Outline
E
As we are conformed to Christ's death, we experience His all-accomplishing death:
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By being conformed to His death, we experience Christ in His death for the release, impartation, and multiplication of life—John 12:24-25; 2 Cor. 4:12.
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The only way to glorify God is to be conformed to Christ's death; the more we are conformed to Christ's death, the more we glorify the Father—John 12:28; 13:31.
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When we die the death of Christ and are conformed to His death, we will be a magnet drawing others to Christ—12:32.
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The more we die with Christ, the more we save our soul-life unto eternal life—v. 25.
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If we are willing to be conformed to Christ's death, we will overcome the world and defeat Satan—v. 31; Heb. 2:14.
Morning Nourishment
John 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
As we are conformed to Christ’s death, we experience His all-accomplishing death. First, if we die with Christ, we will keep our soul-life unto eternal life (John 12:25). Second, if we are willing to be conformed to Christ’s death, we will overcome the world and defeat Satan (v. 31; Heb. 2:14). Third, by being conformed to His death, we experience Christ in His death for the release, impartation, and multiplication of life (John 12:24-26; 2 Cor. 4:12). We need to be conformed to the death of Christ so that the divine life within us may be released and imparted into others and thereby multiplied. Fourth, when we are conformed to the death of Christ, spontaneously the divine life within us will be released, and God the Father, the source of this life, will be glorified. Hence, the more we are conformed to Christ’s death, the more we glorify the Father (John 12:28; 13:31)…Fifth, through His death on the cross, people are drawn to Christ (12:32). The real attraction is in His dying. When we die the death of Christ and are conformed to His death, we will be a magnet drawing others to Christ…Such an attraction comes through the release of life; this is the crucified life with its attracting power. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 3508-3509)
Today’s Reading
For us to be conformed to the death of Christ, we need to bear the cross, accept the fact that the old man has been crucified, crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts, put to death the practices of the body, deny the self, lose the soul, and also experience dying with Christ to be freed from the elements of the world. Here are six negative things that must be dealt with: the old man, the body of sin, the flesh with its passions and lusts, the practices of the body, the self, and the soul (the natural life)…In the mold of Christ’s death no trace of these six things can be found. In actuality, to be conformed to Christ’s death is to deal with these six negative things. The more these things are dealt with, the more we are conformed to Christ’s death and the more we are conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son. (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 3, p. 61)We need to forget the teachings about the improvement of behavior. Do not try to love others, to control your temper, or to be a good husband or wife. Instead, endeavor to be conformed to Christ’s death…The only thing you need to do is to be conformed to the death of Christ…I have no burden to help you control your temper or be a good wife or husband. My burden is to charge you to be conformed to the death of Christ. As you are about to love someone, be conformed to His death. As you are about to lose your temper, be conformed to His death. As you are about to go somewhere or do something, be conformed to His death. Simply be conformed to the death of Christ. Unbelievers cannot be conformed to Christ’s death because they do not have the Holy Spirit within them. But because we have the Holy Spirit within us and because we have been regenerated with the divine life, we can be conformed to the death of Christ.
We need to see the vision that God’s economy is not a matter of ethics or religion but of being conformed to the death of Christ. This means that we need to be buried and remain always in death to be conformed to Christ’s death…Often we live and act in a natural way, even in doing spiritual things or scriptural things. We may act according to the Scriptures, but we are not conformed to the death of Christ in doing so. Rather, we are in our natural life. It is easy for Christians to give up evil things, but it is very difficult to be conformed to the death of Christ and not to do anything by our natural life. Nearly fifty years ago I gave up the sinful things, but I am still learning how to be conformed to Christ’s death. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 1, “The Experience of Christ,” pp. 479-480)
Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 3, lsn. 45