The Idolatry of Self
Paul tells us in Rom 8:12-13, “ So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. The Greek word for flesh here is sarx which means, “the body as apposed to the soul, or as the symbol of what is external, or as the means of kindred, or (by implication) human nature (with its frailties [physically or morally] and passions), or (specifically) a human being.”
Now I will tell you the truth, growing up I always thought that “flesh” referred to sins related to lust. That was somewhat easier to keep a handle on. As one looks at the biblical usage of flesh it becomes evident that the meaning here is much broader.
The New Testament usage of flesh relates to all things done out of our humanness rather that out of Spirit. This is a theological truth that has tremendous ramifications as to how we view our life and our actions in it.
If you stop and think about this it makes sense. This basically describes the nature of fallen man (Chapter 1), which is always referred to as carnal versus spiritual. This is the constant spiritual battle that we fight throughout our Christian lives (Sanctification-Chapter 3). This dichotomy is clearly set out in the scripture and is referred to as law vs. grace, the world vs. the kingdom of God, sin vs. justification, self- righteousness vs. meekness, doubt vs. faith, self vs. service, and so on and so on.
What is important about this definition is it tells us that we are constantly prone to fall into our human nature which it to focus on ourselves, what we want and think we need. This is the mistake Adam made in the garden and the mistake we continually make today. If we live our lives out of our humanness we cannot achieve the spiritual life we desire. Left to ourselves we cannot achieve happiness, peace, joy, and experience the fullness of Gods love. Gal 2:20 tells us this, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that (life) which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, (the faith) which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.”
The reason this is so important to our Christian walk is that as long as I am the center of my life then there is no place for Christ. Unchecked, we have a tendency to live in this world, falling prey to our humanness which brings with it the trials and tribulations of materialism, greed, insecurity, pettiness, stress, depression, etc. Pretty much everything listed in Gal 5:19-21.
One of the things that make this so difficult is that we can become self- centered without even knowing it. It is our nature! Many times we do not realize that we have seized control of our own lives and are not open to God’s will. It is easy to start controlling our lives; it comes naturally. We are not bad people; we do not intend to hinder our relationship with God. Without knowing it we have become “self-centered Christians” which is a subtle process that leads to spiritual frustration and separation from God. This natural yet subtle shift from God to self changes everything. The self-centered, self-adsorbed person becomes the center of his or her life: taking versus giving.
How significant is this subtle change in a person’s view of life you ask? It can be huge. In Matthew 22:36-40 Christ tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart and soul and love you neighbor as yourself. Both of these require that we think of another before ourselves. Something the self-centered person does not do. It is the difference between serving ourselves and serving Christ!
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