 The Proclaimer
Dying For The Cause
Last month was
the 60th anniversary of D-Day during World War II. I saw a
documentary in which some that took part in the invasion of Normandy were
interviewed. There was one man that was one of the very first to land on
Omaha Beach. As he described riding to the shore in the amphibious vehicle,
he spoke of the fact that he and his buddies knew that they were considered
expendable and probably would not survive this first wave of the invasion.
The sacrifice of their life was a price they were willing to pay for what
was hoped to be some greater gain. To make such a sacrifice you must really
love and believe in your country.
In the first century many died for the cause of
Christ. Early on Stephen was stoned to death for preaching the gospel of
Christ (Acts 7). James was killed by Herod with the sword (Acts 12:1, 2).
At Lystra Paul was stoned, dragged outside the city and left for dead (Acts
14:19). I suspect we would all like to think that if called upon to do so
we would give our lives for the cause of Christ.
But there is a sense in which we must do
exactly that each day of our life. To the Roman brethren Paul says, “our old
man was crucified with him” (Rom. 6:6) and we “died with Christ” (v. 8).
And to the Galatians he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it
is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who
loved me, and gave himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
In World War II, as in other wars, men were
willing to sacrifice their lives because of their love for their country and
the greater gain that this sacrifice would bring. It seems to me that this
is exactly the motivation of each soldier of the cross today (cf. Matt.
16:25, 26). Because of our love for the Lord we are willing to sacrifice
self and put Him first. The life we live as a Christian then becomes a
“living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” Rom. 12:1). In fact, to be a
disciple of the Lord this sacrifice must be made (Matt. 16:24), even as He
“emptied himself” and “humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death,
yea, the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7, 8).
This sacrifice must be made in reference to
worldliness as Paul tells us, “be not fashioned according to this world”
(Rom. 12:2), and John says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world” (1 John 2:15). Since the “old man” with his carnal mindedness
is dead, we understand that such a sacrifice of self prompts us to serve the
Lord without regard for convenience. It brings a sense of duty that only
true soldiers understand. It enables us to yield to our brother in matters
of expediency. It even enables us to suffer the wrong rather than see
Christ’s cause suffer (cf. 1 Cor. 6:5-7), and to swallow our pride rather
than see the greater work damaged.
For each
of those soldiers the sacrifice of their life was made long before they ever
faced death in battle. Since Paul had already sacrificed self, life or death
was not the issue, and he could write, “Christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether by life, or by death” (Phil. 1:20). Is Christ magnified in
your body? Have you truly sacrificed self? Lip service simply will not
do. You’d better take an objective look at your life before you attempt to
answer those questions.
-- Clark Dugger
The Proclaimer
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