The concept of “dying to self” is found throughout the New Testament. It speaks to the idea that in order to truly follow Christ, we must die to our old sinful nature and become alive in Christ. Here is an overview of what the Bible teaches about dying to self:
We must die to sin and self
Romans 6:2 says “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” The old self ruled by sin must die so that we can live a new life in Christ (Romans 6:6-7). Just as Christ died and was raised to life, we are called to die to sin and self and be made alive with Christ (Romans 6:8-11).
We must no longer live for ourselves
2 Corinthians 5:15 says that Christ died for all so that “those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” Before Christ, we lived selfishly but now we are to live for Christ and make his priorities our own.
We must take up our cross and follow Christ
Jesus said that anyone who wants to follow him must “deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Taking up the cross meant being willing to face rejection, suffering, and even death for the sake of Christ. It requires dying to self-interest and living sacrificially.
We must die to the flesh and its desires
The flesh represents our fallen, sinful desires. Galatians 5:24 says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” As believers, we are called to actively put to death, or crucify, the fleshly desires that wage war against our soul (1 Peter 2:11).
We must become humble and submit to God
James 4:7 says to “submit yourselves, then, to God.” Submission starts with humility – recognizing we are not in control but God is. Dying to self requires full surrender and yielding our will to the perfect will of God.
We must die to pursuing worldly success
In Philippians 3:8, Paul says he counts everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. Being willing to give up worldly success, reputation, achievement, and pride is central to dying to self and living fully for God.
We must die to pleasing people
The temptation to please people can hinder our walk with God. Galatians 1:10 says “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Dying to self sometimes means disappointing or angering people when we choose obedience to God.
We must die to self-sufficiency
Pride and self-reliance can prevent us from relying fully on God. Paul had a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble and dependent on God’s strength (2 Cor 12:7-10). Dying to self-sufficiency helps us recognize our constant need for God.
We must die to our expectations and accept God’s will
Dying to self requires surrendering our assumptions about how life should go. Jesus prayed “Yet not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Part of dying to self is yielding our hopes and plans to the perfect will of God.
We must die to selfish ambition
James 3:16 warns about selfish ambition that leads to disorder and evil. Godly ambition requires dying to selfishness and being willing to humbly serve others, not pursue our own glory.
We must die to pride and boast only in Christ
Galatians 6:14 says “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Dying to pride isn’t just resisting arrogance but boasting only in what Christ has done, not our own works or goodness.
We must die to hypocrisy and live authentic lives
Dying to self requires removing pretenses and masks of holiness. Our lives should match our convictions (Rom 2:21-24). We must live transparent, authentic lives that accurately reflect Christ to others.
We must die to selfish anger
Selfish anger is a mark of the flesh that must be put to death (Gal 5:20). Being slow to anger, seeking reconciliation, and not letting the sun go down on our anger helps us die to selfish anger.
We must die to pleasing ourselves
Romans 15:1-3 says to please our neighbor for his good and to build him up, as Christ did not please himself. Dying to self means not insisting on our way or comfort but serving others.
We must die to defending ourselves
When criticized or accused, our natural response is to defend ourselves. But 1 Peter 2:23 says that when Jesus was insulted, he did not retaliate. Dying to self means entrusting our reputation to God.
We must die to selfishness in marriage
Marriage provides many opportunities to die to self and serve our spouse sacrificially (Eph 5:25-33). It mirrors Christ’s sacrificial love for the church. We must die to selfishness in order to love each other well.
We must die to seeking human praise
Jesus said to beware practicing righteousness before others to be noticed (Matt 6:1). Dying to self means doing what’s right even when nobody notices or praises us except God.
We must die to entitlement
The world promotes self-entitlement, but Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to consider others more significant than ourselves. Dying to entitlement means giving up demands and embracing humble service.
We must die to self-pity
When experiencing trials, we may slip into self-pity and complaining. But 1 Peter 4:12-13 tells us to rejoice as we share in Christ’s sufferings. Dying to self-pity chooses joy and gratitude amidst pain.
We must die to bitterness
Bitterness is the feeling of being victimized and offended. But God calls us to gracious forgiveness, granting others mercy as He has granted us mercy (Eph 4:31-32). We must die to bitterness.
We must die to greed and pursue generosity
Greed is idolatry (Col 3:5) and leads to all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10). But Christ set an example of sacrificial generosity. Dying to greed allows us to generously share with others.
We must die to laziness
Dying to laziness means working diligently and making the most of our time (Eph 5:15-17). Idleness should be replaced with labor motivated by serving God and others.
We must die to living for comfort and ease
Our flesh craves comfort and ease, but Christ promises persecution in this world (John 16:33). Dying to worldly comfort may mean embracing hardship for the sake of the gospel.
We must die to self-preservation
Attempting to preserve our life in this world will result in losing it (Luke 17:33). Dying to self-preservation means abandoning worldly security for eternal treasure in Christ.
We must die to sinful thoughts
Dying to self requires taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). We must crucify sinful thought patterns that dishonor God.
We must die to trusting in ourselves
The Bible warns against leaning on our own understanding (Prov 3:5). Dying to self involves deep dependence on God rather than confidence in our own wisdom, talents, or capabilities.
We must die to self-righteousness
It’s tempting to establish our own righteousness but we must fully trust in Christ’s righteousness alone (Rom 10:1-4). Dying to self means abandoning spiritual pride and boasting only in the cross.
We must die to loving this world
Demas deserted Paul because he loved this world (2 Tim 4:10). Dying to worldliness helps us store up heavenly treasure rather than earthly reward (Matt 6:20-21).
We must die to worldly passions
Titus 2:11-12 reminds us to reject ungodly passions and live self-controlled, upright lives. Dying to lust and unchecked passions is essential for following Christ.
We must die to popularity
The temptation to have the praise of people rather than God prevented the religious leaders from believing in Jesus (John 12:42-43). We must die to desire for popularity.
We must die to the need to control
Dying to the need to control others and circumstances requires trust in God’s sovereign plan. We must yield control of our lives to Christ and trust that He is in control.
We must die to selfish use of time
Rather than living for weekend pleasures, we are called to make the most of every opportunity (Eph 5:15-17). Dying to selfish use of time values every minute as a chance to serve God.
We must die to selfish use of money
Instead of hoarding and lavish spending on ourselves, dying to self helps us use money as a ministry to generously help those in need (1 Tim 6:17-19).
We must die to living for the approval of others
The temptation to compromise or pretend in order to gain other’s approval is strong. But we must die to peer pressure and fear of man to live for an audience of one – Christ.
We must die to the need for validation from others
Our worth and validation comes from Christ alone. Dying to the need for human praise, likes, and attention allows us to rest confidently in how God sees us.
We must die to selfish prayers
Instead of treating God like a genie who answers requests that further our comfort and success, dying to self means praying for His will above our own.
We must die to selfish motives in ministry
Dying to self means serving with pure motives to glorify God, not boost our ego or gain influence over others. Ministry should flow from humility, not selfish ambition.
We must die to worldly sorrow and produce godly sorrow
Godly sorrow produces repentance but worldly sorrow leads to death (2 Cor 7:10). Dying to worldly sorrow over getting caught embraces genuine repentance.
We must die to selfish use of giftedness
Spiritual gifts are meant to serve others, not boost our pride (1 Peter 4:10-11). Dying to selfishness uses gifts to build up others and point them to Christ.
We must die to self-absorption
The Bible instructs us to look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil 2:4). Dying to self-absorption chooses compassion, awareness, and concern for others.
We must die to self-sufficiency in parenting
Rather than relying on our own wisdom and capabilities, godly parenting requires dying to pride and self-sufficiency, depending fully on God’s grace.
We must die to impatience
Instead of operating on our preferred timetable, God calls us to patient endurance (James 1:2-4). Dying to impatience submits to God’s perfect timing and develops perseverance.
We must die to complacency and spiritual laziness
Dying to complacency requires vigilance, self-discipline, and passionate pursuit of Christ (Rev 3:14-22). Lukewarm, going-through-the-motions Christianity must be put to death.
We must die to fear of man
Fearing God delivers us from fearing people (Isaiah 51:12-13). Dying to fear of man means fully embracing Christ as Lord regardless of persecution or rejection.
We must die to selfish use of liberty
Christian liberty is not a license to indulge the flesh but an opportunity to lovingly serve others (Gal 5:13-14). Dying to selfishness uses freedom to glorify God.
We must die to making much of ourselves
The mantra of dying to self is exalting Christ, not exalting self (John 3:30). Every area of life should be lived for the glory and pleasure of God.
We must die to self daily
Dying to self is not a one-time event but a daily process of repentance and renewal (Luke 9:23). As we abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit empowers us to continually crucify the flesh.
In summary, the consistent message we find in Scripture is that following Jesus authentically requires dying to our old, sinful self and coming alive to righteousness in Christ. This death to self includes dying to sin, living for Christ, taking up our cross, submitting fully to God’s will, pursuing humility, generosity, and obedience, even when difficult and costly. When we die to self, we can live freely and abundantly in the resurrected life and power of Jesus Christ within us.