luke 22:42; Hebrews 5:8). God didn’t abandon Jesus at the cross; He led Him there for a divine purpose. And He will not abandon you when obedience becomes costly.
Finally, this way of life requires trusting God in suffering. Pain is never meaningless in the hands of God. When hardship comes, you can trust that God is still at work when you cannot see what He’s doing (Romans 8:28–29). The cross reminds us that we can trust God even in our darkest moments. Jesus did, and He proved that suffering isn’t the end of the story.
Do you display the cross as a symbol of your faith? That’s good. But also ask yourself: Am I living the new way of life it represents? The cross reminds us not only of what Jesus did for us, but also of how He calls us to live each day.
