In John 12:23-26, Jesus said, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abides alone, but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” This Scripture not only refers to the death and resurrection of Jesus Chris and the birth of the new creation, but it also refers to those, who have become a new creation in Christ. Only when the old creation dies, the new creation can arise from the death and bear much fruit. However, the process of dying to self aka dying to your flesh is not always easy. Dying to self is a painful process, but it is necessary. There are many Bible Scriptures about dying to the flesh. Therefore, let’s look at what the Bible says about the painful process known as dying.
Jesus had to die, to bring forth sons of God
Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour (John 12:23-26)
Jesus had to die, so that in Him, a new creation could be created; sons of God (this applies to both males and females), who have laid down their lives in water and are born of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus carried all the sins and iniquities of the world and by His blood, Jesus brought redemption to mankind and reconciled man back to God (Read also: What is baptism?).
After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, Jesus walked on earth for 40 days and then ascended to heaven.
When Jesus ascended to heaven and took place on the throne of grace (mercy seat) at the right hand of the Father, God gave His Holy Spirit and came into man, so that those, who had become a new creation would receive His nature and power and His laws would be written upon their hearts and they were able to walk as sons of God on earth (Read also: Walk in the dominion that God has given to the new creation).
Jesus had not only set the example of how to walk as a son of God, but He also sacrificed Himself and died for us. There was nothing more Jesus could do. Jesus gave Himself completely.
God has also given everything to mankind; first His law that revealed His will, then His Son and His Holy Spirit. God has given everything, there is nothing more God can do.
Now, it is all up to the new man, what the new man does with the inheritance he has received in Jesus Christ; the completeness in Christ through regeneration, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the power to become a son of God.
If you have become a new creation in Christ, then it’s up to you if you are willing to die to yourself and put off the works of the flesh or not.
I’m not talking about suicide of course. But I mean, laying down your old life as a sinner and killing the deeds of your flesh (the works of the flesh). Because the flesh can’t reign together with the spirit, and the spirit cannot reign with the flesh. One of them must die.
He that loves his life shall lose it and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal
Jesus says, that when you love your soulish life on earth and you live after the will, lusts and desires of the sinful flesh, that after you die (naturally), you shall lose your life
But when you don’t love your soulish life in the sinful flesh on earth and even hate it and lay it down, you shall inherit eternal life.
You shall be fed up with the life after the flesh that rebels against the will of God and shall put off the old man and shall walk in newness of life with Jesus.
This new life with Jesus starts here on earth and not after the natural death. Because then it may be too late (Read also: Why the new heaven and the new earth won’t come for many believers?)
On this earth, you make a choice to no longer live after the flesh but after the Spirit. When you lay down your flesh and your spirit is raised from the death, you shall not see the death.
The painful process known as dying
Dying is not nice, nobody wants to die. That’s because, dying doesn’t happen without pain. It can cause a lot of pain. But, when you look at the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you can’t separate the process of dying from the Gospel. Dying to self is part of the process, whether you want to or not (Read also: What does mortify your members which are upon the earth mean?).
If you don’t want to die to yourself, then it will be impossible to follow Jesus Christ. How can you walk after the Spirit in obedience to the Word if your flesh has dominion in your life and dictates you what to do.
It is also impossible to have eternal life, because how can you enter the kIngdom of God from the flesh? Flesh and blood can’t enter the Kingdom of God, but you must be born of water and of the Spirit (Read also: Why flesh and blood can’t enter the Kingdom of God?)
Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:5-6)
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:50)
There’s only one way and that’s Jesus Christ, who gives you the ability to become born again in the spirit and become a new creation When you become a new creation, you shall no longer walk after the flesh as a sinner, but you shall walk after the Spirit as a righteous son of God (Read also: Is there only one way to eternal life?).
Following Jesus will cost you your life
Only when you die to ‘self,’ you will be able to live in Christ. This life in Christ and following Him will cost you everything! It will cost you your life. But if you are willing to give up your own life; your will, your lusts, your desires, your feelings, your thinking, etc., only then shall you have eternal life.
He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal (John 12:25)
Through regeneration, Your spirit will become alive and will start reigning in your life, together with the Holy Spirit. Your spirit and the Holy Spirit shall become one and shall reign over your flesh. You shall walk after the Spirit and bear the fruit of the Spirit.
But, you can only bear the fruit of the Spirit, when your flesh; your ‘self’, has died and you walk after the Spirit and live according to His will and not according to your will (Read also: What if God’s will is not your will?).
Saying goodbye to your old habits
Dying hurts, because it not only means saying goodbye to your ‘self’ and your old habits, but it could also mean saying goodbye to your acquaintances, your friends, family, or….. (you name it)
Oftentimes, you may consider certain things in your lives as normal. You don’t see any harm in it, until you begin to read and study the Bible and through God’s Word get to know the will of God.
When you find out God’s will, then you won’t consider certain things as normal anymore, but you will remove them from your life, because they go against the will of God.
When you enter a dusky house, it may look clean, but when you turn on the light, only then you can see the dirt, spots, spider webs, clutter, etc.
It’s the same with the Word of God. The Word is the light, and when you begin to read it, the Word shall expose all the dirt and clutter in your life that you can clean up.
“But this is all so hard, I don’t know if I can do it”
Jesus never said, that dying was easy, but Jesus did say that it is necessary in order to receive eternal life.
The new creation can’t arise from the dead until the old creation has died
But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12,13)
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit( John 3:5,6)
The new creation can’t arise until the old creation has died. The death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead through regeneration in Christ is the only way to eternal life (Read also: Is there only one way to eternal life?).
How do you die to self?
You die to self, by crucifying the works of the flesh. By not giving in, to the desires and lusts of the flesh (which will lead you to sin) anymore, and by start doing the will of God.
When you begin to believe and live, by what the Word of God says, instead of what your senses tell you, you shall walk after the Spirit.
Renew your mind with the Word of God
You have to feed your spirit and starve your flesh. You can only feed your spirit and mature, by the Word of God. The Word of God is the only visible spiritual book, that is able to feed your spirit.
The Bible is Spirit, and with the Bible you shall renew your worldly thinking into godly thinking. You shall think and want, what God thinks, and wants; you shall become like Him.
When you talk about dying, fasting is also a part of this process. When people say, that they don’t need to fast anymore, then they believe the lie of the devil. Fasting and prayer should be part of the saint’s life.
As long as the flesh is not completely subjected to the Spirit, people need to fast. The problem is, that we have misused, or misinterpreted the term fasting, because of all the false doctrines and teachings about fasting.
Fasting is not meant, to get something from God, fasting is nothing more, than killing your flesh.
Jesus says the following:
Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither (Mat 9:14-17)
If you don’t put off the old man, you can’t put on the new man
If you don’t die and become born again in the spirit, you cannot apply the principles of the Gospel, and the inheritance of the Kingdom, into your life. Well, maybe you can apply it to your life, but it shall not ‘work’. Unless the devil empowers the people with his powers, in order to lead the people astray (Matthew 24:24)
The devil (the adversary of God) shall come as an angel of light, and he could even mislead the chosen ones (2 Corinthians 11:14).
How many people, prophecy out of the wrong source and have a fortune-telling spirit (from the devil) inside of them? How many wonders and manifestations do take place out of the wrong source, the devil?
How can you discern the works of the Spirit and the works of the devil?
By looking at their life and their walk. Look, if they walk like Jesus, or not. Do they walk like the world, or like the Word?
It happens often, that someone believes in Jesus, repents and becomes born again, but doesn’t die to the flesh and put off the old man. When a person, who is born again, stays carnal and doesn’t put off the old man, then after a few months or years, the person will stumble.
No matter how godly, God-fearing a person may look. If (s)he doesn’t kill the flesh, then he will eventually stumble and sin.
Follow Jesus
Almost everyone wants to heal the sick and walk in power, doing signs and wonders. But there are only a few, that are willing to die to ‘self’, lay down their life, and put off the old man.
Therefore, be a follower of Jesus Christ. Lay down your old life, so that you will die completely to ‘self’. Let Jesus; the Word reign in your heart, instead of you.
Only then you shall arise in newness, having God’s life in you, and walk as a new creation on this earth. He has given everything, but it’s up to you, what you decide.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
