Paul drops an incredible promise in 2 Timothy 2:11 that most Christians skim right past. He’s not talking about some distant future reality—he’s revealing how you can experience real life with Jesus starting today.
The catch? You have to die first.
But this death isn’t what you think it is. You’re not waiting around for your heart to stop beating. You’re making a choice right now, in this moment, that unlocks access to Christ’s power flowing through your actual life. This is the daily decision that transforms everything about how you walk with Jesus.
It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him.
Let me show you what this death actually looks like in your everyday life, and why the life that comes from it is exactly what you’ve been searching for.
You can trust this promise completely: If you die with Christ, you will live with Him.
When Paul Writes About Dying with Christ
Paul’s talking about something real in your life right now, not just what happens when your physical body stops breathing. You die with Christ when you surrender your old way of living. You die to running your own life, making your own rules, and trusting your own strength.
This death isn’t a one-time event you check off a list. It’s a daily choice you make. Every morning you wake up, you get to decide: will you live for yourself today, or will you die to yourself and let Christ live through you?
What This Death Actually Looks Like
When you die with Christ, your old desires start losing their grip on you. The things that used to control you—anger, pride, lust, greed—they don’t get the final say anymore. You’re choosing to let those parts of you stay dead instead of resurrecting them every time they feel convenient.
You’re also dying to your need to be right, to be noticed, to be comfortable. You’re putting to death your fear of what people think about you. You’re killing off the version of you that needs to be in control of everything.
The Life That Comes from This Death
Here’s the incredible part: the promise isn’t just about heaven later. When you die with Christ, you immediately start living with Him now. You get access to His life, His power, His peace, His joy—right in the middle of your regular Tuesday afternoon.
This is New Covenant living. You’re not waiting until you physically die to experience life with Jesus. You’re experiencing Him today, in real time, because you’ve chosen to die to yourself. The more you die to your old way of living, the more you come alive to His way of living through you.
Your Direct Access to This Reality
You don’t need a priest or a pastor to make this work for you. Through Jesus, you have direct access to the Father. The Holy Spirit lives in you right now, ready to help you die to yourself and live with Christ in every moment. This isn’t theory—it’s the actual power available to you because of what Jesus accomplished through His blood.
When you feel yourself wanting to take control back, that’s your moment to die again. When you catch yourself living for your own glory, that’s when you choose death to self one more time. And every single time you make that choice, you experience more of His life flowing through you.