Let us read John 5:30, “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge...I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

From this verse we learn that it is the same with the Lord Jesus as it is with us in the self being expressed in the form of opinion. First, the Lord said here that He can of Himself do nothing; then He said that He does not seek His own will. From this we see that “myself” and “mine own will” are identical. His doing nothing of Himself means that He does not seek His own will. Hence, it is clear that self is focused in the idea and opinion. Self is expressed in opinion, and opinion is the expression of self. For example, if in a certain fellowship meeting concerning service a certain brother continually expresses his ideas and opinions, we cannot say that is sin, the world, or the flesh. But we will surely say that is self, because self expresses itself in opinions. A person who is full of ideas and opinions is full of self and the expression of self as well.

Now let us read Job 38:1-2, “Then Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?”

Job chapters 3 through 37 are records of human words and opinions. In these thirty-five long chapters Job and his three friends, and later Elihu, were talking, arguing and expressing their opinions continually. Therefore, soon after they had completely expressed themselves, God came forth and rebuked them, saying, “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” After Job was enlightened by God, he said in 42:3-6, “Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge?...I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” At first Job spoke words without knowledge and expressed his own opinion, but at the end he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes. From this we see that Job’s opinion is his self which he abhors. His opinion is the expression of his self.

In the whole Bible, the person who spoke the most was Job. God afflicted him with circumstances and also arranged that he be surrounded by his four friends. In this way all the words within him were drawn out. He had his own opinions, his own ideas, and he did not yield to others’ viewpoints. He felt that he had done no wrong and that there was no need for him to deal with sin, the world, or the conscience. Therefore he beat his chest, desiring to reason with the Righteous One. Indeed the difficulty with Job was not sin, the world, or the conscience. His difficulty was his self. His unbroken self was a problem which prevented him from knowing God.

Many in the church are like Job; they have much to say. Actually, a sinning one, or one who loves the world, does not speak much, because he is aware of his mistakes and shortcomings. The conscience of all those who do wrong is defiled, and they cannot lift up their head. Therefore, they do not speak much and are easier to be helped and led. But those who are of Job’s type seemingly have no touch of sin, nor do they love the world; yet they are extremely self-righteous and always think they are right. Concerning the church and the things of God they have many opinions and ideas. Thus, all day long they talk about this and that, and even speak of things they do not know. This kind of people is the most difficult to be helped and led; they cause others to feel incapable of helping them.

A person who is full of self always brings many difficulties into the church. The reason for so many divisions in Christianity today is not only the sinfulness and worldliness of man, but more so the self of man. Many people serve the Lord by helping brothers and sisters, yet in reality they want others to follow their ideas and opinions, their viewpoints and methods. The result is many divisions in the church today. Martin Luther said that within him there is a greater pope than the one in Rome-himself. In the church, if self is not broken, every person is a pope, and everyone will become a division.

Besides Job in the Bible, Peter is also a model example of one who is full of self. Peter’s self was expressed to the uttermost because he was the most talkative one and had the most opinions. On many occasions in the Gospels Peter spoke and expressed his opinions. There was not one subject concerning which he did not have an opinion or idea. Therefore each time the Lord dealt with him, He dealt with his opinion and idea. The teaching of denying self in Matthew 16 was spoken because of Peter. On the night of His betrayal, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “All ye shall be offended in me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” When Peter heard this, his self was immediately drawn out, and he said, “If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended.” The result was that he denied the Lord three times and failed greatly (Matt. 26:31-33, 69-75). This was a real breaking and dealing for Peter. But even after such a dealing, while the disciples were gathered together after the Lord’s resurrection, it was again he who made a suggestion: he said, “I go a fishing” (John 21:3). He was really one who girded himself and walked wherever he would (John 21:18).

In the New Testament, there is still another who represents self. It is Martha. Each time she is mentioned in the Gospels, she is always talking and giving her opinion. John 11 most clearly depicts her characteristics-many words and many opinions. We read there that her brother Lazarus died, and after four days the Lord Jesus came. When she saw the Lord, she blamed Him, saying, “If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” This was her opinion. Then the Lord said, “Thy brother shall rise again.” Martha said unto Him immediately, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” This again was her explanation according to her own opinion of the words of the Lord. The Lord replied, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?” She answered and said, “I have believed that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.” What she answered was not what the Lord had asked; her comprehension of what the Lord had said was really remote. After saying this, she did not care whether the Lord had finished speaking with her; she returned home and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The Teacher is here, and calleth thee.” This she fabricated on her own and made the decision for the Lord. Now when they had come to the tomb, and Jesus requested that the stone be removed, Martha again offered her opinion, saying, “Lord, by this time he stinketh; for he hath been dead four days.” This story reveals Martha’s opinion and viewpoint. She had so many opinions, which indicates that her self was very strong.

From these narratives relating to the people mentioned, we can clearly see that the expression of self is in the human thoughts and opinions. Therefore, a person who is full of ideas and opinions is one who is full of self.
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