What does it mean to ‘die to self’?
Discussion question for June 18, 2010.
Last week we talked about testing for the true motive for performance, whether something is done out of love or self-interest. Paul writes that we are to “die to self” and to live for Christ. How can we do that in 2010? What does it mean to our co-workers, family, community? How does the role of leadership and responsibility fit with this? What are some practical ways to ascertain true motive?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
The Apostle Paul says that we should die to self daily, by which we understand this is a process that we engage in and continue to do. We know our motives, usually after the fact, by testing and questioning the purpose for our action. Conviction comes by the Holy Spirit, convincing us of our sin. Accusation comes from the enemy, blaming us for our sin. In either event, we can gain knowledge about our true motive and then choose to die to self-centered ones.
Dying to self means to become a “God pleaser” instead of a self pleaser or people pleaser. In 2 Corinthians 4:10-12 it says that the reason to die to self is that Jesus will live within you. It’s as if that is necessary to make room (a way) for Him to become evident to others through the physical realm. Even so, it requires spiritual eyes to see Him.
It’s not just a matter of what you do, by why you do it that determines if you have died to self. Living for Jesus and / or living for others could be measured by what you expect to get out of it. If you behave morally so that you avoid punishment in hell, that is self-motivated. If you behave morally so that others see the true nature of God, that is dying to self and living for God.
On a very practical level, we can ask our spouse to ascertain our motive. Often they have a more objective view of our behavior and personality and can give an honest answer about why we’re doing a particular thing. With practice and diligence, we believe that the testing of our motive becomes finer and finer tuned as our nature is conformed to the image of Christ.