Dying to Live

The Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ is a great mystery. The Christian life is a paradox.  To help us better understand the term paradox let us first look at the word oxymoron. An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms. Literary oxymorons are crafted to reveal a paradox. Here are few examples of oxymorons: Why is a "wise man" and “wise guy” opposites? Why are stadium seats or bleachers called “stands" when they are made for sitting? Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway? In food we have “jumbo shrimp”. Or how about these: A fine mess, act naturally, agree to disagree, all alone, almost done, almost ready, clearly misunderstood, everything except, minor catastrophe, near miss, new and improved, same difference, terribly pleased, tight slacks, and pretty ugly!

The dictionary defines a paradox as a “seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition.” Here are a few examples of paradoxes in the Bible: “the first will be last”. The Bible says we are to “give to receive”. In James 1:2 it says “count it all joy when facing trials of many kinds.”  God who is creator of all things created this principle: something must die to live. In nature, the death of a seed gives new life. "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds" (John 12:24).

Also in nature we have the butterfly. The butterfly goes through four stages: from egg to the larva or better known as the caterpillar. The Caterpillar then forms a protection shield called the Pupa when it has finished growing. This stage is very much like a death. The caterpillar creates a type of tomb or vessel surrounding itself. Interestingly most of the transformation takes place in side Pupa. From there it is reborn as a butterfly. Just as in the principal of the transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly, God takes us where we were, works on us where we are at, and puts us on a path with purpose and meaning.

The most relevant paradox is then, when in death, life and growth is revealed. Jesus' death on the cross gave us life. "We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake so His life may be revealed in our mortal body." (2 Corinthians 4:11-12).

When Jesus extended us an invitation to experience salvation and a relationship with Him, it came with a great cost, our very lives: death of our old nature so that He might live through us. And it will result in an eternal reward that far exceeds any earthly reward. Yet what we don't realize is that until we relinquish our total lives, we really aren't living at all. Without this death we will continue to strive, manipulate, fret and worry over every detail of life. It is only when we finally say, "Yes, Lord, I am completely yours," that we experience real freedom and life for the first time. This is the only time when Christ is fully seen in and through our lives. Christ describes our lives as vessels: vessels for Him to be revealed in and seen by others.

Just as a seed when fully developed produces fruit, the evidence of the life in Jesus in us is what Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22 concerning the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To understand how to “die is to live” requires faith in a God who operates from a different set of values that are sometimes difficult for you and me to measure from our human standards and point of view. How is your vessel today? Or like the caterpillar, your Pupa? When people look inside, will they see a life that is dead to all things natural and being transformed supernaturally to the very likeness of Christ?

Every day we are faced with challenges that seek to instill fear and control at every turn, but Christ says He wants to live through your life. He wants to reveal Himself to those whom you are in contact with. However, He can only do this if we are willing to die to our own self. Let death work in you a life that only God can raise up. Ask Jesus what things must die in you today in order for Him to live completely in and through you.