The Inversion Principle

There is a principle in New Testament teaching that I typically label “the inversion principle.” It is abundant in the words of Jesus and Paul, and it teaches us that we should die to live, serve to lead, and give away in order to truly enjoy. It is intriguing because it tells us that many things in life can only be achieved by not targeting them directly. This is a bizarre analogy, but it makes sense to me: we see best by not looking directly at the sun.

I think the “die to live” inversion is perhaps the most confusing to those on the outside of the faith. So I wanted some clear examples of it in scripture. But as I started I quickly became overwhelmed with the abundance of references. Here is just a few where Jesus teaches it with clarity and also with poetic language. Trying to preserve yourself apart from Christ is the path to loss, while losing yourself for Christ is the path to true life.

Places like:

Matthew 10:38–39: “Whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Matthew 16:24–25: ““Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Luke 9:23–24: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

John 12:24–25: “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

And this is just getting started. Paul teaches this thoroughly in his letters. True life comes after the death of the old self. The Christian life is resurrection life expressed through mortification. We die with Christ so that we may walk in newness of life.

I think about the many times my children have been told how to go about getting something they want, but the path is not direct enough for them. My second son recently wanted a dessert, which we were happy to provide as long as he completed a small chore. We explained the path to what he desired. It would take about five minutes. But his choice was instead to lament how we were preventing him from getting what he wanted. He carried on for over an hour, never achieving his goal and blaming us for blocking him.

I wonder how often I do the same thing with God. We desire greatness, pleasure, strength, and things that last, but we choose to approach them directly in frustration when God has already told us how they should be approached.