In December of 2024, my 6th Untwisting Scriptures book came out, about “Striving, Dying to Self, and Life.”

In it, I stand up against false teachings that tell us we need to “daily die to self.” I assert that this teaching is not in the Bible anywhere and is actually detrimental to us as believers.

In chapter 13, I presented two different paragraphs from a convoluted mess of an article from the Christianity.com website. Then I did something I’ve never done before–I asked my readers to untwist these paragraphs themselves, based on the teachings I’d offered so far.

When I sent the book out, I received a note that said, essentially, “I don’t know how to untwist this. My thinking is still too muddled. Would you do it for me?”

So that has been on my list of things to do ever since.

Of thee two twisted paragraphs, the first one was based on Galatians 2:20.

I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live,
 but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh
 I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.

What a beautiful Scripture!

And here is that article’s  muddled mess paragraph that was supposedly based on this Scripture:

One way we die to self is by living more like Christ and less like ourselves. This means that we try to incorporate more Christ-like traits into our way of thinking and being. Literally, this means more of God and less of us. To be crucified with Christ is to allow our flesh to die, and make room for the Holy Spirit within. On the cross Jesus died for our sins. Thus, dying to ourselves in this way is to cast our sins off, or let them die.

Further on, the article references Romans 6:11, which is here:

So you also must consider [conclude, acknowledge, ascertain] yourselves
dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

And here is the article’s muddled mess that is supposedly based on that amazing Scripture:

Being dead to sin indicates that we have separated ourselves from sin enough that the consequences of such behavior leave our lives. Though it is an ideal state of being and not one anyone will ever manage (Romans 3:23). However, we are nonetheless called to strive toward this ideal. Sin separates us from God and others, meaning the two greatest commandments are unable to be fulfilled when we choose sin over following the spirit. Therefore, erasing sin from our lives will further help us to think of ourselves less.

Those are the paragraphs I invited my readers to untwist for themselves.

But if you haven’t done it yet (and even if you have), you may be interested in how I would untwist them. So here we go.

This is the first paragraph, the one based on Galatians 2:20, with my commentary:

One way we die to self is by living more like Christ and less like ourselves.

   And on what do you base this assertion? What does it even mean to live “less like ourselves”? Is this what the apostles did? Did none of them live like themselves? How is it even possible to not live like yourself, unless you are completely dissociated? The Bible never calls for us to do this!

 

This means that we try to incorporate more Christ-like traits into our way of thinking and being.

   I cringe at this “try to incorporate.” This is the “striving” that I soundly refuted in Untwisting Scriptures #6. That is not the way of the Lord. We walk by Him in the Spirit, and the Spirit works His work in us and through us, by faith.

 

Literally, this means more of God and less of us.

   Which means what, exactly? More of God? How can there be more of God? Less of us? How can there be less of us? This is ridiculous talk. I know, though, that it’s based on the assertion that John 3:30 (“He must increase and I must decrease”) in some way applies to us, so that’s why that verse got a whole chapter in this book.

 

To be crucified with Christ is to allow our flesh to die, and make room for the Holy Spirit within.

   That is not what “to be crucified with Christ” means in Galatians 2:20. This author would do well to read the context of the passage. Paul was referring to his death to the Old Covenant law and his living in the life of the faith in the Son of God.

    Also, “make room for the Holy Spirit within” sounds like we are physical containers that need to get rid of one thing for there to be room for something else. This isn’t the way it works. When the Holy Spirit enters our lives and we walk by faith in Him, He does the work of purifying in our lives.

 

On the cross Jesus died for our sins. Thus, dying to ourselves in this way is to cast our sins off, or let them die.

   The second sentence here does not follow from the first. Here’s what follows and what the Scriptures teach: Jesus died, and we died in Him. Jesus rose, and we rose in Him. Jesus was seated at the right hand of the Father, and we were seated in Him.

   Anyone reading this article who thinks they need to “cast their sins off” or “let their sins die” will be completely befuddled as to how to make either of those happen.

    But it will most likely lead to more striving, more trying harder to do better and be better and do more and be less, all of which I’ve addressed in Book #6.

And here is the second one, the paragraph based on Romans 6:11, with my commentary:

Being dead to sin indicates that we have separated ourselves from sin enough that the consequences of such behavior leave our lives.

   What does this even mean? We have separated from sin enough that the consequences of sinful behavior leave our lives? This doesn’t even make sense.

   Rather, the writer would have done well to observe the context of Romans 6:11. Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with [Christ], that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

   This has nothing to do with “daily dying to self.” It is about the understanding that something miraculous took place in the realm of the spirit when Jesus died and was resurrected. When He died, we died with Him once, in the past tense, in the spirit realm, and when He rose, we rose with Him, alive to God.

 

Though it is an ideal state of being and not one anyone will ever manage (Romans 3:23).

   This verse is taken out of context too. Romans 3:23 isn’t talking about how we will never be able to “separate ourselves from sin enough that the consequences of such behavior leave our lives.” If it were, then it would be foolish to tell people to do it.

   Rather, Romans 3:23 is part of a larger argument in which Paul is arguing that everyone in every culture, both Jew and Gentile, have sinned and need the righteousness that is offered by faith in Jesus Christ.

   It has nothing to do with “daily dying to self.”

 

However, we are nonetheless called to strive toward this ideal.

   Again I see the “striving theology” that I refuted in Untwisting Scriptures #6. It’s the teaching that we’re supposed to keep trying to do something that we know ahead of time we’ll never be able to accomplish. Talk about defeatist theology! But thankfully, this is not what the Bible teaches at all.

 

Sin separates us from God and others, meaning the two greatest commandments are unable to be fulfilled when we choose sin over following the spirit. Therefore, erasing sin from our lives will further help us to think of ourselves less.

     This article is called “How Do Christians Actually ‘Die to Self’?” I think the author is saying that erasing sin from our lives (which, remember, the author has told us we won’t be able to do) will mean thinking of ourselves less, which is equal to “dying to self.”

     I think that’s what he’s saying, anyway. I’m not quite sure.

     But of course it should go without saying by now that none of these things are actually what the Scriptures teach.

 

Rather, the way to fulfill the two greatest commandments, instead of focusing on “sin” and “self” is to focus on the Lord and His great salvation, and as He fills us with HIs love, for that love to flow out to others.

It isn’t that we forget ourselves entirely (my book even has a chapter on how to have a healthy love of self), but that ourselves are not our primary focus.

Lord Jesus, You are all our righteousness. We find no righteousness in anything we do.

You are our hope and joy. We cannot accomplish any aspect of our own sanctification.

We look to You, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, to work Your good work in our lives.

Amen.

 

 

 

*****

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