Our obsession with ME subverts the truth that the death of Christ is a key event in the establishment of God’s rule. Why did Christ die? Christians often respond, “He died for ME and my sins.” While this is astonishingly true, there is a caveat—Christ died for far more than that. The whole of God’s reign is at stake in Christ’s death, as he takes the covenant curses upon himself. The Kingdom of God has burst on the scene, and the death of Christ is first and foremost about inaugurating this rule. Christ’s death is not about less than ME and my sins, but it is always superabundantly about so much more—God’s establishing his rule and restoring all things. And that is what we miss.
When I put myself, ME, at the center, the death of Christ and living spirituality are considerably impoverished. There is a place for me, but it is important to say no to ME being at the center. This involves a real battle—the battle with sin. Life and death are at stake. And if we choose to center on ME, we are facing the significant danger of embracing forms of spiritual impoverishment—notably, idolatry and self-deception.
Christians are called to live otherwise: for the Other and others. We are not called to constantly focus on ourselves. The scriptural mapping speaks of loving others and serving them. It speaks of evangelism, social action, and putting others before ourselves, as illuminating the true path toward living spirituality.
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