THE (SUBTLE) BATTLE WITH SELF
He died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Cor. 5:15, R.S.V.
It has been said truly that the battle against self is the most difficult battle the Christian must fight. But that battle is made more difficult because many do not understand the nature of the battle. Though it has a very overt level--the conflict against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--there is a much more subtle dimension, which has proved the downfall of many.
Many see it as a battle, indeed an unending struggle, against selfishness itself. In this battle I try to make myself stop doing selfish things, or even to stop thinking selfish thoughts. And when I fail to achieve as I know I ought, I am burdened with guilt.
But unless I know in my soul that God has pardoned and accepted me, I will find the questing after pardon to be the object of all my works, the focus of all my religion. My concern for what God thinks of me (rather than for what the world thinks of God) will be the flavor of my spiritual life. And thus self, rather than Jesus Christ, is the object of my attention.
This variation of the battle against self is so subtle because it sounds so pious. We can even report our progress in prayer meeting and make it the focus of endless private anguish. But that will only obscure the fact that "self" is still the reigning motivation in my life.
The only cure for this most basic of all forms of selfishness is fully to accept that God has indeed given that which I most deeply crave: His unconditional love, pardon, and acceptance. This gift is not a reward for my accomplishments but an outflowing of His very character.
Having received as a gift that which I previously craved to earn, I am set free from self--free to live for Christ. This is how selfishness is destroyed. To see the sure message of the cross is to tell me that I no longer need to live for myself, but I can live for the One who died to meet all my needs. I can live for His glory!
Perhaps the battle to believe is the real battle against self--to believe that God really is so effectively loving!
He died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Cor. 5:15, R.S.V.
It has been said truly that the battle against self is the most difficult battle the Christian must fight. But that battle is made more difficult because many do not understand the nature of the battle. Though it has a very overt level--the conflict against the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--there is a much more subtle dimension, which has proved the downfall of many.
Many see it as a battle, indeed an unending struggle, against selfishness itself. In this battle I try to make myself stop doing selfish things, or even to stop thinking selfish thoughts. And when I fail to achieve as I know I ought, I am burdened with guilt.
But unless I know in my soul that God has pardoned and accepted me, I will find the questing after pardon to be the object of all my works, the focus of all my religion. My concern for what God thinks of me (rather than for what the world thinks of God) will be the flavor of my spiritual life. And thus self, rather than Jesus Christ, is the object of my attention.
This variation of the battle against self is so subtle because it sounds so pious. We can even report our progress in prayer meeting and make it the focus of endless private anguish. But that will only obscure the fact that "self" is still the reigning motivation in my life.
The only cure for this most basic of all forms of selfishness is fully to accept that God has indeed given that which I most deeply crave: His unconditional love, pardon, and acceptance. This gift is not a reward for my accomplishments but an outflowing of His very character.
Having received as a gift that which I previously craved to earn, I am set free from self--free to live for Christ. This is how selfishness is destroyed. To see the sure message of the cross is to tell me that I no longer need to live for myself, but I can live for the One who died to meet all my needs. I can live for His glory!
Perhaps the battle to believe is the real battle against self--to believe that God really is so effectively loving!
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