The Root of Self

To die to self is, in experience, deeper and more advanced than to die to sin. The children of God usually pay much attention to overcoming sin. They have suffered much in sin. They know how their regenerated life grieves over sinning. They have tasted the bitterness and sinfulness of sin. Naturally, at times like this, their greatest desire and interest is indeed to overcome sin in order that they will no longer be in bondage to it. So that after they receive the light of their co-death with Christ, they will reckon themselves as dead by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus allowing the Spirit to manifest the accomplished work of the cross upon their lives.

Yet just here lies a great danger; they may be inclined to consider this overcoming experience to be the highest life, as though there is nothing more to be added. Because they pay such a great amount of attention to their sin, they feel contented once sin is overcome. Now we should in fact pay attention to our sins. Believers should not be careless about them. Overcoming sin is the foundation of all righteousness, and it is the turning point of the Christian life. We certainly cannot expect to make any progress in spiritual life if sin still reigns over us. But this does not mean that after overcoming sin we can circumscribe its boundary and thereafter stay put. We ought to understand that this is but the first step in the renewal of redeemed sinners. The future is quite boundless. Let us not conclude that there is no more advancement. For after overcoming sin, the believer is faced with yet another problem: how to overcome "self."

Believers often misinterpret the real meaning of "self." Some combine "self" and "sin" together into one. They think "self" is the sin factor which must die. Of course, self and sin are unquestionably associated in many ways; nonetheless, self is not sin. Believers use self-measurement to measure all their outward actions. Whatever they deem to be wrong, they condemn it as sin. Such self, being in their minds the sin factor, ought, they believe, to be crucified. They do not realize, however, that though self is evil, it is not altogether evil. What issues from the sin factor is doubtless all sinful, corrupted and defiled. When the sin factor manifests itself through self, naturally there is no good. Even so, what sometimes issues from self is, according to human eyes, fairly good, decent, moral and righteous. If we use our measurement of sin to measure self, we will no doubt get rid of the evil part and retain what to men’s eyes is the good part. This is because believers do not know the root of self—that it can issue forth in what men consider to be good as well as in what men consider to be evil. And thus they will dwell within the realm of "self" and fail to enjoy the full and abundant life of God. How subtle is Satan who always tries to hide this fact from believers and keep them in darkness, causing them to be contented with their sin-overcoming experience but not to seek as well the higher experience of overcoming self.