The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Becoming Nothing in Light of God's Everything

Studies Books
#43

Paidion,

We are nobody special in the worldly sense of the term. But in dying to self and coming to faith in Christ we have eternal significance. We are special to God. His love is a holy love. Holy means to be set apart (special). We don’t earn our worth but it is a gift of God received by faith. Our sense of belonging and sense that we count comes from being a child of God. The ego is nothing. The paradox is that we are set apart and special because we are united to all. We are light in a dark world. What the world considers special God doesn’t. What God considers special the world doesn’t. When I’m nobody I’m somebody. When I’m somebody I’m nobody. We become nobody so that Christ will be glorified in us - our true self. In and of myself I’m nothing so that Christ can reign in my heart. I’m covered and infused in God’s righteousness. Therefore, I have intrinsic worth because I’m in Christ.

#44

My Worth Is In Christ Jesus

So many people suffer with a spiritual identity crises. They tend to measure their worth by comparing themselves to others. They will think more highly of themselves because they enjoy greater abilities, intelligence, status or wealth. Or they look down on themselves and envy others because they feel they are not as capable, smart, powerful, or rich.

This is a deadly disease to a believer. That is why Paul offered an antidote over in the book of Romans. To see ourselves not as we stack up to others, or as others evaluate us, but as God sees us (Romans 12:3). My worth is found in Christ alone. It is only by the grace of God, I am who I am today (1 Corinthians 15:10). And despite my past, I am a new creature with a new identity in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I thank God for the degrees I have, and the professional credentials, but more importantly, I thank God for His power, because it gives me everything I need to live my life and pursue godliness (1 Peter 1:3). Everything I have; family, friends, possessions, health, all comes from my heavenly Father (Job 1:21). Knowing this, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). I am “fearfully and wonderfully” made (Psalm 139:14). In Christ, I have my true identity, apart from Him, I am nothing (John 15:5).

So I don’t have to compare myself to anyone, because I find my worth in Christ. Do you suffer with an identity crises, low self-worth, comparison issues? Learn to see yourself as God sees you.

Be blessed!

#45

As Arthur McGill succinctly notes, “The way of Jesus is the way of self-expenditure.” And as Paul describes in Philippians 2, this freedom to give our lives away is made possible only through the act of kenosis, of self-emptying and letting go so that our identities might be eccentrically grounded in Christ and the Father. If we receive everything - even our very lives - as a gift then we have nothing to cling to or protect. Following the example of Jesus, we become “nothing”. In a sense, we “die” - and thus we no longer have fear of dispossession, loss, diminishment, or expenditure in the face of death. ~~ Richard Beck, “The Slavery of Death”, page 77

Thus, the paradox of the cross: we must die - by losing and letting go - in order to find life, in order to experience resurrection - Beck, page 80

#46

We turn our focus outward on Christ. When we lose ourselves we find ourselves. In Christ we have eternal significance and worth. Becoming nothing means we lose our self consciousness. Our self-conscious fears and shame disappear when we turn our focus outward into the present moment. Psychologists call it flow, athletes call it being in the zone. Here’s how CS Lewis describes it:

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all ~~ Mere Christianity, page 124

The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself all together or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.
~~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, page 125

We find our true inner self “new self” by turning outward not inward. We despise the demon self and turn away from it towards God. This is repentance. We turn our focused attention off of self and on to God and others. When we lose our selves we find ourselves. Everything balances out. We love God above all else and our neighbor as our self. (true self). This is when we find a proper self esteem. Beholding the glory of Christ we are being transformed into His image from glory to glory. We find our inner self but this isn’t our focus. God is. We are transformed when we concentrate our focus and attention on Christ. Here’s how C.S. Lewis put it:

There are no real personalities anywhere else. Until you have given up your self to Him you will not have a real self. Sameness is to be found most among the most “natural” men, not among those who surrender to Christ. How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been: how gloriously different are the saints. ~~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, page 226

Here Lewis captures the paradox of self-forgetfulness. By turning our focus outwards towards Christ we become our truest selves. We die to self and are resurrected. God wants us to become the creations he intended all along. Valuable, dignified, good, reflections of Christ. We love (take care of) our true self.

Here’s the way John Piper puts it in Desiring God:

We look away from ourselves to Him, and only then do the manifold emotions of our heart erupt in worship.

Christian Hedonism is aware that self-consciousness kills joy and therefore kills worship. As soon as you turn your eyes in on yourself and become conscious of experiencing joy, it’s gone. The Christian Hedonist knows that the secret of joy is self-forgetfulness. Yes we go to the art museum for the joy of seeing the paintings. But the counsel of Christian Hedonism is: Set your whole attention on the paintings and not your emotions, or you will ruin the whole experience. Therefore, in worship there must be a radical orientation on God, not ourselves.

Page 95

#47
#48

Proverbs 4 English Standard Version (ESV)

25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet;
then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.

#49

I had an experience once, after I encountered something called Naikan, a therapy developed by a Japanese Buddhist. Practicing Naikan, one asks oneself three questions:

What have I received from ____?
What have I given to ____?
What troubles and difficulties have I caused ____?

So I tried it one day, on a goof. I used my parents as the object of reflection. After only ten minutes of this questioning, I had the experience of being “nothing,” of little significance. It was a major blow to my ego, but at the same time, I felt like I was floating on a sea of support. I felt like “nothing,” but wasn’t in the least bothered by it. It was freeing. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to replicate the experience. But I sure remember it.

#50

I’m not talking about becoming insignificant but losing self-consciousness. The type of self conscious shame and fear that makes you shy or paranoid or social anxiety. We are eternally significant in Christ.

Self-consciousness is a heightened sense of self-awareness. It is a preoccupation with oneself, as opposed to the philosophical state of self-awareness, which is the awareness that one exists as an individual being, though the two terms are commonly used interchangeably or synonymously.[1] An unpleasant feeling of self-consciousness may occur when one realizes that one is being watched or observed, the feeling that “everyone is looking” at oneself. Some people are habitually more self-conscious than others. Unpleasant feelings of self-consciousness are sometimes associated with shyness or paranoia.

When feeling self-conscious, one becomes aware of even the smallest of one’s own actions. Such awareness can impair one’s ability to perform complex actions. Adolescence is believed to be a time of heightened self-consciousness. A person with a chronic tendency toward self-consciousness may be shy or introverted.[2]

#51

A good book on losing self-consciousness and getting in the zone (present moment) is called “Flow”. When we lose ourselves in love we find our truest self.

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#52

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself. Unless you know God as that - and, therefore, know yourself as nothing in comparison - you do not know God at all ~~C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity, page 124

The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself all together or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether.
~~ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, page 125

The death to self spoken of is losing your self-conscious anxiety and self- conscious shame fears. We have eternal significance in Christ.

Here’s the way John Piper puts it in Desiring God:

We look away from ourselves to Him, and only then do the manifold emotions of our heart erupt in worship.

Christian Hedonism is aware that self-consciousness kills joy and therefore kills worship. As soon as you turn your eyes in on yourself and become conscious of experiencing joy, it’s gone. The Christian Hedonist knows that the secret of joy is self-forgetfulness. Yes we go to the art museum for the joy of seeing the paintings. But the counsel of Christian Hedonism is: Set your whole attention on the paintings and not your emotions, or you will ruin the whole experience. Therefore, in worship there must be a radical orientation on God, not ourselves.

Page 95

According to George MacDonald:

“Jesus tells us we must leave the self altogether-yield it, deny it, refuse it, lose it. Thus only shall we save it… The self is given us that we may sacrifice it. It is ours in order that we, like Christ, may have something to offer- not that we should torment it, but that we should deny it; not that we should cross it, but that we should abandon it utterly.” ― George MacDonald

Loss of self-consciousness (death to self) does not involve loss of self as in soul or spirit annihilation and certainly not loss of consciousness, but rather, only a loss of consciousness of the self. As C.S. Lewis states:

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

― CS Lewis

#53

Sorry. I just saw that I have already posted the above post in here. I forgot about it.