Being Conformed to the Death of Christ vs. Ethical or Religious Teachings of Self-Improvement

 

Being Conformed to the Death of Christ vs. Ethical or Religious Teachings of Self-Improvement

— God’s Economy Is Not a Matter of Outward Improvement but of Experiencing Christ’s Death So That We May Live in the Divine Life

Based on Romans 6-8, Galatians 2:20, 5:24, Philippians 3:10, and Matthew 16:24-25, and by integrating ministry information, the “mortemization of the death of Christ” is integrated and compared with the “teachings of ethical or religious reformation.”

Item	Being Conformed to the Death of Christ	Ethical or Religious Teachings of Self-Improvement
Basic nature	An experience of life: Through Christ’s death, we are delivered from the natural life and live in the divine life.	Improvement of behavior: Through teachings, rules, and discipline, man attempts to make his behavior better and more moral.
Place in God’s economy	God’s economy is not to make us merely “good people” but to impart the divine life into us, cause us to experience Christ as life, and conform us to the image of Christ.	It can bring the Christian life into the realm of ethics, religion, and moral improvement rather than the cultivation and enjoyment of the divine life.
Central Person	Christ Himself — “To know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Phil. 3:10).	Man himself — “How can I become a better person, control myself, improve my character, and become a good husband or wife?”
Basic principle	“Not I, but Christ.” “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).	“I will do better.” Man relies on his will, determination, self-discipline, cultivation, and religious exercises to change himself.
Fundamental problem dealt with	The natural life is dealt with so that we no longer live by ourselves but by Christ as life.	The outward behavior is dealt with, hoping to change bad behavior into good behavior.
Six negative matters that need to be dealt with	The old man, the body of sin, the flesh with its passions and lusts, the practices of the body, the self, and the soul (the natural life).	Usually focuses on temper, words, habits, attitudes, and outward behavior.
The old man	We accept the fact that “our old man has been crucified with Him” (Rom. 6:6) and, in experience, do not allow the old man to rule.	We try to cultivate the old man so that its behavior becomes gentler, more civilized, and more respectable.
The body of sin	Through dying with Christ, we are delivered from the dominion of sin, so that the body of sin may be annulled (Rom. 6:6).	The emphasis is on restraining sinful acts so that we “do not sin.”
The flesh with its passions and lusts	“They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts” (Gal. 5:24). The flesh is not merely repaired; it is put on the cross.	We attempt to control desires, temper, emotions, and impulses so that we may behave better.
The practices of the body	“By the Spirit [we] put to death the practices of the body” (Rom. 8:13). This is not merely natural self-control but the operation of the indwelling Spirit.	We rely on willpower, rules, determination, or training to control bodily behavior.
The self	“If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24).	We cultivate a more humble, self-controlled, gentle, and improved “self.”
The soul / natural life	“Whoever loses his soul-life for My sake shall find it” (Matt. 16:25). We refuse to live by the natural life.	The natural life is retained but educated, cultivated, and religiously improved.
Depth of dealing	It deals not only with what I do, but with by whom and by what life I do it. Even good, spiritual, and scriptural things must be done by being conformed to Christ’s death.	It mainly asks, “Is this action right, good, moral, and according to Scripture?”
The problem of doing good things	Even when doing something scriptural, we may still be acting by the natural life. Therefore, we need to be conformed to Christ’s death.	If the action itself is good, correct, and biblical, it is easily considered sufficient.
Loving others	Instead of merely deciding, “I will love this person,” we are conformed to Christ’s death in loving that person. Natural love is dealt with so that Christ’s love may be lived out.	“I will learn to love people,” “I will be good to others,” or “I will improve my relationships.”
When we are about to lose our temper	Instead of merely trying to suppress our temper, we are conformed to Christ’s death, allowing the natural life to be put to death.	“I need to control my temper,” “I need to be patient,” or “I need to improve my character.”
Marriage life	We do not first strive merely to be a “good husband” or “good wife.” We are conformed to Christ’s death in married life so that the natural life is dealt with and Christ is lived out.	We study how to be a good husband or wife and learn principles of marital ethics and interpersonal skills.
Religious life	Even in prayer, Bible reading, meetings, and service, we need to be conformed to Christ’s death and not act by the natural life.	More religious activities, rules, and practices are used to improve spiritual performance.
Bible knowledge	Truth is not merely an increase of knowledge; it brings us into the experience of Christ’s death and resurrection so that we experience Him as life.	The Bible can be treated as a code of ethics: “The Bible tells me how I should behave.”
Meaning of the cross	The cross is not merely Christ’s once-for-all redemptive death; it also becomes our daily way of living. We are “always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:10-11).	The cross may be understood mainly as Christ dying for us, with less emphasis on experiencing the cross as the way of dealing with the natural life.
“Taking up the cross”	In practical daily living, we accept the cross that God measures out to us so that the self, soul, and natural life may be dealt with.	Taking up the cross may be understood mainly as suffering, enduring difficulties, or restraining oneself.
Dying with Christ	“If we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will also grow together with Him in the likeness of His resurrection” (Rom. 6:5). Death is for life.	The primary goal is to improve oneself, without necessarily entering into the experience of dying and living with Christ.
Being delivered from the elementary principles of the world	By dying with Christ, we are released from the elementary principles of the world and from outward religious regulations such as “Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch” (Col. 2:20-23).	More rules and religious requirements are used to regulate human living.
Source of power	The indwelling Holy Spirit and the divine life. Because believers have been regenerated and have the Spirit dwelling in them, they can experience Christ’s death.	Primarily human willpower, natural ability, education, ethical principles, and religious discipline.
Way of experience	Accept Christ’s death → take up the cross → deny the self → put to death the practices of the body → live by the Spirit → live out Christ.	Receive teaching → make a resolution → exercise self-control → improve behavior → become a better person.
Result	The natural life is dealt with, Christ’s life is lived out, and we are progressively conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son (Rom. 8:29).	Outward behavior may improve, while the source of the inner life—the natural life—may remain untouched.
Deepest difference	Not “changing the bad into the good,” but “putting the natural into death so that Christ may be lived out.”	Changing bad behavior into good behavior and becoming a better person.
Spiritual reality	“It is no longer I, but Christ” becomes the reality of our living (Gal. 2:20).	“I will do better”  remains centered on the “I.”
Ultimate direction	Being conformed to Christ’s death → experiencing the power of Christ’s resurrection → being conformed to Christ’s image → the corporate expression of God’s firstborn Son.	Moral improvement → improved outward behavior → becoming a better ethical or religious person.

The Six Negative Matters and Their Relation to Being Conformed to Christ’s Death

Six Matters That Need to Be Dealt With	Dealing of the Cross	Practical Result of Being Conformed to Christ’s Death
The old man	Crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6)	The old man is no longer allowed to rule.
The body of sin	The body of sin is annulled (Rom. 6:6)	Deliverance from the dominion of sin.
The flesh with its passions and lusts	The flesh is crucified (Gal. 5:24)	We no longer live according to the flesh.
The practices of the body	Put to death by the Spirit (Rom. 8:13)	We live according to the Spirit.
The self	Deny the self and take up the cross (Matt. 16:24)	The self is no longer the center of our living.
The soul / natural life	Lose the soul-life (Matt. 16:25)	We no longer act by the natural life but allow Christ to be our life.

One Crucial Spiritual Line

The Way of Ethical Improvement

Bad behavior → Improve behavior → Good behavior → Good person

The Way of God’s Economy

Natural life → Cross → Dying with Christ → Living by the Spirit → Christ lived out → Conformed to Christ’s image

Therefore, being conformed to Christ’s death is not another, higher form of “self-improvement.” On the contrary, it means ceasing to make self-improvement the center. The cross deals not merely with the “bad self” but with the natural self itself—even the natural life that can do good things, spiritual things, and things according to the Bible.

Four Key Transitions

1. From “improving behavior” to “dealing with the source of life”

The question is not merely:  “Is what I am doing right or wrong?”

Rather:  “Am I doing this by the natural life?”

2. From “I want to do good” to “It is no longer I”

It is not merely: “I want to love others more.”

Rather:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

3. From “controlling myself” to “putting to death by the Spirit”

It is not merely suppressing our temper, desires, or natural reactions by our willpower. Rather:

“By the Spirit [we] put to death the practices of the body” (Rom. 8:13).

4. From “ethical goodness” to “the expression of Christ”

God’s goal is not merely to produce a morally better person. His goal is to make us conformed to the image of His firstborn Son (Rom. 8:29), so that Christ may be lived out in us.

One-Sentence Prophetic Summary

God’s economy is not to make us better people through ethics, religion, or self-improvement; rather, it is to cause us to take up the cross, deny the self, put the natural life to death, and be conformed to Christ’s death, so that we no longer live by ourselves but allow Christ to live in us, ultimately being conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son.

Spiritual Formula

Ethical improvement:
I → improvement → good behavior

God’s economy:
I → cross → death → Christ → life → Christ’s image

This also explains why “it is easy for a Christian not to do evil things, but it is very difficult to be conformed to Christ’s death and not do anything by his natural life.” The former deals primarily with behavior; the latter touches the source of the natural life. Yet it is precisely here that Christ’s death becomes the model of our practical living, and Christ’s resurrection life can be lived out in us.

 

*Please refer to the April 2026 Summer Training, General Topic: Believers, Chapter Ten: The Conformation into Christ's Death and the Attainment of His Magnificent Resurrection.