我們一天天的逐步在揭開「害怕死去的麥子」這個重要的主題，而也越來越明顯的察覺到神給了我們的選擇──是活或是死的選擇。我們可能為了實現自己的慾望而活；也可能是向自己的慾望死、為神而活。

在繼續思考這個問題以先，我們必須討論一點，這是一個眾人在思考「向自我死去」時往往會提出的問題，人們會說：「這種對生命的態度豈不是十分被動嗎？它豈不是趨向於減低個人的責任和自制嗎？」著名的美國教育家杜威（John Dewey）就是其中一個提出這種質疑的人。有一次，他在向學生演講時，在黑板上劃了一條直線，他在線的一邊列出了那些教導控制的思想體制，在另一邊則列出那些教導順從的體制。在「控制」那邊，他寫上「科學」兩個字，而在「順從」那邊，他寫上「宗教」兩個字。

實際上他應該寫的是「某些形式的宗教」。耶穌基督的宗教並不產生被動和盲目順從的門徒，而是願意降服的門徒──降服於神，不降服於任何其他事物。他們從自我降服的塵土中起來，抓著生命的原材料，無論是好的、壞的，或是不好也不壞的，然後充分的使用它們。你會認為初期的基督徒是被動和盲目順從的嗎？我不覺得是這樣，因為他們是降服，不是順從。降服於神，讓祂住在我們裡面，並透過我們來工作；開始的時候我們可能會顯得被動，但實際上它是我們面對生命一種最奇妙的、正面的和積極的方式。其他的方式也許不錯，但是要記得，沒有任何一種方式能夠具有這麼大的能力。

Day by day, as we unfold this thrilling theme of , it is becoming increasingly obvious that God gives us a choice - a choice of either to live or to die. We can live for the fulfilment of our own desires, or we can die to our desires and live for His.

This is perhaps the moment that we should come to grips with the question which people often ask when this issue of "dying to self" is raised: "Isn't this a terribly passive attitude to life? And doesn't it tend to diminish personal responsibility and self-control?" John Dewey, the famous American educator, held that view Once, when lecturing to his students, he drew a line down a blackboard and on one side listed those systems of thought which teach control, and on the other those systems that teach acquiescence. On the "control" side he put "science", and on the "acquiescence" side he put "religion".

To be fair, he should have written, "Some forms of religion". The religion of Jesus Christ does not produce passive and acquiescent disciples, but surrendered disciples - surrendered to God, but surrendered to nothing else. They rise from the dust of self-surrender to lay hold on the raw materials of life - good, bad and indifferent - and use them. Would you describe the early Christians as passive and acquiescent? I wouldn't. Surrendered - yes. Acquiescent - no. Surrendering to God so that He may work in and through us may at first seen passive, but actually it represents the most amazingly positive and active method of dealing with life. Other ways are possible, but no other way is as powerful.