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Are you still shaping your life or are you already dying?

We are currently living in a time of increasing individualization. Everything is being tailored to individual desires. Everyone is trying to make everything as perfect as possible – for themselves. Our smartphones are precisely customized to us. With just a few clicks, we can select some features and deselect others. Everything can be configured and adjusted. Even faith in Jesus is being affected by this trend.

We are in danger of piecing together our own faith. We emphasize the statements in the Bible that we agree with and try to avoid those we don't like to hear. This creates tension. On the one hand, there are true disciples of Jesus—on the other, false followers who construct their own faith. Jesus frequently called disciples to follow Him. He always made clear what discipleship means. In Luke 9:23, He says, " He said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me .'"

Self-denial means self-abandonment, that is, turning away from ourselves. In simple terms: Our ego must die! Carrying the cross expresses the same thing: death! Someone who carried their cross was condemned to death. They carried their own instrument of death to the place of execution. They were to be tortured and killed on this instrument. The cross torments and leads to death.

Jesus' claim on us

Jesus didn't want just any disciples who followed him like fans. He wanted people with committed hearts who wanted to live as he did and imitate his life. Disciples who would continue his mission on earth. Followers who would bring his truth and love to others. He knew: this life means renouncing one's own desires and needs. It is the prerequisite for true discipleship, namely, a true life with Jesus.

The Lord is still seeking the same kind of people today. He says of Himself, He came “ to seek and to save the lost ” (Luke 19:10). Christ was always among those in need; in the midst of crowds, He saw the individual who required help. He gave them His time. He gave them His ears to listen. He gave them His eyes to see more clearly. He gave them His heart to truly help. Even those who disregarded His word He loved. He still seeks these people today and invites them to die. Indeed, Jesus makes it unmistakably clear that without self-denial, discipleship is simply impossible! He declares taking up one's cross as a condition for discipleship.

 

Jesus, a role model for us

Death is necessary to bear fruit. He Himself gave the greatest example of this in self-denial. He carried the cross, was tortured, and finally died. Philippians 2 describes what Jesus did to save us. He left behind the glory of heaven. He did not greedily cling to the form and existence of Almighty God, but relinquished all of that. We must remember that He is worshipped day and night—unceasingly! Angels and heavenly beings worship Him and constantly cry out, "Holy, holy, holy!" Before Him, everything in heaven bows down, and in appearances on earth in the Old Testament, people fell down in fear before Him. They were awestruck by His holiness and were paralyzed and powerless by the glory of God. The Lord gave this up, only to be shamed and spat upon by His own creation in the end.

The Gospels describe what Jesus' life as a human being was like. They leave no doubt that He was human. He was subject to all the laws of human existence, just as we are. He, who knew no want, was now subject to all forms of want: hunger, thirst, sleep, fatigue, sickness, temptations, difficulties, learning, and work. He was obedient to all human authorities.

Isaiah 53 finally presents us with the culmination of His self-sacrifice. What is remarkable about this is that His self-sacrifice quite literally involves us humans in His suffering. At the heart of the chapter, we are introduced to the cause of this suffering: our transgressions and our misdeeds, indeed our guilt, led Him to endure it. Jesus was despised and forsaken by the people. He was the man who was familiar with pain and suffering. He was despised so much that they didn't even want to look at Him anymore. His appearance was so horribly disfigured, hardly recognizable as human. He was not only forsaken by the people, for in His deepest suffering, He cried out in His agony to the last person who still stood by Him: “ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ” (Mark 15:34). He bore our sicknesses and felt our pain there. Pierced and crushed. He endured the punishment we deserved because of our deeds.

Jesus atoned for our sins and was abused by His own creation. While the full horror of our sinful nature lay upon His body, the Father turned away from Him, who, despite not having committed a single sin and showing complete obedience to us, had become sin itself. Instead of helping Him, it was His will to crush Him and cause Him, the only begotten Son, to suffer. Jesus offered His life as a sacrifice for our sins and poured out His soul into death, into abandonment by God. No one can ever adequately describe what happened during those six hours on the cross. In those seemingly brief six hours lies the salvation of all humanity.

Grace through self-denial

Jesus shows us what it means to deny ourselves. His self-denial brought us saving grace. Self-denial wasn't an option God could simply choose to reject. Self-surrender was the only way to save you and me.

When we see this example, can we still believe that self-denial isn't so important? Self-denial—I can simply opt out of this area. Think about it. Be still for a few minutes. Do I live a life of self-denial and take up my cross every day?

If this is not the case, remember the One who gave Himself up so that you might be saved. You will one day stand before Him and see His wounds and have to answer for your life. You know the truth of self-denial; don't suppress it! With it comes true life with and for God. Isn't He worthy of giving up everything? Precisely where the Spirit points, simply surrender and give yourself up. He is the only one for whom it is worth living. It is glorious to be able to serve Him through a life of renunciation, to sacrifice your own time and energy to magnify His name. Self-denial brings many sacrifices and much renunciation. But that is not the end! Just as Jesus' humiliation brought us grace, so too does our self-denial bring Him glory and grace to others. We can serve others because we ourselves are no longer the focus. God's glory and love for our neighbor become our goal. As Jesus said: “ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me ” (Mt 25:40).

Fabian Kebernik

Municipality of Stapelage