Dying is important to living

The big picture story in the Bible begins with creation, then the human fall into sin, then the determination of God to redeem and restore, eventually leading to the coming of Jesus Christ. The last chapter is when He arrives to live and die and rise again making redemption complete.

In the middle, God selects a people through whom the Savior will come and gives them commands that demonstrate what He is like and what humanity was supposed to be like without sin. These people could not keep the commands. The New Testament explains that was the point; His law shows that we cannot please God and we cannot save ourselves.

When Jesus arrives on the scene, He also selects a group of people, much smaller, who will take the good news of salvation from sin to the rest of the world. Among other things, this is what He tells them . . .

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15–17)

They already knew the challenge of obeying God’s commands, but before they could throw their hands in the air and protest their inability, Jesus presented the solution — another Helper, the Holy Spirit. He cannot be seen yet He can be known. He dwells with and in those who believe in and follow Christ.

The fact that I cannot ‘see’ Him can sometimes be troublesome. I don’t know for certain that He is with me other than Jesus said so. This puts faith at the core of being ‘filled with the Spirit.’ Even though there is other evidence, such as the fruit of the Spirit, I am called to love and obey God believing that the Holy Spirit will enable me to do so.

Tozer points out that the benefits of atonement are to be received by faith — a basic in redemptive theology. The Bible teaches that the Spirit is received through faith and we need to go forth in obedience by faith. Yet some of us have a problem because of our conception of faith.

Faith is believing God and not trusting myself. At first, I thought my skills were sufficient yet as time passes, I realize myself is not to be trusted! This is a key to walking by faith — realizing that the old life must not only be put off and the new put on, but that old life is dead.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

This death is a theological truth, but it is also a painful experience. Every time God shows me evidence of self-sufficiency, I’m humbled. Sometimes the process involves failure and shame. Death to self is a struggle and makes me realize the power of sin and pride. I don’t like dying, even though I know that surrender to God is always a good thing, always rewarded, always a blessing to others and to me.

The result of death to self is the ability to keep His commandments, but not without the Holy Spirit. This God who lives within me is the One who does the keeping, the obeying. In the process, I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The best part is that He produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He frees me from the law that says ‘you must do this’ because “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22-24)

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Jesus, You know how I can whine and complain when You bring something into my experience to help me die to self and live for You. Sometimes I need a divine kick in the rear for being such a wimp. Forgive me (again) and thank You for the Holy Spirit, invisible but totally able to enable me to die — and to live — by faith.