Most of us are familiar with left or right brain dominance. Those with left-brain dominance are supposed to be more analytical, while those with right-brain dominance are more creative.
Art is defined as a creative skill or ability, and science is knowledge about something or the study of a subject. We typically see art and science as opposites, just like left or right brain dominance.
And by the way, what about the idea of left or right brain dominance? It turns out to be more myth than fact. So, maybe art and science aren’t so opposite. Perhaps we need to see how art and science blend more than pitting one against the other.
When looking at the art of dying to self, it’s helpful to consider the convergence of art and science. How does this apply? Dying to self requires an understanding of the truth (knowledge) and some skill or ability (art) to put the truth into action.
It isn’t enough to know the truth. We need to act on it or apply it in a useful way. But it’s not all about actions because our actions need to be grounded in truth to be useful. This may seem overly simplified, but hang with me on this.
We need to understand the truth of what Jesus says about following Him. This is what I’m calling the art of dying to self. It requires us to commit to putting the truth we understand into action in daily life.
If we focus on one above the other, we may appear to be following Jesus but be more on a path of self-improvement than self-denial. That would lead to self-righteousness. We see this in people who try to do good in every way. In Christian circles, this is called works-based righteousness, which leads to self-righteousness.
Buddhism and similar religions and philosophies focus on self-enlightenment. This tends to isolate a person as they pursue a deeper sense of spirituality. This is known as asceticism or monasticism.
One person may stand out from the crowd because of their goodness. At the same time, a seemingly more spiritual focus requires isolation from the people around them. Neither focus is what Jesus calls us to, which is self-denial and dying to self.
Whose Mission Are We On?
What about those committed to following Jesus, His example, and obeying His commandments? Today, perhaps more than ever, many believers are committed to being on mission. But whose mission are they on?
A focus on social justice and doing acts of kindness can be a good thing. This focus may range from anti-abortion ministry or freeing people from sex trafficking to digging wells in remote areas. All of these are good and needed, but not the essence of the Great Commission that Jesus gave the church.
Is there anything wrong with these things? Not at all! But the question is, is it the Lord’s mission each person is carrying out, or their personalized version of it?
A more traditional Christian mission is to focus on learning Scripture truth and sharing what they know through evangelism. This is more in line with the Great Commission found at the end of the Gospels of Matthew (28:18-20) and Mark (16:15-20).
But, it does not need to be one mission focus or the other. My wife and I served as missionaries overseas for many years. We saw a dichotomy of mission interests on the part of people serving on the mission field and when visiting churches while on furloughs.
It was as if a focus on evangelism or church planting was more important than what we might call a “mercy’ mission focus. As I read through the Gospels, Jesus didn’t make this distinction. It was more of an “all of the above” focus (Matthew 4:23-25).
What’s missing from just focusing on either goodness or truth? Grace. God’s grace! It’s not an either-or pursuit, nor trying to do both well. That’s more of an external focus where the onus is on us to do. This leads to an emphasis on moralism—being good.
The art of dying to self is an internal work rather than an external one. Not the work of the person denying and dying to self, but the work of God’s Spirit within a believer. This requires followers of Jesus to surrender their own will to Jesus. This is the essence of self-denial and dying to self.
Here are two other reworded versions of the statement of Jesus in Matthew 16:24, where He says, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24 NLT)
“Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. (Matt 16:24 MSG)
Surrender, not Self-Discipline
Self-denial is not about self-discipline. Self-discipline can easily lead to more self-focus. A popular quote, often attributed to CS Lewis, goes like this: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” (from Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life)
Self-denial and dying to self (taking up our cross) is a work of spiritual transformation. It is cooperative work with the Spirit of God, and we must surrender our self-will to Jesus. But, it is still the work of God’s Spirit in us by grace.
Paul said it this way—
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)
We see an illustration of the art of dying with Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:33-44). Jesus goes to the Father in prayer three times, and each time, He asks the Father if there’s another way but His death on the cross. Each time, Jesus surrenders His will to the Father.
This is a day-to-day commitment, not a once-and-done decision. Is it an easy commitment? No. It may seem easy to make at the moment, but it’s tough to keep doing it consistently. I know this from decades of experience. The struggle to continue in this commitment each day, throughout a day, is real.
This is where God’s grace comes in and must stay as a priority and key to keeping this commitment. Because of His grace, which tenderly humbles us, the Holy Spirit empowers believers to surrender their will and follow Jesus.
He doesn’t ask us to do what is impossible. He’s shown us the way to do it. Now, it’s up to each of us to choose the way that leads to real life and to keep choosing it each day, regardless of our doubts, fears, or failures. Jesus asks us to entrust our whole life to Him.
Jesus calls us to surrender our lives to Him so we can follow Him. Will you trust Him with your whole life?
[This is a follow-up to an earlier post titled The Art of Dying.]
