Self Death

 

There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Ex 3:14} and says, 'I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me" {Isa 45:5} 

Norman Grubb ~ No Independent Self 

I overheard a radio pastor mention the words of Jesus to Nicodemus we find in John 3 this week.  Then the padre mentioned something else, the act of dying to ourselves.  Now, I've heard this phrase tossed around in Christian circles many times before, but for different reasons.  For to die to ourselves in the modern Christian theology means that we forsake that which is of this world to follow Jesus.  Of course, this thinking does not address the fact that we, as God's children, have nothing which we can refer to as "ourself."  We have never been removed or independent from God that we should refer to ourselves as our own independent self.  As the author Norman Grubb puts it, there is but one self in the universe, and He is the I AM, the One and only God.  To think anything else is to simply not understand who it is that we are in the big scheme of things.  To proclaim that we exist as "self" means that we are independent of the God who created us.  How is that at all possible?  How is it that we who He created in His likeness could be independent of Him?  Yet this continues to be the theology preached within the halls of the mainstream church.  We are our own self.  We need to "come to Jesus."  We need to forsake this world.  It all sounds ok, but it's based upon the lie of the deceiver spoken in the garden.  It is Satan who proclaimed to Adam and Eve that were they to eat of the fruit which God had forbidden, that they would indeed "Be like God" {Genesis 3:1-7}.  Of course, having been created in the Fathers likeness, they were already like God.  This was the beginning of the human "Self" as we know it.  

Jesus answered and said to him, "Verily, verily, I am saying to you, if anyone should not be begotten anew, he cannot perceive the kingdom of God."

Johns Account 3: 3, Concordant New Testament 

Nicodemus could not understand what Jesus was speaking to him when he spoke of being "Born again."  To him, this meant something which seemed impossible in his earthly understanding, for someone to once again be born again from their mother's womb {Johns Account 3:4}.  In our current Christian language, we speak of being "Born again" as being the beginning of our journey unto Jesus.  Again, we have never been separated from Him.  For all things were created for and through Jesus {Johns Account 1:3}.  Jesus has been from the beginning with God {Johns Account 1:1-2}.  The issue has always been that we have failed to recognize who we are in Christ.  The apostle Paul speaks to those who know Jesus having crucified their own flesh {Paul to the Galatians 5:24}.  However, Paul also speaks to Christ living in us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}.  And why not, hasn't Jesus been a part of us from the beginning?  We're not the only ones who have had difficulty discerning this truth of Christ Jesus.  Paul speaks to this being "Secret among the nations."  That is, our own expectation of the glory of Christ {Paul to the Colossians 1:27}.  Even in Paul's day, there were many who did not comprehend the truth of Christ.  That truth which Jesus is speaking to our spirit is that we are forever a part of He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}.  We have no need to die unto ourselves.  What we need to do is realize who it is that we are in Christ. 

~Scott~