It's not about us...but it is. Part 3: Self redefined

I suppose, then, if you define self as the "flesh," then it's somewhat accurate to say "it's not about us," but please, please, please, in view of the price paid to rid you of that old identity, stop gaining your sense of self from the dead shell of your former life. Remember Who is now your Life, your All in All, and the One in whom you live, move and have your being. Knowing this, that your life is Him in you, there is no need to distinguish between yourself and the One who lives in you.

Again, as believers in Jesus, we are joined into one spirit with God. There is no place to deny self any longer except to recognize the finished work of the cross in regards to that old, sinful nature and to deny it power and place in our life and identity, and choose to walk in the new life of Spirit. The true self is the new creation, created, as Ephesians 4 says, "after the pattern of God, in true righteousness and holiness."

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I find that one of the toughest obstacles to teaching believers who they are is a fear of becoming self-centered, especially for those raised in church. After all, Jesus said to deny yourself, right? The truth is, however, that as we learn more about the new creation God made us to be, the need to look out for number one fades further and further into insignificance.

Sure, my flesh is still idiotically selfish, but that's not who I am anymore, and I don't have to live according to its pattern. Walking in the Spirit is key to all of this, and the spirit, joined with God's Spirit as one, (1 Cor 6:17) is completely convinced of its security, and therefore completely free of selfishness. When walking in the Spirit, good stuff just happens automatically, just as sin happens automatically when walking in the flesh.

Most Christians seem to define self as the flesh, the natural part of us, the one measured by behavior, evaluated on the basis of its obedience and conformity to the demands of Scripture. That is the self Jesus meant for us to deny--the old self. However, for a believer in Jesus to define self as flesh is to take a false identity, one that Jesus paid dearly to free us from.

Jesus’ statement in Luke 9:23 was not about discipline, but about death. He was speaking of the new covenant in His own blood that was to come, in which He would exchange His life for ours. The death He spoke of was His to experience in the physical realm, but ours to participate in by faith.

Our death by faith, however, is no less real. Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ," signifying the death of the old self, and, "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me," making it unquestionably clear that participation in this death by faith is both radical and permanent—a literal exchange of life. The self most of us still cling to for our identity is in fact dead.

Taking up our cross daily is not about discipline, either, but about remembrance. Paul said in Romans 6 to "count" ourselves dead to sin. That word "count" is an accounting term that means to keep proper records so that you don't spend money you don't have. In other words, there's no money in your flesh account--it's dead and broke, a clue as to why it performs so poorly.

I suppose, then, if you define self as the "flesh," then it's somewhat accurate to say "it's not about us," but please, please, please, in view of the price paid to rid you of that old identity, stop gaining your sense of self from the dead shell of your former life. Remember Who is now your Life, your All in All, and the One in whom you live, move and have your being. Knowing this, that your life is Him in you, there is no need to distinguish between yourself and the One who lives in you.

Again, as believers in Jesus, we are joined into one spirit with God. There is no place to deny self any longer except to recognize the finished work of the cross in regards to that old, sinful nature and to deny it power and place in our life and identity, and choose to walk in the new life of Spirit. The true self is the new creation, created, as Ephesians 4 says, "after the pattern of God, in true righteousness and holiness."

The issue is not choosing God over self, but choosing the new self over the old. This is the high calling in Christ Jesus, to live in concert with God, breathing and moving in Him, and casting off the religious idea of separation from Him. Remember, you are a new creation, so don't tolerate terminology or teaching that causes you to see yourself as who you used to be.