Have you ever heard of a dead person calling from the grave for a lawyer to sue someone for violating his rights? See, the dead have no rights. What do you think Paul meant when he said, "For you died, and your life is now hidden in Christ in God." ( Col. 3:3 ) He wasn't talking about a theory or a nice metaphor. He meant that at the point of real salvation, you were nailed to the cross with Jesus. You go down to the grave and a new life, God's life, is born in you.
It's easy to give up your wrongs, but it is much more difficult to give up your rights.
Have you died with Christ? Or are you trying to live with Him at the same time you're trying to accommodate your own desires? The Holy Spirit doesn't want the flesh for a roommate. The problem with most of us is that we want a spiritual crown, yet we also want to avoid the cross that must come first. There are a lot of teachings out there that appeal to our flesh. They avoid sacrifice. They do not challenge us to give Jesus total control of our lives. They do not lead to salvation.
Paul wrote to Timothy, "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him." The word "if" is the crucial part. People who follow the wrong Gospel want to make the "ifs" invisible.
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