Dying to the Depth of Depravity

BLJ: Today's passage speaks to dying to depravity. The many older hymnals contained the song, "Let Me Die." The fact that the song was taken out of the hymnal is evidence that the church has walked away from its past, which included death-route holiness.

DYING TO THE DEPTH OF DEPRAVITY

Many of the old-time holiness people believed in the "death-route." As long a fifty years ago we remember hearing a man testify. He said: "I was born twice; I died once, and I expect to live forever."
Of the last three hymnals the Church of the Nazarene has published, the first of the three called GLORIOUS GOSPEL HYMNS was copyrighted in 1931, and contain the following hymn entitled, 

"Let Me Die."
O God, my heart doth long for Thee, Let me die, let me die;
Now set my soul at liberty,
Let me die, let me die.
To all the trifling things of earth, They're now to me of little worth: My Saviour calls, I must go forth, Let me die, let me die.
Thy slaying pow'r in me display, Let me die, let me die;
I must be dead from day to day, Let me die, let me die.
Unto the world and its applause,
To all the customs, fashions, laws, Of these who hate the humble cross, Let me die, let me die.
O I must die to scoffs and jeers, Let me die, let me die;
I must be freed from slavish fears, Let me die, let me die.
So dead that no desire shall rise To pass for good, or great, or wise, In any but the Saviour's eyes!
Let me die, let me die.
-- Jeanette Palmiter --

BLJ: Can you sing these words as a testimony?

A. W. Tozer had this to say about the crucifixion of self: "We must do something about the cross, and there's only one of two things we can do -- flee it or die upon it!"

BLJ: What is your decision about the cross? I choose death!

THE HEAD-ROUTE VERSUS THE HEART-ROUTE

It is possible for one to merely go the "head-route" instead of the "heart-route," and never break through into the reality of the experience of perfect love. Millions have fallen into this snare of Satan and settled for a "head knowledge" of the doctrine of holiness without ever receiving the experience in their hearts.

BLJ: My experience with churches is that most give lip service to holiness, but not the deep soul searching death-route experience that Rev. Boardman wrote about.

A young man of our acquaintance years ago contracted leukemia. As soon as he learned the diagnosis, he went to a local library and learned all he could about his disease. He studied its symptoms at different stages of development. However, his acquired knowledge of the disease did not save his life. Nor will the knowledge of "death-route" holiness in one's head solve the
carnality problem in his own heart or make him eligible for heaven. Through an act of the will, self must be confessed out, despised, and utterly renounced before the Holy Spirit can crucify the "Old Man" (Rom. 6:6) of carnal self, purify one's heart, and take over the rulership of one's life.

BLJ: Head knowledge does nothing but send you to hell knowing what you should have done. Heart-knowledge takes the head knowledge and applies it to your obedient self and results in transformation.