Invisible Me
 

by Steven Harper

   

Throughout the writings of the apostle Paul, we see his efforts to exalt Christ while simultaneously diminishing himself. He did so because he understood as well as anyone that the salvation of the hearer/reader would not be dependent upon some power in Paul, or some superior ability he had to persuade others to follow Christ. He knew, as he stated to the Romans, the gospel of Jesus Christ is “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16); the power was not in him [the messenger], but in the message itself - more specifically, the one at the center of that message, Jesus Christ.

But even early in the history of the church, men were divided and made distinctions based on who taught them. The Corinthians had done so (cf. 1 Cor. 1:11-12) and Paul wrote to eliminate such unworthy divisions. Paul pointed them back to Christ and remind them it was Christ they followed, and not any man (1 Cor. 1:30-31). He would later write to make sure the brethren there understood that his part in even their salvation was not to be celebrated, saying of himself, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Cor. 3:5-7). Let us emphasize Paul’s statement that the one doing the teaching is nothing because it is God who gives the increase.

Paul would later give an illustration of this humble mind when he wrote of how he “made [himself] a servant to all, that I might win the more;…became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:19-22). In all these things, Paul was willing to give up his identity as “Paul” and be known merely as the means of another’s salvation. To him, it didn’t matter if they saw him as “Paul,” but was willing to give up whatever he had to give up if there was even the possibility of someone being saved.

Paul again makes the contention that he is “nothing” when he wrote to the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). In this statement, Paul declares that “Paul” was crucified with Christ, and “Paul” no longer lived, but it was Christ living in him, and the life he now lived, he lived by faith in Christ. In these words, Paul exalts Christ as the one for whom he lives, and tells us he is no longer living for himself. In effect, Paul is saying that he so lived so that others, looking at him, would see only Christ. “Paul” didn’t exist anymore.

But, oh, do we love our “self”! Oh, do we like to hang on to “me” - even after we declare we have given our lives in service to Jesus Christ! Oh, do we resist giving up self that Christ may live in us! Oh, do we resent it when our brothers and sisters point out our selfish attitudes and actions! We profess a desire to be mere servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, but then act as if He lives to serve us, and that He should bend His will to ours!

Let us be reminded that the gospel message we claim to believe teaches “us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). In that message, Paul said, is a necessity of denying “self”! I cannot claim to actually be following the gospel if I am quite unwilling to deny the things I pursued when I lived outside of Christ. Jesus likewise said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). Jesus plainly demands we deny “self” if we want to follow Him!

As disciples, we are to be the people whom Paul described as “those who…live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor 5:14-15); that is to say, we should live for Christ and no longer live for self. Paul put it in different terms when he wrote to the brethren at Rome, saying, “Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom. 6:11-13). Again, the demand is that we do not live for our selfish desires [self] any longer, but for Christ, practicing righteousness. “Self” should not even be in the picture any longer!

And even in the good that we do, “self” should still be invisible to the observer. Jesus admonishes us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). In other words, I should live and do good works in such a way that when others look at me, they are not seeing my “self” but God, and they give Him [not me] the glory for what has been done. This stands in contrast to the hypocrites whom Jesus would later describe as ones who did charitable deeds to be seen of men (Matt. 6:1), prayed to be seen of men (Matt. 6:5), and fasted to be seen of men (Matt. 6:16). In these cases, the “self” was most prominent and the ‘glory’ they received was directed at them. Jesus wants us to so live and act that when others look at us and the deeds we do, they don’t even see the person, but see God and Christ, and any glory that is offered goes to God, and not to “self.” We must be “invisible” while God is prominent!

But, oh, do we love “self”! When brethren focus on “self” in their service to God, they will complain when no one notices them or calls them out for praise; they will complain when things are not going as they want within the church; they will cause unnecessary conflict and division. When we focus on “self,” we start thinking more about what “I” want or what “I” need, rather than what God or Christ wants or what my brother or sister in Christ needs. When I base my happiness on “self,” rather than on what God tells me brings true happiness, I will always be disappointed and may even become bitter when things don’t go my way. It is only when “self” becomes invisible that we will present the proper example to the world of the servant of Christ.

If you have ever been to a nice restaurant, hotel, or even shopping experience where you had to deal with the employees of said businesses, what is it that makes our experiences memorable? Isn’t it the fact of something well done, rather than remembering a particular employee’s name? That is exactly the point of our service to God; it is not about self; it is all about presenting to the world an example that will cause them to seek out what we offer to them, and to talk about God and about Christ, eventually seeing that they not only want what God has offered, but to also see that they need what He has offered.

May I have the necessary humility that others may see Christ in me.

 

 

  Other Articles
Why Doesn't the Church Contribute to Businesses?
The Mark of The Beast
The Spiritual Simplicity of Our Singing
The Grace of God that Brings Salvation

 

Should the Lord's Supper be taken like a meal? May women speak during the Lord's Supper as they would at a common meal at a table?
Click Here to Read and Hear More About this Question

 

 Would you like others to read this article?

                    Please share!