I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being dead to self. As a believer, I put off the old and put on the new…the old man dies. I’ve been reading through Romans and in chapters 5-6 Paul is talking about how “…by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification for life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (5:18-19). Romans 5:20-6:1 go on to tell us that “…where sin abounded, grace did much more abound…Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? No.” In verse 2 of chapter 6 Paul asks the question, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” He explains his answer by asking another question, “Know he not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life…Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” It seems as though Paul wants to make sure that his readers know that “being dead with Christ” is not the end, because in verse 8 of chapter 6 he says, “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:…For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ or Lord.”
So the question could be raised, “What exactly does it mean to be dead to self?” A friend of mine gave me the following:
DYING TO SELF
When you are forgotten, or neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient loving silence, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any lack of punctuality or any annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility…and endure it as Jesus endured it, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy or question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstance, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
When you receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, THAT IS DYING TO SELF.
Obviously, the above is not inspired, but I do think that it is a pretty accurate description of “dying to self”. I would even venture to say that there is much more entailed in dying to self. The above just scrapes the surface, giving us a few meager examples of true “self-death”.
“That I may know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death.”—Philippians 3:10
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