Dying to Self

To believers, death is the door to eternal life. It is not an optional door. In order to follow Jesus into eternal life, one must die. That does not mean one must die physically before he can go to heaven. There will be Christians living on the earth when Jesus returns. Whether or not we die physically before Jesus comes is a matter of divine prerogative rooted in plans known only to the Father. There is a more germinal death involved. We must die to ourselves.

That sounds so abstract. Dying to self? What does that actually look like? A functional definition might go something like this:

“Dying to self is a conscious denunciation of one’s own sin and prideful self-interests. True disciples turn away from these things, surrendering the claims upon their own lives to Someone that they trust to run them better.” Paul knew Who that Someone was: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me …” (Galatians 2:20).

Christ’s final glorification by the Father required that He die. Once, in an exchange with two of His disciples, He said:

… “The hour for has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.  – John 12:23, 24

To “glorify” means to “ascribe honor.” God glorified Jesus as a baby when angels announced His birth, and a star adorned His childhood home. Later, on two occasions, the Father spoke audibly, saying, “This is my son …” This phenomenon occurred as the Father glorified Jesus at His Baptism and, again, at His Transfiguration. Now, Jesus was to be glorified in some new way. His words to the disciples conjured up images from Daniel 7:13-14 in which a Son of Man” is crowned by the “Ancient of Days” as the Ruler over an eternal kingdom.

The Jews presumed that this coronation would require the re-exaltation of Israel to global power, but Jesus told them that when the Father glorified Him, the affair would be unlike they had ever envisioned it. “Gentlemen, it is time for that big event to which you’ve been looking forward since you were children. The Ancient of Days is going to give to Me, the Son of Man, My kingdom. However, the details will be different than you imagine. There will be no epic military campaign. I have to die - just as though I were a kernel of wheat falling to the ground.”

Jesus was tempted to avoid this essential death.

“… Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. “Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”  - John 12:27:28

The Father had a plan for Jesus’ life. He had to die. It was not easy to embrace His calling, but the redemption of the first Adam’s children was why He came. Jesus was tempted to abandon the Father’s plan many times. He was tempted in the wilderness to establish Himself as a king by flamboyant means. Those temptations were attempts to steer Jesus away from a life of obedient self-denial.

Peter was commended when he confessed Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). However, when Jesus spoke of being killed by the rulers of the Jews and, then, raised back to life, Peter rebuked Jesus saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22). Peter was thinking of the kingdom of Messiah just as every first-century Jew was accustomed to thinking of it. Jesus rebuked His disciple severely: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of man” (Matthew 16:23).

Jesus always knew that His heavenly agenda was to die for His brothers. Despite Satan’s fiercest efforts, Jesus would not be steered away from His Father’s plan. This plan established a pattern for all who choose to follow Jesus. Now, any man must die to himself to receive the new life Jesus provides. He must take up a cross of his own. That does not mean that he will necessarily die physically in the short run. It does mean that his faithful resolve to trust Jesus with the remainder of his life is a settled matter.

“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”  - John 12:25, 26

Eternal life does not begin at the point of physical death. Eternal life begins when a relationship with God, through dying with Jesus Christ, is forged. Verse 24 is effectively a link between the death of Jesus and the death to self of the believer. The dual application, to Jesus Himself and to any would-be follower, is deliberate:

“… Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

Jesus not only announced His Own death. He is also informing the rest of us that a commitment to Him is no half-hearted matter. Jesus can give new life, and His power to do so was proven when He walked out of a grave two thousand years ago. The shameful deletion to the Gospel as it is so often presented today is this: No death, no life. To take hold of the resurrection life of Christ, a kernel of wheat must fall to the ground and die.