Living by Dying

Giving Life to Others

It is fascinating how nature reveals the law of life in everything that exists. A tiny, rounded seed with a smooth surface falls onto the ground of an expansive field. Days pass, and suddenly the seed begins to open from the middle. A small sprout emerges—life has just begun. The seed doesn’t retain its original shape; however, it cracks, allowing the new sprout to grow from within. Tender roots start to grow toward the soil, which will generously share its nutrients, and eventually the solid layer of the seed is shed. The original seed no longer exists, but now we have a new seedling that in the future will produce, for example, multiple oranges or other fruits.

Another, and perhaps not the most pleasant, illustration is matriphagy. This term refers to the process in which a mother sacrifices her life for the consumption of her offspring. This behavior is observed in several insect species, including the desert velvet spider. After one to two weeks the mother prepares her body internally and dies, allowing herself to be consumed by the spiderlings.[1] This provides the small creatures with enough nutrients to survive and ensure the continuation of the species.

These two instances are carried out differently, but both reflect the same principle: dying to self is necessary to give life to others. There is no other way—no halfway, no partial death; it’s all or nothing. Jesus didn’t die partially; He gave everything for us, serving as our greatest example and bringing the simple lessons from nature into practice.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:15: “And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” What a statement! Paul declared that Jesus died for the salvation of all of us. In response, something else is required of us: we must no longer live for ourselves. But what does that mean?

The opposite of living for ourselves is living for others—something that is not possible as long as the sinful nature is not subdued by the Spirit. Paul knew this struggle well (see Romans 7-8). If both natures are fighting for control over our lives, others-centeredness is impossible. One nature must die.

In John 12:24 Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

Living a life devoted exclusively to self-pleasure might bring us a sense of well-being for a time, but when loneliness strikes and our final days on this earth are numbered, it will have all been in vain. When we consistently give ourselves to others, however, life is brought to many souls who hunger for the truth.

The duty is to live—and even to die, if necessary—for the benefit of our brethren. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16)

Would you be willing to give your life for the person who sits next to you in church, even though you share no blood relationship? Or for the brother with whom you recently had a disagreement?

Certainly this is one of the most challenging tasks God has given us—especially if we try to do it on our own. We were called to love, and the apex of love is the willingness to die for others. John 15:13 expresses it this way: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

What passes through your mind when you are going through a difficult time? Is it the comfort you once had? Is it the melancholic feeling of selfish entitlement to fleeting pleasures we believe we “deserve” for simply existing?

If our minds wander exclusively down those paths, our defeat is assured. But when our thoughts are centered on what is higher—Heaven’s designs—by God’s grace we become able to bear any hardship as well as sacrifice for His name’s sake.

Paul understood that, and that’s why his “deep concern [was] for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). He was not thinking about his own comfort. The perils, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, imprisonment, weariness, toil, cold, and nakedness became nothing compared to his greatest purpose—preaching Christ and Him crucified to bring spiritual life to his beloved brethren. Self was dead; only then was he able to love at that level.

Unselfish Love

The movie industry and novels have bombarded us with a distorted idea of what true love is. For every good act we perform, we expect something in return. Sometimes we even tend to believe that when we “love” our neighbor by helping them, it should bring us immediate rewards—and when we don’t receive those, we feel we should stop “loving” and give them what they deserve: indifference. This is selfishness.

That’s certainly not what Paul meant by how Christians should be when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

Being crucified with Christ brings about a radical transformation within us. The selfish old self must be left behind, hanging on the cross—allowing us to bring Christ into our new life of love. “This love is not an impulse, but a divine principle, a permanent power. The unconsecrated heart cannot originate or produce it. Only in the heart where Jesus reigns is it found.”[2]

I like the example of a child trying to use a singing teddy bear with low batteries. The teddy bear is there, standing; it’s not broken, and it looks nice from the outside. All the stuffing and internal cables are well connected. Everything looks normal. Suddenly the child presses the buttons, but nothing happens. No sounds, no movements. He presses again, and finally, a hoarse voice comes out of the toy and stops. What is lacking? Obviously the electrical energy from the batteries.

The solution is Jesus in us. Without this variable, the equation of love is unsolvable.

The very same thing happens to us. We are certainly not toys, but at times we may try as Christians to show love to others, but fail. We don’t move, and our words don’t convey a clear message about what we want to deliver to the people in need. We lack the power that comes from above.

The solution to this is Jesus in us. Without this variable the equation of love is unsolvable. He is the source from whom we should take to give to others. Thus, when He is reigning in our lives, He dares to instruct us, “Love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). He knows it is possible when He dwells in us.

The world is craving to see real love. A type of love shown by a willingness to sacrifice our personal interests to give those around us an opportunity to taste heaven. Ours is a great responsibility. The only ones able to accomplish it are God’s children, who, together with and through Him, can bring the light of unselfish love to shine with intensity, to prepare the world for our Savior’s second coming. Are we willing?

Willing to Die

When we find ourselves in a dangerous situation and our lives are at risk, our bodies trigger the fight-or-flight-or-freeze response. We react within one of these three categories based on factors such as past experiences and perceived ability to cope with danger. Our bodies are wired to stay alive no matter what. From the most diminutive cell to the different members of the body, they all perform their duties to continue living. Survival is the goal. In addition to dying to sinful self, we are also called to be willing to lay down our lives for others. How then do we come to a point where we are willing to go against everything that craves for survival, and become willing to give even our lives for others’ opportunity to receive salvation? This goes beyond our capacity. 

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

The source of all strength is the One who enables us to decide for good. It is not up to us to change our nature. He takes us as we are, and through His power we are transformed. Not our faces, nor our bodies, but our will. Our new and sanctified will has the Spirit-empowered capacity to recognize sin and walk away from it. Changed by God, one will then also be willing to lay down one’s life for others.

Ellen White puts it this way: “We cannot change our hearts, we cannot control our thoughts, our impulses, our affections. . . . But we can choose to serve God, we can give Him our will. . . . Thus our whole nature will be brought under the control of Christ.”[3]

It is by choosing, by His grace, to obey God every single day and moment that our human nature is subjugated. This nature will still be there, waiting for any small opportunity to resurface in a moment of anger or disappointment. Yet when we truly surrender our wills to God, nothing can separate us from Him. The connection between the sinner and the Redeemer stays unbreakable. His will becomes our will. And thus we have the mind of Christ. This is the mind we need. The mind of One who has strengthened mental faculties, clearness of perception, and who acts only by principle. 

It is only by having the mind of Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit, that we would then also be willing to die for others and for God’s name. This is what Christ did. He was completely emptied of self. He loved us—and still does—with the measure of eternity. He gave His life at the cross, thinking of us. Not everyone may be called to die as a martyr, but the willingness will be there among those who are surrendered to Jesus.

Eternal Life

In Christ self is dead. We are enabled to truly love. Our minds are transformed according to the mind of Christ. And we are willing and able to live and die for His name. And if we die, eternity awaits!

But this is just the beginning.

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt. 16:25)

It sounds like a paradox: the more we focus on our own comfort and safety, the more we distance ourselves from a saving experience. But when we engage in Spirit-empowered, others-centered sacrificial ministry, an eternal reward is promised.

Sacrificing, not living for self and even giving up our lives for others, has never been about showing others how “good” we are. The purpose has always been to honor God, care for His children and His church, and make our lives a living testimony of His love, His grace, and His mercy.

[1] The Tarantula Collective—Stegodyphus lineatus from https://www.thetarantulacollective.com/care-sheets-2/stegodyphus-lineatus

[2] Ellen G. White, The Act of the Apostles (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1911), p. 551.

[3] Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1905), p. 176.