Surrender & Dying to Self
November 1st, 2005
Continuing, we find that the Mind of Christ has at it's core, the relinquishment of self: not the enthronement or building of self-concern and fulfillment, and conversely, not the degradation of self, or despondency or hatred, but RELINQUISHMENT---that is the 'dying to self' spoken of in scripture.
The first point of a new life in mind occurs at Golgotha: each person brought to Life in Christ begins at Golgotha: an emptying sky turned black, a Messiah-King whose followers thought would bring deliverance, but instead was for the moment, dying on a cross: an unthinkable death for a King of Israel. His suffering was immense, his countenance torn and beaten, and yet in all the scourging they failed to break a bone of the Lamb for sacrifice.
After healings, commanding the elements, raising four persons from the dead, and the Words of Life which had been lost in Israel, Roman soldiers treated him to the death of a rebel slave: an impalement upon a cross for the great crime of being the King of Heaven: enough to see, enough to fear, and enough to violently turn on. Most on that dreadful afternoon could only see the death of a Redeemer ,only a suffering soul, even though He had repeatedly told them of his course and purpose. Unbelief looking towards belief starts here.
Belief is different than a mere 'cognition' or knowledge or 'acknowledgement' of a fact or observation. (to be continued).
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