The Narrow Gate to Life

Article 3 of 4: Understanding Biblical Faith and Truth

The Path We Have Walked

In our first article, we discovered that faith is not human achievement but God's gift - the Father's own faithfulness given to us through Jesus Christ. We learned that faith unites us to Christ, gives us access to grace, and transforms us from glory to glory.

In our second article, we saw that truth is not information but a Person - Jesus Christ Himself. We explored the two kingdoms that exist: the Kingdom of Truth where God reigns in self-giving love, and the kingdom of lies where Satan rules in self-taking death. We learned that light and darkness cannot coexist, and that truth sets free while lies enslave.

Now we must face the most challenging truth in all of Scripture. It is the truth that modern Christianity avoids, that religious systems soften, that human nature recoils from. It is the truth that Jesus taught more clearly and more repeatedly than almost any other truth. And it is this: The Christian life is not about improving self - it is about the death of self.

This is not metaphor. This is not exaggeration. This is not symbolic language that we can interpret away. Jesus said we must die. Paul said we must die. Peter said we must die. The entire New Testament agrees: Self must die so that Christ can live. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom. There is no other way to walk in truth. There is no other way to experience the life, joy, and peace that God offers.

Let us see what Scripture actually says about the death of self.

Part One: Deny Yourself - Jesus' Clear Command

Jesus gave us the clearest, most direct instruction about what it means to follow Him:

"And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.'" (Mark 8:34-35)

This is not optional. This is not advanced-level Christianity for the especially committed. This is the entry requirement. "If anyone would come after me" - if you want to be His disciple, if you want to follow Him, if you want to be a Christian - here is what you must do: Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow Him.

What Does It Mean to Deny Yourself?

Modern Christianity has tried to soften this command. We are told that denying ourselves means giving up bad habits, or saying no to certain pleasures, or practicing self-discipline. But this misses the point entirely. Jesus is not talking about self-improvement. He is talking about self-denial. Not managing self, but denying self. Not controlling self, but crucifying self.

To deny yourself means to say NO to the entire principle of SELF. It means rejecting self-reliance, self-righteousness, self-promotion, self-preservation, self-justification, self-exaltation. It means refusing to live from self, for self, or by self. It means the complete abandonment of self as the operating principle of your life.

This is not negative. This is not self-hatred. This is recognizing what self truly is: the disease that entered humanity in the Garden, the corruption that separates us from
God, the cancer that destroys life. SELF is what Satan introduced when he tempted Eve to be like God, to know good and evil for herself, to trust her own judgment rather than God's word. SELF is the root of all sin. And Jesus says it must be denied.

Notice what Jesus does NOT say. He does not say, 'Improve yourself.' He does not say, 'Manage yourself better.' He does not say, 'Believe in yourself.' He says DENY yourself. This is the opposite of everything the world teaches. The world says assert yourself, promote yourself, trust yourself, love yourself. Jesus says deny yourself.

And here is where joy begins - not in affirming self, but in denying self. Because when we deny self, we make room for Christ. When we say no to self-life, we say yes to Christ-life. When we stop living from our own strength, we start receiving His strength. The death of self is not the end of joy - it is the beginning.

Take Up Your Cross - Not a Metaphor

Jesus continues: Take up your cross. When Jesus said these words, everyone knew what a cross meant. A cross was an instrument of execution. When a condemned criminal took up his cross, he was walking to his death. There was no coming back. There was no partial commitment. Taking up your cross meant you were going to die.

We have turned this into a metaphor for minor inconveniences. We say, 'That difficult person is my cross to bear,' or 'This health problem is my cross.' But Jesus is not talking about difficulties. He is talking about death. Your cross is the instrument of your execution. Taking up your cross means accepting your death sentence.

Luke records Jesus saying this even more clearly:

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" (Luke 9:23)

Daily. Not once at conversion. Not occasionally when we feel spiritual. Daily. Every single day, we take up our cross. Every single day, we go to the place of execution. Every single day, we die to self so that Christ can live.

Paul understood this perfectly:

"I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day!" (1 Corinthians 15:31)

Paul died every day. Not metaphorically. Not theoretically. Every single day, Paul went through the death of self. This was not negative. This was not morbid. This was the normal Christian life. This is what it means to take up your cross daily.

And this is where peace comes from. Not from keeping self alive and well-managed. But from letting self die daily so that we live in Christ's strength, not our own. The burden is lifted. The anxiety is gone. The pressure to perform disappears. Why? Because the one who felt the burden, the anxiety, and the pressure has died. Christ now carries us.

The Great Paradox: Lose Life to Find It

Jesus presents the ultimate paradox:

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:25-26)

This is the great reversal. Everything self-life promises is a lie. Self-life says, 'Save yourself. Protect yourself. Preserve yourself. Look out for number one.' And the result? You lose your life. You lose everything that matters. You gain the whole world and forfeit your soul.

But Christ-life says, 'Lose your life. Give yourself away. Die to self.' And the result? You find life. Real life. True life. Eternal life. Not life that ends, but life that never ends. Not life that must be protected and defended, but life that flows freely because it comes from an inexhaustible source.

This is not a fair trade - giving up our life to get His life. This is the deal of the ages. We give up death masquerading as life, and we receive life that is truly life. We surrender what was killing us anyway, and we receive what can never die. We let go of the counterfeit and receive the real thing.

John records Jesus saying:

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:25)

Strong language: hate your life in this world. Not dislike. Not be neutral toward. Hate. Why? Because life in this world - life based on self, life lived from self, life for self - is the enemy of eternal life. You cannot have both. You cannot love self-life and receive Christ-life. You must choose. And the one who hates self-life, who rejects it, who denies it - that person keeps life for eternity.

This brings profound joy. We are not losing anything worth keeping. We are gaining everything worth having. This brings deep peace. We are not giving up real life for something lesser. We are trading death for life, lies for truth, slavery for freedom.

Part Two: Crucified With Christ

Paul understood the death of self more clearly than perhaps anyone in Scripture. He lived it, taught it, and wrote about it constantly. And his clearest statement is the one we have already seen, but now we must look at it more deeply:

"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." (Galatians 2:20)

The Past Reality: I Have Been Crucified

Paul says, 'I have been crucified with Christ.' Not 'I am trying to be crucified.' Not 'I should be crucified.' Not 'I hope to be crucified someday.' I HAVE BEEN crucified. Past tense. Already happened. Accomplished fact.

When did this happen? When Christ was crucified. When Jesus died on the cross, Paul died with Him. Not physically - Paul was not yet converted when Jesus was crucified. But spiritually, Paul was united to Christ in His death. The old Paul - the self-righteous Pharisee, the persecutor of the church, the man living by law and self-effort - that man died with Christ on the cross.

This is true of every believer. When you are united to Christ by faith, you are united to Him in His death. Your old self was crucified with Him. This is not something you must make happen. This is something that has already happened. The question is not whether your old self died - the question is whether you will reckon it dead and live accordingly.

Paul explains this in Romans:

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." (Romans 6:6-7)

Our old self was crucified with Christ. Why? So that the body of sin might be brought to nothing. So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. The one who has died has been set free from sin. This is the gospel: Your old self died. The body of sin has been destroyed. You are no longer enslaved. You are free.

This is where joy explodes and peace floods in. We are not trying to kill our old self. It is already dead. We are not trying to break free from sin's power. We are already free. The work has been done. The death has occurred. Now we simply live in that reality.

The Present Reality: It Is No Longer I Who Live

Paul continues: 'It is no longer I who live.' Present tense. Current reality. Right now, at this very moment, it is not Paul living his own life. The 'I' - the old self, the self-driven life, the independent existence - is no longer the one living.

This is radical. Paul is not saying, 'I am trying not to live for myself.' He is saying, 'I am not living.' The 'I' that used to live is dead. Gone. Crucified. No longer operating. This is not self-improvement. This is self-death.

But notice - Paul is not saying he ceased to exist. He is saying the principle of independent self-life ceased to operate. The Paul who lived from himself, for himself, by himself - that Paul is dead. But a new Paul is alive, and that Paul lives from Christ, for Christ, by Christ.

So then, who is living?

The Eternal Reality: Christ Lives in Me

'But Christ who lives in me.' This is the stunning truth. When self dies, Christ lives. Not just with us. Not just for us. IN us. Christ takes up residence where self used to reign. Christ's life flows where self-life used to struggle. Christ's nature expresses where self-nature used to dominate.

This is not Christ helping us live a better self-life. This is Christ living His life through us. This is not us trying to be like Christ. This is Christ being Himself in us. This is not imitation - it is habitation. Christ dwelling in us, expressing His nature through us, living His life as us.

Paul declares this mystery:

"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27)

Christ IN you. Not just Christ for you - though He is. Not just Christ with you - though He is. Christ IN you. This is the mystery. This is the glory. This is the hope. Christ Himself, by His Spirit, living in you, being your life, expressing His nature through your humanity.

And how does Paul live now? '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.' He lives by faith. Not by self-effort. Not by trying harder. Not by religious discipline. By faith - by receiving from Christ, by trusting in Christ, by abiding in Christ, by letting Christ live through him.

This is joy unspeakable - Christ living in us. This is peace beyond understanding - resting in His life, not striving in ours. This is freedom - no longer enslaved to self, but alive in Christ.

Put Off the Old Self, Put On the New

Paul gives practical instruction about living in this reality:

"Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24)

The old self belongs to your former manner of life. It is corrupt. It operates through deceitful desires. Put it off like taking off filthy clothes. Refuse to let it operate. Deny its demands. Reject its deceptions. Reckon it dead.

And put on the new self. Not create a new self - the new self has already been created. It was created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Put it on like putting on clean clothes. Live from it. Let it express. Allow it to be what it is - the life of Christ in you.

Colossians says the same thing:

"Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Colossians 3:9-10)

You HAVE put off the old self. Past tense. Already done. And you HAVE put on the new self. This new self is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Day by day, the new self grows in the knowledge of God, being conformed more and more to the image of Christ.

This is not self-improvement. This is self-death and Christ-life. The old has gone, the new has come. And this brings joy - to live from a new nature created in righteousness. And this brings peace - to be free from the old nature that was corrupt and enslaved.

Part Three: Baptized Into His Death

Baptism in the New Testament is not primarily about water. Baptism is about death and resurrection. Water baptism is the outward sign of an inward reality: we have been baptized into Christ's death, buried with Him, and raised to new life. This is the heart of the gospel. This is the core of Christian experience. This is how we move from death to life.

United With Him in Death

Paul explains this in Romans 6:

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his." (Romans 6:3-5)

When we were baptized into Christ, we were baptized into His death. Not symbolically. Not representationally. Really. We were united with Him in His death. We were buried with Him. The old self went into the grave with Christ. It died. It was buried. It is gone.

Why? So that just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too might walk in newness of life. Death is not the end - death is the gateway to resurrection. We die with Christ so that we can live with Christ. We are buried with Christ so that we can be raised with Christ. This is not negative - this is the path to life.

And notice the certainty: 'If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall CERTAINLY be united with him in a resurrection like his.' Not maybe. Not hopefully. Not if we're good enough. CERTAINLY. Death leads to resurrection. Burial leads to rising. Crucifixion leads to life. This is God's promise. This is the gospel pattern.

Dead to Sin, Alive to God

Paul continues:

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:6-11)

This is crucial: Consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God. This is not pretending. This is not positive thinking. This is reckoning reality. You ARE dead to sin. You ARE alive to God. Consider it true because it IS true. Reckon it so because God says it is so. Live from this reality rather than from the old reality of slavery to sin.

Sin no longer has dominion over you. Not because you are strong enough to resist it, but because you died. A dead person cannot be tempted. A dead person cannot sin. And you are dead - dead to sin, dead to self, dead to the old way of life. But you are alive to God - alive in Christ, alive by the Spirit, alive with resurrection life.

This is where joy breaks out. We are no longer slaves to sin. This is where peace settles. Sin no longer has dominion. We died to it. We are free from it. Now we live to God - and that life is pure joy, perfect peace, complete freedom.

Raised With Christ to New Life

Death is not the end of the story. Resurrection is:

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

You HAVE BEEN raised with Christ. Not someday. Not after you die physically. Now. Already. You have been raised. And because you have been raised, you seek the things above. You set your mind on things above. Not as an obligation, but as a natural result of being raised. Dead people don't seek anything. Raised people seek the things of resurrection.

And why? Because you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Your real life - your true life, your eternal life - is not visible to the world. It is hidden with Christ in God. The world sees your body. The world sees your circumstances. But your actual life is hidden in the most secure place in the universe - with Christ in God.

And then Paul says something stunning: 'Christ who is your life.' Not Christ who gives you life. Not Christ who improves your life. Christ who IS your life. Your life is not your own anymore. Your life is Christ. He is your life. When He appears, you appear with Him in glory because your life is His life.

This is joy - Christ is our life. This is peace - our life is hidden with Christ in God, the most secure place possible. This is hope - when He appears, we appear with Him in glory. Not earning glory, not achieving glory, but appearing in glory because we are united to the One who is glorious.

Part Four: Abiding in the Vine - No Independent Life

Jesus gave us the clearest picture of what life after death looks like. It is not complicated. It is not mysterious. It is beautifully simple: the branch and the vine.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:1-5)

The Branch Has No Independent Life

Look at what Jesus says: 'As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.' The branch cannot bear fruit by itself. Not will not. Not should not. Cannot. It is impossible for a branch to produce fruit independently. Why? Because the branch has no life of its own. All the life is in the vine. All the nutrients come from the vine. All the power flows from the vine. The branch is completely dependent.

And then Jesus makes it even clearer: 'Apart from me you can do nothing.' Not apart from me you can do some things. Not apart from me you can try your best. Apart from Me you can do NOTHING. Zero. Complete inability. Total dependence. This is not an exaggeration. This is reality. We have no life, no power, no ability to produce spiritual fruit apart from Christ.

This is the death of self in daily practice. Self says, 'I can do it. I can produce. I can achieve. I can bear fruit if I try hard enough.' But the branch says, 'I have no life of my own. I can do nothing apart from the vine. My only job is to abide, and the vine's life will flow through me.'

This is where peace comes from. We are not responsible to generate life. We are responsible to abide. We do not produce fruit by effort. We receive fruit by abiding. The pressure is off. The anxiety is gone. We simply remain connected, and life flows.

Abiding Is Resting, Not Striving

Jesus says 'Abide in me, and I in you.' The word 'abide' means to remain, to stay, to dwell, to make your home. It is not a command to work harder. It is an invitation to rest deeper. Abiding is the opposite of striving. Abiding is receiving, not achieving.

Think of a branch. What does a branch do? Nothing. A branch does not strain. A branch does not generate. A branch does not struggle. A branch simply remains connected to the vine. It receives sap from the vine. Nutrients flow through it. And as a natural result of receiving life, the branch produces fruit. The branch does not make fruit happen - the branch allows fruit to grow.

This is Christian life after the death of self. We are not trying to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. We are abiding in Christ, and His life produces His fruit through us. We are not imitating Christ - we are allowing Christ to live His life through us. We are not working for the Father - we are resting in the Son, and the Father's work flows through us.

Jesus continues:

"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." (John 15:7-8)

When we abide in Christ and His words abide in us, we ask according to His will and it is done. Not because we have earned the right to answered prayer, but because we are so united to Christ that our desires are His desires. We are not trying to get God to do what we want - we are living so close to Him that we want what He wants.

And the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit. Not a little fruit that we squeeze out by effort. Much fruit that flows naturally from abiding. And this proves we are His disciples - not our knowledge, not our morality, not our religious performance, but fruit that can only come from being connected to the vine.

This is joy - to see fruit growing without striving. This is peace - to rest in the vine and watch life flow. This is the abundant life Jesus promised - not abundant activity, but abundant life flowing from the source of all life.

The Absolute Necessity of Christ

We must understand how absolute Jesus' statement is: 'Apart from me you can do nothing.' This includes:

You cannot love with God's love apart from Christ. You can only love with self-love, which is no love at all. But abiding in Christ, His love flows through you.

You cannot have real joy apart from Christ. You can only have happiness that depends on circumstances. But abiding in Christ, His joy becomes your joy.

You cannot have true peace apart from Christ. You can only have temporary calm when things are going well. But abiding in Christ, His peace guards your heart regardless of circumstances.

You cannot bear eternal fruit apart from Christ. You can only produce works that will burn up. But abiding in Christ, you bear fruit that remains forever.

This is not discouraging. This is liberating. We are free from the impossible burden of trying to be something we cannot be. We are free to simply abide in the One who is everything we need. We are free from performing for God and free to rest in God.

Paul understood this completely:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10)

'By the grace of God I am what I am.' Paul's identity, Paul's ministry, Paul's life - all by grace. And he worked hard - but it was not him working, it was the grace of God working with him. This is the paradox: the branch appears to be producing fruit, but actually the vine is producing fruit through the branch. Paul appeared to be working hard, but actually God's grace was working through Paul.

This is what life looks like after self dies. Not passivity, but activity empowered by grace. Not laziness, but rest that produces more than striving ever could. Not doing nothing, but doing everything from a place of abiding rather than striving. The branch is active - leaves grow, flowers bloom, fruit develops. But all of it flows from connection to the vine, not from the branch's independent effort.

This is joy unspeakable - to live from His life rather than trying to generate our own. This is peace that passes understanding - to rest in His power rather than strain in our weakness. This is freedom - to be the branch, not the vine, and to let Him be the vine, not us.

Conclusion: Embracing the Death of Self

We have walked through the hardest teaching in all of Scripture: Self must die. Not improve. Not be managed better. Not be harnessed for good purposes. Self must die completely so that Christ can live.

We have seen Jesus' clear command: Deny yourself. Take up your cross daily. Follow Me. We have learned that whoever saves his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus' sake will find it. This is not metaphor. This is reality. Self-preservation leads to self-destruction. Self-death leads to Christ-life.

We have explored Paul's testimony: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The old self was crucified. The body of sin was destroyed. We are no longer enslaved. We have been set free. And now Christ lives in us, expressing His nature through us, being our very life.

We have understood baptism into Christ's death: We were baptized into His death, buried with Him, raised with Him to new life. We died to sin. We are alive to God. We reckon this as truth and live from this reality. Our life is hidden with Christ in God, and Christ Himself is our life.

And we have seen the picture of the vine and branches: Apart from Christ we can do nothing. The branch has no independent life. All life flows from the vine. Our only responsibility is to abide, to remain connected, to rest in Him. And as we abide, life flows, fruit grows, and the Father is glorified.

Throughout all of this, we have discovered that the death of self is not the end of joy - it is the beginning. It is not the loss of peace - it is the gateway. When self dies, Christ lives. When we stop striving, we start resting. When we let go of our life, we receive His life. And His life is full of joy, overflowing with peace, abundant in every good thing.

The Gate Is Narrow, But It Leads to Life

Jesus said the gate is narrow and the way is hard. Why is it narrow? Because self cannot fit through. Self must be left behind. Self must die. Only the person who has denied self, taken up the cross, and died with Christ can pass through the narrow gate.

The wide gate allows self. The easy way accommodates self. You can bring your self-righteousness, your self-sufficiency, your self-confidence, your self-promotion. Many travel that road because they do not have to die. But it leads to destruction.

The narrow gate requires death. The hard way demands crucifixion. Self cannot come. Self must be denied. Self must be crucified. Few find it because few are willing to die. But it leads to life - real life, eternal life, abundant life, the life that is truly life.

Jesus said:

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Will you enter by the narrow gate? Will you take the hard way? Will you die to self so that you can live in Christ? This is not a call to misery. This is an invitation to life. This is not a burden to bear. This is the path to freedom. This is not the end of joy. This is joy's beginning.

The Invitation to Die and Live

Jesus is calling you to death and life. Death to self, life in Christ. Death to striving, life of resting. Death to independence, life of abiding. Death to your way, life in His way. Death to your strength, life in His power. Death to your righteousness, life in His righteousness.

This is the gospel. This is the way. This is the truth. This is the life. Will you die with Christ so that you can live with Christ? Will you be baptized into His death so that you can walk in newness of life? Will you put off the old self so that you can put on the new? Will you deny yourself so that you can follow Him?

The choice is before you. You can continue living from self, trying to improve self, managing self, promoting self. Or you can let self die and discover what it means to have Christ as your life. You can keep striving or you can start abiding. You can keep working or you can start resting. You can keep trying to bear fruit or you can simply remain connected to the vine and watch fruit grow.

Jesus says: Come. Die. Live. This is not a threat. This is the most wonderful invitation you will ever receive. Come and die to what is killing you. Come and live with what gives life. Come and discover joy that does not depend on circumstances. Come and receive peace that surpasses understanding. Come and be free from the slavery of self. Come and live in the freedom of Christ.

Looking Ahead

In this article, we have explored the death of self - what it means to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Jesus. We have seen that we were crucified with Christ, that our old self died, that we are now alive to God in Christ Jesus. We have understood that we are baptized into His death and raised to new life. And we have learned to abide in the vine, having no life of our own, completely dependent on Christ for everything.

But what does this life look like in practice? What flows from a person who has died to self and lives in Christ? What is the fruit of abiding in the vine? What characterizes those who walk in newness of life? This brings us to the fourth and final article: The Life That Flows.

In our final article, "The Life That Flows - Pure Joy and His Peace," we will see what happens when self dies and Christ lives. We will discover that joy and peace are not feelings we generate or goals we achieve. They are fruit that grows naturally when we abide in Christ. They are the overflow of resurrection life. They are the characteristics of those who live from grace, walk by faith, and abide in love.

We will see that this life - the life that flows from death to self - is not difficult and burdensome. It is easy and light. It is not anxious and fearful. It is joyful and peaceful. It is not slavery to rules. It is freedom in love. This is the abundant life Jesus promised. This is eternal life breaking into the present. This is the Kingdom of God come to earth.

Until then, rest in this: You have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer you who live, but Christ who lives in you. The old has passed away. The new has come. You are dead to sin and alive to God. You are a branch connected to the vine. And as you abide in Him, His life flows through you. This is death leading to life. This is the narrow gate opening to abundant life. This is dying to find life. This is the way of Christ.

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

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