Being A Suicidal Christian

So many Christian churches teach a false view a Christianity. Often churches lay down various sermons about 5 steps to a better prayer life, 4 ways to keep your children from being rebellious, but is this what Christianity is supposed to be. A Christian by definition is a disciple of Christ. In Luke 9:23, Jesus is speaking to his followers: "And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ...'"

What does it mean to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily? Denying ourselves is one of the hardest things to do as a human being, it is realizing that we cannot bring ourselves out of our totally depraved state. We cannot pull ourselves out by our own bootstraps, it is basic Law of Conservation of Momentum, an outside force is required to initiate momentum. Once we realize this we must take up our cross. A lot of churches read this as we must partake in Christ's suffering, but to this audience the cross was our gas chamber or firing squad. Taking it up yourself is essentially suicide.

Christ tells us to deny we have the power to save ourselves then to kill ourselves, and daily? How can we kill ourself daily? Is Jesus insane? Paul understood this in Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. " We are killing the selfish part of ourself whose only goal is to profit ourself. This is the same part that vainly tries to pull itself from the mire.

So, in reality the proper place to be in spiritually as a Christian is suicidal. I have an unrighteous jealousy of those on suicide watch, because they realize that they are in a wretched position and cannot save themselves. The folly though is that they do not realize that there is a solution. It is not the physical body that must die, since the problem is not with the physical body. Instead our the rebellious sinner within us must die.

Christ's simple solution is "Follow Me." This often his simple command is proclaimed again and again within the gospel. Although light in words it is heavy in its implications. Christ formed a nigh impossible standard and started a revolution among the religious apostasy of his time. To many people are following pastors and theologians and not directly following Christ.