Crucifixion includes the thought of death, but death is not necessarily brought about by crucifixion. The Lord became obedient unto death, the death of the cross (Phil. 2:8). To say simply that He died would not have been, in His case, a full statement of the truth. He stooped so low as to die that death to which ignominy and shame were attached.
Death is the termination of that condition of existence in the body upon earth, which is called life. The cross was a judicial way of accomplishing it. Hence, in the eyes of men it was no honor, but the contrary, to be crucified. Men can admire one who dies as a hero, or as a martyr to his convictions; but in the eyes of the world, no glory can attach to one who is crucified. So the preaching of Christ crucified was to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness (1 Cor. 1:23). The Jew could neither understand nor accept a crucified Messiah, unless God touched his heart. A crucified Christ as his Savior, the Greek regarded as foolishness. To have heard of one who had died might have affected him differently, but to be told that He had been executed on the cross, was sufficient to make him, unless his conscience was reached, treat the tidings of the Apostle with extreme contempt.
Again according to the teaching of the law, death by crucifixion made the one subjected to it accursed of God—"He that is hanged is accursed of God" (Deut. 21:23). Men might burn sweet odors for some who died, but who would so act for the one who had been in this manner put to death? It was by His death upon the cross that Christ redeemed from the curse of the law those who were under it, being made a curse for them (Gal. 3:13). The manner then of His death had an important meaning for one who understood about the law, and was under its curse by virtue of his infractions of it.
But not only was the Lord crucified, submitting thereby to the death of shame and ignominy, redeeming by that those who were under the law from its curse (as many of them as believed on Him) but other purposes were accomplished by that manner of His death—purposes of great importance as regards us. Our old man was crucified by God with Christ (Rom. 6:6); and by the cross of Christ, the world is to be crucified to us, and we unto the world (Gal. 6:14). Thus in both these cases crucifixion is dwelt on, not simply death. And why? Because since crucifixion was a judicial dealing with the one placed on the cross, we are to understand that our old man has been judicially dealt with by God, that the body of sin might be annulled, that thenceforth we should not serve sin; and that the world is to be regarded by us as judicially dealt with for us, and we for it. See also Gal. 5:24. Substitute death in such places for the cross, and we should lose the force of the teaching intended to be conveyed. Regard the cross as simply a lingering death, and you lose the truth of the passage. Keep clear in the mind that the cross was a judicial manner of dealing with the one subjected to it, and the bearing of the instruction is made plain.