Becoming a Christian requires you to die. Jesus came to this world because God wanted you to live with him forever. He offers eternal life. The perfect God wants the imperfect man to live with Him forever. He made that possible by letting Jesus die for all the things we did that were unlike God. Jesus came here to die for you, so you could live.

But to do that requires you to die with him. Jesus often talked about losing one's life to find it. He used illustrations of seeds dying to produce life. Paul, one of the early followers of Jesus, talks of being crucified with Jesus. The response to Jesus of being immersed in water is referred to as being "baptized into his death."

So if we as Christians have ever left the impression that following Jesus is anything short of dying to yourself so that you can live ... then we are sorry. It is the ultimate commitment — just as Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. So following Jesus is not really about us. It is about him. We surrender, give up our lives, and die with him. All so we can live. Forever.

I was crucified. It changed my life.

Maybe that even explains why some who would call themselves Christians do not live much differently than the world. It is because they never died. So the decision to be baptized into Jesus is not an act you do. It is not a step you take. It is not a doctrine you believe. It is a death you die.

If you would like to visit more about dying to live ... write me at steve@hopeforlife.org. Or join our blog discussion at www.hopeforlife.org.

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Are you presently experiencing a new life? God's word says, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new life is a free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ. If you want to know more about this life that only Jesus can give you, sign up for one of our Bible courses. Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. You may also contact us at info@hopeforlife.org if you have questions about becoming a new creation.

 

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© 2009 Herald of Truth Ministries

Title: "Are You Ready to Die?"
Author: Steve Ridgell
Publication Date: July 22, 2009

Surprised By Hope: Rethinking Heaven, The Resurrection, and The Mission of the Church by N. T. Wright Wright convincingly argues that what we believe about life after death directly affects what we believe about life before death.

Steve Ridgell serves as the Director of Ministry for Herald of Truth Ministries in Abilene, Texas and writes for Hopeforlife.org. You can reach him by writing to sridgell@heraldoftruth.org.

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