Notice where the good news story starts. Death is the lead, the first chapter. Apart from death, there is no resurrection.
Remember, Jesus came that you might have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). You can’t experience his life to the full if you are still holding on to your old life. The only reason you would hold on to that old life is because you think it has value. You still believe there is hope of making it better. But that’s not real hope. That’s simply wishful thinking.
Let God change your mind fully. You know you are there when you see your spiritual death as the beginning of your good news story. At that point, human effort is of no value. You can’t change death. That is well beyond your capabilities. There is nothing you can do to change that condition. Just like with my dad, as much as we wanted him back, there was nothing we could do to bring him back to life. There is nothing you can do to get yourself out of your spiritual casket.
This is a frightening place to be. At this point the only thing you can do is to put all that you are and all that you will ever be in his hands. This is called faith. This step of faith is the most courageous step you will ever take.
Let Paul help you along this journey. He embraced his spiritual death. He saw his helplessness and his hopelessness. He let go of his self-effort. He let go of his self-righteousness. He let go of his status as a Pharisee. His mind fully embraced the plan of God. He was on board. Repentance was in full force in his life. As he wrote to the Galatians, “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:19-20 NIV).
Excerpted from Simple Gospel Simply Grace.
www.simplegospelsimplygrace.com
