From the book "True Christianity" --

Christ died for all, that those who lived might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised (2 Cor 5:15).

This verse is an excellent verse of consolation, for it clearly says that Christ died for all. It is also a beautiful guide to the holy life, in that it tells us we are not to live for ourselves but for him who died for us. If we are so to live we must die to ourselves and the world. It cannot be otherwise; the person who wishes to live in Christ must die to worldly lusts and he who wishes to live for himself and the evil world must let Christ go.

There is a threefold death. First, there is a spiritual death, by which man daily dies to himself, that is, to his fleshly lusts, to covetousness, pride, pleasure, wrath, and so forth. The second is natural death and the third is the eternal death.

Concerning the natural death, Saint Paul spoke in Philippians 1:21: To live is Christ and to die is gain. This indicates that when a Christian experiences the natural death, Christ is his life, and death is victory, that is, he receives a better life and wealth, an eternal for a physical life, and this is his victory.

It is also proper to interpret this passage as referring to the spiritual dying to sin. The soul whose life is Christ is blessed, that is, if Christ lives in the soul or if the soul takes the life of Christ to itself, that is, his humility and meekness. Most people have the Devil's life in themselves, and the Devil with covetousness, pride, pleasure, wrath, and sinfulness, that is, the whole of the Devil's life, is their life.

Therefore, take note who lives in you. Blessed is the man who can say in his heart: Christ is my life, not only following this life but also now. While you live here Christ must be your life, that is, he must live in you and to die must be gain, that is, if pride, covetousness, pleasure, wrath, and enmity die in you, if you die to yourself and the world. How great a gain, for by this Christ lives in you. The more you die to the world the more Christ lives in you. Is not this a great gain? Live then so that Christ lives in you in time, so that you might live with him in eternity.

Where the desires of this world are, there can be no peace and rest. To these, man must completely die before Christ can live in him. This is indicated to us in the dear, old Sarah who in her old age, after all womanly desires had died, became pregnant and bore Isaac, that is, one who laughs. Following the mortification of her body she bore the son of the free man (Gen 18:12). Thus, if the wordly desires do not die in you, you cannot conceive and bear the joy of the spirit.

This is also exemplified in Abraham, for he did not receive the promise of Christ and the circumcision before he left his fatherland and had left his earth. Thus, so long as a man clings to the world firmly with his heart, he cannot discover or taste Christ in his heart.

As soon as Herod died, Christ came back to Judah (Mt. 2:19-20). So long as the fox Herod is in your heart, with his earthly, worldly desires, Christ will not come. If he dies in you however, Christ will come. If Adam rules in you, Christ cannot live in you. Therefore, Saint Paul says in Galatians 2:20: "I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me."

You are truly dead if you cease to be what you were, that is, if your sins die in you (Rom, 6:1-18). If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit, that is, if we praised ourselves in faith and the spirit, let us also show forth the fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:25 ... Rom 8:13).

In 1 Samuel 15:8, Saul casts Agag, the Amalekite king, into prison, although according to God's commandment he was to have killed him. In the same way, many people secretly conceal their desires that they should kill. It is not enough that you hide away your lusts; you must kill them or you will be cast out of the kingdom as Saul was, that is, out of eternal life. The whole of the Holy Scripture with its histories, images, and figures looks toward Christ whom we are to follow in a holy life. Indeed, the great world-book of nature gives witness to God and his love.

Many men are as trees in the winter who at that time have no leaves but put forth leaves again in the spring. Many of them, if the cold winter of misfortune comes upon them, subdue their evil lusts but as soon as the sun shines again and it goes better with them again they begin their evil lusts in a greater way. They are hypocrites. A Christian, however, is pious, both in good and evil times, and loves God at both times of fortune and misfortune, in ownership and loss, in need and superfluity.

In 1 Kings 20:42 we read of Ahab. God gave the King of Syria into his hands and he was to keep him in prison. This indicates that God is stronger than all enemies and overcomes those who sin against him. When a battle arose, Ahab called him his brother and let him go, but a prophet came to Ahab and said: Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to your destruction, your life shall go for his life. In a like manner, many people call evil lusts their brothers and let them live. They ought to kill them and because they do not, they must give up their life for them.

Without the mortification of the flesh, nothing spiritual can be in man, neither true prayer nor meditation. Therefore, the Lord God commanded in Exodus 19:20 that no animal was to come near to the holy mountain Sinai or it would be killed. Thus, you must kill bestial lusts if you wish to draw near to the holy mountain of God, to pray and to meditate on God's word, or you will die eternally.

In Genesis 32:28 we read that Jacob received another name, Israel, that is, one who fought with God or God's prince, since in a battle with the angel he saw the face of God. Therefore, he called the place "Peniel," that is, God's face. One must first be a Jacob, that is, a victor. You must first be a Jacob, that is a victor through the Holy Spirit over your evil lusts, if you wish to be an Israel, that is God's prince, and if you wish to come to the place Peniel, that is God's presence.

In Genesis 29:17-25 we read that Jacob wishes to have the woman Rachel as his beautiful wife, but he had to take Leah first. Leah was physically ugly; Rachel was pretty and beautiful. Therefore, if you wish to have the beautiful Rachel, that is, if your soul is to be the wife of Jacob, that is, of Christ, you must first take to yourself Leah, that is, you must not be pleasing to yourself and deny yourself. How many are led astray, as was Jacob, from their own lives, that is, from themselves, who think they have the beautiful and pretty Rachel, that is, they think they have a Christian life that will be pleasing to God. Yet when they look at it, it is Leah. Their life is hateful and unformed before God's eyes. If you are first unworthy in your own eyes as a Leah, the most unworthy in her father's house, learn first humility, meekness, and patience. Then you will become the beautiful Rachel.

Note how loyally Jacob served seven years for Rachel and yet it seemed to him it was one single day, so much love did he have for her. So also your Lord Christ served your soul thirty-three years in this world and endured difficult service for you, as Jacob said: These twenty years have I been with you; by day the heat consumed me and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes (Gen 31:38-40). Note that the Lord Christ also served you in a similar way as he said in Matthew 20:28: "The Son of Man is not come to be served but that he might serve and give his life as a payment for many." Therefore, will you then not love Christ and deny the world, his enemy?