"A prisoner of Christ Jesus, in Him I die daily."

[Chichiri]

Someone on another forum has that as their sig. Could some Christian here explain what is meant by that, and why I shouldn't be very, very disturbed by it?

[JVS]

1. Yeah, hold on. I'll find it.

[Swede]

2. It must be some Fundie twisting of a biblical passage.

I've never heard it before.

[rateyes]

3. The Apostle Paul often referred to himself...

while he was in prison suffering for his faith, "I am a prisoner in Christ Jesus..." He was comparing his physical imprisonment with his dedication to Jesus. "in him I die daily" probably refers to Jesus' command to "take up your cross daily..." meaning that one should give their lives in sacrificial service to others each day.

Too bad, IMHO, most "fundies" don't really understand it. For, if they did, they would care more for the poor and least among us than they obviously do. They sure wouldn't support sending the least among us--(the people military recruiters usually find in situations they can't get out of)---off to be killed for them. They would, if they really thought it a noble cause, go and fight themselves--serving others.

Edit to add: At least that's how I understand it.

[patrice]

4. That's something about dying to your "self" and living in the Lord.

It's from The Bible.

Seems kind of inflated to me. And I'm afraid that too many people think living for others is about dominating them with your own "values", instead of helping them discover and construct their own values.

[rateyes]

5. I agree. eom

[JVS]

6. Ok. Did some digging here goes.

In Romans 7 verses 14-25 Paul writes
"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

I gotta run. I'll be back tomorrow to finish the explanation. But what Paul is talking about here is a human nature that is pitifully bound to sin and cannot be freed without the help of Christ. Sometimes this wretched sinful man is personified by the phrase "old Adam" and there are some who would say that in Christ the old Adam dies and one can regenerate. I need to look around more to be sure

[Zenlitened]

7. Sounds like he had some serious self-esteem issues.

:wow:

[patrice]

8. eeeeegad! What Bible is that? That barely makes any sense at all.

Really does seem that Christians hate the body.

[patrice]

9. eeeeegad! What Bible is that? That barely makes any sense at all.

Really does seem that Christians hate the body.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. It means dying to your old self every mornign you wake up. It isn't

necessarily a bad thing if you are coming into awareness of what bad things you have been doing in your life. Of course, it can be a bad thing if it means you have drunk the Kool-Aid and lost compassion and the ability to think for yourself.