The Lord Jesus Christ stated it this way: "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matt. 16:25; Jno. 12:25). Jesus is talking about giving your life over to faith and dedication in Him, His Word, and His Kingdom!

The apostle Paul taught: "For he who died has been freed from sin...Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:7, 11). This death is pictured in baptism: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of lif" (Rom. 6:1-4).

To be a faithful follower of Christ we must die to self and to sin. Having faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and fully giving yourself to His Lordship is death to self (Gal. 2:20). Baptism into Christ is a type of death to a sinful life, and a resurrection to newness of life (Rom. 6:5; Col. 2:12,13).

Dying to sin and self is not a one-time act. It begins with our believing and being baptized but it continues on a daily basis of putting off the old man and putting on the new (Eph. 4:20-24; Col. 3:1-11). Paul describes this on going battle with sin and self when he writes: "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God" (Rom. 6:13).

Have you died to self and sin? It is your choice! Why not start today? Believe and be baptized into Christ (Mk. 16:15,16; Gal. 3:26,27) and then live a life dedicated to the Lordship of Jesus Christ while daily putting off sin and being renewed in spirit through the teaching of Jesus.

If you started well in faith and baptism but have fallen back to serving yourself and sin, then confess those sins and repent calling on the power of the blood of Christ to put you back into fellowship with your Lord and fellow believers (1 Jno. 1:6-9).

By Ron Drumm.