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.
Romans 6:6,7
If you are going to be a Christian, the death of Me is certain. It is impossible to truly follow a self-denying Christ without first engaging in the denial of self. The term “self-denial” is too often mistaken to mean self-control—simply reining in our will, desires and dreams by some higher element of our being. That, however, is not at all what Jesus meant. We are to live as He did, treating self as nonexistent. He never meant for us to merely control self—but to die to self.
The death of Me will be painful. Crucifixion hurts. Since we cannot nail ourselves to the Cross, we find the deed is greatly accomplished by others, and most often, publicly. Regardless, like Paul, we too must die daily and quit allowing Me to crawl off the cross!
Take heart! The death of Me will be rewarding. Jesus, our self-denying role model, promised life “more abundantly” (John 10:10) to those who experience the death of Me. There is not only reward here on earth but eternal reward as well: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:25).
Concerning the resurrection of our “old man,” the Holy Spirit is faithful to check for a pulse. He will tell us if there are signs of life, and where they are. It is then up to us to take action and bring about the death of Me, “for he that is dead is freed from sin”!
Leviticus 11-12; Psalms 13-14;
Proverbs 26; 1 Thessalonians 5