THE FORGETTING OF SELF.

THE FORGETTING OF SELF.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24.

There is a difference between the denying and the forgetting of self. This distinction is clearly brought out in the illustration Jesus gave above. A grain of wheat cannot germinate, become a plant, and bear fruit unless it first falls into the ground. Germination does not take place on the surface but in the soil. The seed must be planted (buried) in the ground (out of sight) before the forces of nature can act upon it. The same is true in our Christian experience. Unless we too lose sight of self we cannot become a new creation in Christ.

Elsewhere Jesus categorically affirmed: “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:34, 35. These words were directed primarily to the disciples. Most of them had already left their homes and occupations to follow Jesus. “We have forsaken all,” Peter once observed (Matthew 19:27). It did not take the disciples long to realize that they could not follow Jesus unless they were willing to deny themselves, many innocent things and personal comforts in life. They had to sacrifice everything dear to them: their time, loved ones, and personal interests. Who knows how many times they were even accused of being vagabonds and of shrinking their responsibilities. Most people looked on them with scorn and disdain. And no doubt they keenly felt the sting of the malicious charges and insinuations directed against them.

True self denial involves much more than the giving up of things and the depriving ourselves of what is important or dear to us. And while it is indeed a rare virtue to be able to accept reproach and to be misunderstood, misjudged, and maligned without becoming bitter, resentful, or critical of those who abuse us, the Holy Spirit wishes to lead us into a fuller identification with Jesus, which can only take place by forgetting of self completely. Not only must we die to what others think and say of us, but we must also be dead to our own feelings, thoughts, and reputation. The more we are immersed in Christ and His will, the more we lose sight of ourselves and become indifferent to praise and slander, good or ill, the present or the future. To know that we are in His Almighty hands is to know that nothing will befall us unless He wills or permits it. Whatever He does or sends is for our good, even if we cannot see the good. Another benefit we experience is that the more we forget self the less we expect from ourselves and from others. Should we fail we will not despond. Should we succeed we will not become proud or boastful. What others think or say about us will no longer affect us in good or ill, since it is only God’s approval that counts and our object is to please Him.

Not to expect anything from ourselves or from others frees us from many illusions, disappointments, and temptations. We know that we are nothing and that there is nothing good in us apart from God. What matters most to us is to know, love and serve Him as He wills with humility of heart and mind. To forget self is to will only what He wills for us and to accept in love whatever befalls us as coming from Him, never blaming or seeking pity from anyone when afflictions and trials arise.

A good illustration of this unconcern for self can be seen in St. Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, a people whose fickleness was made evident even toward the apostle himself. “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 4:3, 4. The apostle was not troubled by the Corinthians’ sudden change of attitude toward him; in fact, he did not even value his own opinion of himself.

Philippians 3:7, 10 describes the man who had reached that blessed condition of forgetting self. The very things which the apostle had at one time considered of value to him personally he no longer deemed necessary or important in comparison to the surpassing worth of Christ Jesus, whom he longed to know and receive in His fullness.

Joseph is another case in point. The sufferings and hardships he endured in order to remain faithful to the Lord reveal a life of continual self-denial and submission to the will of God. Hated by his brethren sold as a slave, and then thrown into prison for not yielding to the advances of his master’s wife, Joseph refused to defend or vindicate himself. He accepted the wrongs and injustices which befell him as coming from God’s hand for his ultimate good. At the birth of his firstborn he called the child, Manesseh, “for God said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and my father’s house.” Genesis 41:51. The second son was named, Ephraim, “For God” he said, “hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:52.

Joseph knew what it was to be denied and cut off from everyone and everything dear to him. But while he was in Egypt, hidden and buried, as it were, from sight, the man of destiny like the grain of wheat fallen into the ground, underwent a great spiritual transformation and emerged from prison a great and noble ruler- a man in whom the Spirit of God was clearly evident and recognized by other (Genesis 41:38). His sad, unhappy past did not make or leave Joseph bitter toward life or humanity; God also made him forget all the wrongs done to him by erasing their memory from his soul. Joseph now realizes more that ever, that what had befallen him had been ordained by God for his own spiritual good. Later, when he revealed himself to his brethren, he allayed their fear of retribution and even remorse for their past treatment of him by inviting them to come near to him. “And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life…  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and a lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Genesis 45:4, 5, 8.

Had Joseph harbored any personal grudge or resentment against his brothers for what they had done to him, he could not have acted as he did. The mere presence of his brethren would have caused him to deal with them, not in love, but in revenge. But God had already given Joseph grace to forget himself and all the evil received. He longed to make himself known to his brothers, not in vindication, but in a spirit of genuine love and concern for their good- that love which comes only from God and enables one to forgive and forget the sins and wrongs of others.

The forgetting of self is the highest degree of self-denial one can ever attain in Christ.

“The House of Prayer.”

The Mount Zion Reporter Vol.30, Chisleu (December 1984) No.6