More of God, Less of Me?
More of God, less of me.
It’s a phrase that you hear a lot in Christian circles. It’s used in worship songs, sermons, Bible studies, and discipleship conversations. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s on a bumper sticker.
It sounds good. It feels right. But is it what I need? Do I need more of God and less of me?
No, not if you have put your faith and trust in Jesus for salvation.
THE CHRISTIAN’S IDENTITY
To say that you need more of God and less of you implies something is wrong with you. You are bad, and God is good; therefore, you need more of Him and less of you.
But Scripture declares that when you become a Christian, you are made good.
The apostle Paul proclaimed that he became a different person after his salvation experience.
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
(Galatians 2:20)
Paul says that his “old self” died and that he no longer lived.
Who was his “old self?” Well, in a nutshell, it was his “bad self.” This was Paul before Christ came to live in him.
This is all of us before Christ comes to live in us. We are sinners. We have a sinful nature. We are separated from God. Our sinful nature produced sins and selfishness in our lives.
However, just like Paul declares in Galatians 2:20, we become someone new when Christ comes to live in us.
17 If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
Out with the old and in with the new. Our new self has a new nature, and we are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-7).
If you are in Christ, you have new spiritual DNA. You are now righteous, holy, good, and servant hearted. So, why would you need less of you? You don’t.
YOUR FLESH IS NOT YOU
Even though you have been transformed into a new creation in Christ, it is still possible for you to act out of your flesh. To act out of your flesh means to act out of your own power or strength, apart from Christ. This is when sins begin to reappear.
When that begins to happen, it can seem like you need more of God and less of you, but what you really need is more of you (the real you who is in Christ)!
See, it is so important to remember that your flesh no longer defines you. You are no longer a slave to your flesh or to sin. You no longer have a sinful nature. Flesh is not nature. It’s not who you are at the core of your being
The real you is who you are in Christ and the new creation that you’ve become in Him. So you don’t need less of you, you need to walk by faith and trust in who you’ve become by regeneration.
FILLED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
The other thing that needs to be pointed out when declaring you need more of God and less of you is that you are saying you don’t have all of God in your life, but that is not true either.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
(Ephesians 1:13-14)
Paul says that the moment you believed, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in you and you were included in Christ. There’s no more of the Holy Spirit to be given to you.
You didn’t receive a partial filling. You received all of Him. You don’t need more of God.
The apostle Paul captures it so well in Colossians 2:8-9…
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.
(Colossians 2:8-9)
In Christ, you have been brought to fullness. To think you need more of God means that you don’t understand your new identity and all you have in your spiritual union with Jesus.
The fullness of God dwells in you and you in Him.
CONCLUSION
Don’t fall for the lie that you need more of God and less of you. Instead, make it your goal to learn who you really are in Christ. The “true you” isn’t bad. You aren’t selfish. You’ve been given a new heart, a servant’s heart.
You don’t need less of you because in Christ, you are righteous, holy, and good.
You don’t need more of God because you have all of Him.
Instead, walk by faith as you live out of your new nature in Christ and He expresses His Life and Love through you to others.
