Participation in Christ: Leaving Behind the Old World of Sacrifice, Idolatry, and Death

Participation in Christ: Leaving Behind the Old World of Sacrifice, Idolatry, and Death


Many have been taught that Jesus’ death was a cosmic transaction—God demanding blood to satisfy divine wrath, requiring a mystical union between Christ’s sacrifice and each believer’s soul. But what if we set aside this Greek supernatural framework—and instead read participation in Jesus’ death in a symbolic, ethical, and historical way? This perspective brings Jesus’ death down to earth as a call to profound transformation—of identity, community, and ethics—rooted in history and lived experience.



Participation as Solidarity with the Crucified Rebel


In the first-century world, crucifixion was Rome’s brutal method of shaming rebels. To “participate in Jesus’ death” meant aligning yourself with one rejected by empire and religious elites. It was a radical social stance: accepting the same risks, shame, and marginalization he endured—standing with the powerless.



Death as the End of the Old Self and Its Values


Paul’s metaphor in Romans 6—“we were buried with him”—calls the first century audience to abandon old patterns of the Old Covenant /idolatry shaped by status, domination, fear, and vengeance. Participating in Jesus’ death means dying to those identities and living by the ethic Jesus embodied: love, mercy, humility, and non-retaliation.



The Cross as the Model of Self-Giving Love


Without supernaturalism, the cross stands as the fullest expression of nonviolence and self-emptying love. To “share in his death” means actively practicing radical compassion, even at great cost.



Rituals as Reenactments of This New Life


Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are participatory rituals that imprint this story on our lives. Baptism enacts the symbolic death and resurrection of Jesus, marking a break from old ways and a commitment to a new path. These rituals remind us daily to live by Jesus’ countercultural way.



Death as Breaking with the Old Covenant System


Regarding 70AD, participating in Jesus’ death means embracing the end of the old law-based order—its sacrifices, temple rituals, and rule-keeping. This old system gave way to a new covenant of grace, inclusion, and Spirit-led transformation.



Choosing the Margins: Social Identification with the Shamed


Following a crucified man meant rejecting empire values and religious elitism. To “die with him” is to accept the place society calls shameful, trusting love’s vindication beyond public honor.



The End of the Temple World and the Birth of the New Creation


The destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD confirmed the old covenant’s end. The gospel clarifies that ritual sacrifice and blood offerings were shadows passing away. Now, God’s presence dwells within the community and the individual—cleansed by covenant faithfulness and Spirit transformation.



Participation as Covenant Renewal and Temple Cleansing


We concretely participate in Jesus’ death when we enter the covenant through baptism—the cleansing of the human temple. This marks leaving behind idolatry, violence, and sacrifice, embracing a life shaped by God’s Spirit, love, and justice. It is embodying his path socially, ethically, ritually, and covenantally. It involves:


Forsaking systems of sacrifice, bloodshed, and idolatry


Renouncing old self-patterns shaped by power and fear


Aligning with the crucified Christ in solidarity and love


Living out radical, self-giving compassion at great cost


Embracing the new covenant of grace and Spirit


Trusting God’s vindication beyond worldly shame


Entering covenant through baptism as a sign of new life



Conclusion 


The cross is not God punishing Jesus but God in Christ confronting and dismantling sin, fear, and violence. Through participation in Christ’s death, we are freed—not just from death itself but from the worldview that demanded death as life’s price. God meets each of where we are—using our past, traditions, and mistakes—to lead us gently but powerfully into a Spirit-filled new creation.

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