Why Die?


In the previous page about The Day I Died I described what happened to me shortly after May 15, 1976, and the spiritual death which I experienced.  I also described the fruits of this spiritual death which appears, from my experience, to be a rarity among followers of Jesus Christ.

So, why should anyone want to share my experience of spiritual death?  A good questions, and I hope to provide you with good reasons.

First. if one wants to make the most of their life, I suggest that one should seek the Most High God for all the help one needs.

Second, I am convinced from the historical record that spiritual followers of Jesus Christ, also known as The Prince of Peace, is real, and is really the only Way to know the One True God as He said is:

Joh_14:6  Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 17:1  After Jesus had said this, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son may glorify you. For you have given him authority over all humanity so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.  And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent—Jesus the Messiah.

You may have noticed that I mentioned spiritual followers of Jesus Christ.  The is to distinguish them from carnal followers of Jesus, who are really only living for themselves rather than for God.  They are responsible for all the bad fruits which are associated with Christianity, including the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition for example.

Third, the real distinction between carnal and spiritual Christians is that spiritual Christians have been shown the truth about themselves, and have begun to hate their own lives as a result!  This hatred for our own lives is the most important key to wanting to die and be born again of the Spirit of God by receiving Jesus Christ into one's heart in unconditional surrender to God and His will for our life.

Jesus declared:

Luke14:26  "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can't be My disciple.

You wan clearly see that hating one's own life  is the keystone to becoming a real disciple of Jesus.  Many people hate everyone else including family members, but only those who truly hate their own lives for the proper reasons and turn to Jesus to become His disciple actually become His Disciples!

So, how does one tell true followers of Jesus and the One True God from everyone else?  By their fruits.

Mat 7:15  "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are savage wolves.
Mat 7:16  You will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren't gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they?
Mat 7:17  In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit.
Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit.
Mat 7:19  Every tree that doesn't produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire.
Mat 7:20  So by their fruit you will know them."
Mat 7:21  "Not everyone who keeps saying to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will get into the kingdom from heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn't we?'
Mat 7:23  Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil!'"

So, we see that it is better to bear good fruit than to bear rotten fruit.  And, if we are honest with ourselves, and compare ourselves to Jesus as God's standard of righteousness , we can only conclude that we fall far short of being Godly.  And if we are even more honest with ourselves, we can easily conclude that we will never become Godly by ourselves.

So, how does one become Godly?  Jesus gives the answer, of course:

Mat_3:10  The ax already lies against the roots of the trees. So every tree that isn't producing good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

What is this ax, and who is going to pick it up and apply it to the tree with rotten fruit?

May I suggest that God provides the 'ax' by giving His only begotten Son to die and be resurrected to life in order that we might claim His death and resurrection as our own death and resurrection.  I find this truth in the following verse from Paul's second epistle to the carnal Christians in Corinth:

2Co 5:15  He [Jesus] died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the One who died and rose for them.
2Co 5:15  He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

Most Christians, including their leaders, make the mistake of believing that this all happens automatically when the receive Jesus into their hearts.  But again, if they are honest with themselves, they will admit that they have not become perfect, or even very good disciples, until they come to unconditional surrender to God through conviction of sin and hatred for their lives leading to true faith into Jesus.

More later, Lord willing.