July 12, 2025

Alive and Dead at the same time…

At lunch with Christian friends, we discussed the value system of the world, particular some who are often in the news, and the difference between what they want out of life and what we want. Well, most of the time.

That difference mainly amounts to our realization that we “can’t take it with us” so most of what is important to many, like money, power, and fame, is not important to us. Well, most of the time.

This is because of a truth Jesus stated in verses like this one:
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. 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 12:24–26)
Piper puts it this way: “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. . . .  when I am dead, I will not care what they do with my body. It will make no difference to me. I will be home with Jesus. That’s the way it is now, too, if I have died already with Christ, which all Christians have: ‘Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires’ (Galatians 5:24). Crucified means dead. So in a profound sense I am dead on the earth and my life is ‘hidden with Christ in God’ (Colossians 3:3). So it just doesn’t matter what happens to me here on earth.

However, most of us can say what a young missionary once said: “My problem is that a living sacrifice keeps crawling off the altar.” We so easily forget that we are dead, that is, our old nature is separated from God, cannot bear fruit, and is useless. The world and the Liar cannot make appeals to our new nature, but both will attack and mess with that old dead one. It seems odd that dead listens to other dead entities. Our lunch discussion included personal examples of  this battle.

Piper IDs it by pointing out that we are to “hate this life in this world” at least in the sense that we don’t give it much thought or care what happens to us. It doesn’t matter because we are dead to it… like a dead person is not concerned about possessions, being lied about, being famous, having much or little, and so on. 

Instead, our concern is to follow Jesus. And we do, most of the time. When do we crawl off the altar or come down from that cross? I get side-tracked by ordinary stuff. One friend shared how she tends to second-guess what God tells her to do. Another says, “I just want things to go smoothly.” We have I-trouble and our ears sometimes do not hear that still, small voice. Short term memory loss? 
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:11–13)
Excuses aside, it is a choice. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). “Like a grain of wheat, fall into the ground and die.” Choose it. “Hate your life in this world.”

The result is much fruit. Paul said, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things” (Philippians 3:8). Most of us know what that means. Yet many are not happy with the idea of suffering loss. This is what makes me less fruitful than Paul. Not that I live in a different era, or place, or am a woman, or need to take care of my home and family. The real reason is that I-trouble.

PRAY: Jesus, this is a sharp reminder that life is short and if any of it will have eternal value, it will not come from the dead old me, only from the new life that exists and is empowered because of You. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.” (Romans 8:7) Make that distinction between dead to sin and alive to You even sharper, and remind me often. I need it, not just most of the time, but all of the time.


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