Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:11 (NIV), “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.” This verse shows that we don’t need to wait until we get to heaven to share in Jesus’ life. His life can be revealed in us and through us while we are still here on earth.
A good religious life by keeping the Biblical laws
Many people live an ordinary “good” life according to the Biblical laws, but living the life of Christ is something completely different. They live an earthly life and at the same time they do their best to keep the Biblical laws. By keeping these laws, they get a good outward religious life. This makes them feel like they are better than other people.
But let’s say, for example, that you talk to them about becoming more generous. They might look at you and say in an offended tone, “Why are you talking like that to me? You don’t know how much I’ve given. If only you knew how much I’ve given during my life!” If you should talk about sufferings, they would say, “You should know how much I’ve suffered. No one has suffered as much as I have!” And so on.
They react like this because they haven’t come to a new life with Christ and God where they love Christ and God with their whole heart, a life where Christ and God can speak in their hearts. They have come to a good religious life by keeping the Biblical laws, but it is their own life. They haven’t come to the life of Jesus.
Living the life of Jesus
The apostle Paul says that we have to “die” to ourselves. He says we must be “given over to death for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:11, ESV). To die to yourself is something totally different than becoming big and strong in yourself because you are keeping the law.
You can only truly live the life of Jesus if you die to yourself. Then, when you feel the desire coming up to think that you’re better than others, and that you do things better than others, you can say No! and reject that desire. Then you are putting that desire to death. And that is what is called the death of Christ.
When Jesus was on earth and saw these same things, this egoism in his human nature, He hated it and “put it to death”. That is why we call it the “death of Christ”, or “the dying of the Lord Jesus”, because He was the first one to put to death His self-life (2 Corinthians 4:10).
After Jesus, Paul and the apostles and other believers understood that through the power of the Holy Spirit, it was possible for all of us to “put to death” sin in our bodies. “We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death…” 2 Corinthians 5:14 (GNT). Now, when you are tempted to sin, you can hate the sin that you see. You can say No! to it, refusing to give in to it, and in this way you “put it to death”.
If you faithfully continue doing this, then you will live, you will live the life of Jesus; the life of Jesus will be revealed more and more in you, and people will see it (2 Corinthians 4:6). Then you don’t become proud and start to think you are better than other people, but you become humble, kind, thankful and merciful. Then people will see these fruits of the Spirit that are coming forth from your life. You will come to a new life and a great blessing.