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I. THE SETTING ASIDE OF SELF. Not annihilating it, but giving it its proper place. Selfishness is the master-sin, the master-curse of man. The selfish man is not like one looking round on a noble landscape, and forgetting himself in the beauty of the wide expanse, but like one carrying a mirror with him, so that every object is seen in connection with self, and is only admired as it helps to set off self. The apostle reverses all this. From the Christian's life, death, and all between, self has been displaced. The first setting aside of self is in the matter of justification before God; for, previously, man's object was to amend, improve, or mortify self, in order that he might recommend himself to God. The Holy Spirit, however, shows that self can contribute nothing towards man's acceptance with God. What is conviction of sin but just the setting aside of self? From that point it proceeds onwards throughout a man's whole life. Others may live and die to themselves, but not we who have been "bought with a price." How this —

1. Elevates life! That which degrades life is the introduction of self, but now life is lifted up into its true glory — the position which God originally designed for man.

2. Takes away life's littlenesses.

3. Establishes and strengthens life.

4. Secures us against all failure and disappointment.

II. THE SUBSTITUTE FOR SELF.

1. In the matter of our standing before God. As the first thing the Holy Spirit does is to set aside self, in the matter of justification and acceptance, so His next is to present to us the Son of God as the true ground of our acceptance. Having taken Him in the place of self, we find ourselves at once "accepted in the Beloved."

2. As the object for whom we live. In Him we find an object worth living for.

(1) What solemnity is thus thrown over life! All its parts and movements are now consecrated to the Lord.

(2) What dignity this imparts, both to life and death!

(3) What importance now attaches to life! All triviality has passed out of it.

(4) What an imperishable character is thus imparted to life! It was self formerly that ruined everything. He is come in, who is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever," and He imparts His immortality to us.

(5) What an incentive to zeal this gives us!

(6) What a reason for consistency and holiness of life! Everything we do tells, not merely upon our comfort, earthly prospects, good name, but upon the glory of Christ.

III. THE MANNER IN WHICH THIS SUBSTITUTION IS EFFECTED (ver. 9). Christ's claim over us as Jehovah is eternal, and nothing can be added to it. But His claim over us as the Christ is a superadded claim. This claim He has made good by His death and resurrection. Nor can any one dispute it or present a rival one, for no other has done what He did.

1. The least, then, that we can give Him is our life; the undivided service of our being, in every part.

2. Our death is to be His. In dying He thought on us; so in dying let us think on Him. Our death is to be for His glory.

3. Our eternity is to be His. He ever liveth for us; let us anticipate the ever living for Him.

(H. Bonar, D.D.)

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KJV: For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

WEB: For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.