"Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." John 12:24

" ... Christ's death was to be the source of spiritual life to the world. From His Cross and passions was to spring up a mighty harvest of benefit to all mankind. His death, like a grain of seed-corn, was to be the root of blessings and mercies to countless millions of immortal souls. In short, the great principle of the Gospel was once more exhibited,-- that Christ's vicarious death (not His life, or miracles, or teaching, but His death) was to bring forth fruit to the praise of God, and to provide redemption for a lost world.

... Truths such as these should sink deeply into our hearts, and stir up self-inquiry. It is as true of Christians as it is of Christ,--there can be no life without death, there can be no sweet without bitter, there can be no crown without a cross. Without Christ's death there would have been no life for the world." JC Ryle

Jesus also said here: "He that hates his life shall keep it." The wide and broad teachings throughout the Body of Christ will have nothing of this. They say we need to love this life. We need to love ourselves, and then we can love God, and our neighbor. This is a teaching that sounds right, but in the end it is spiritually killing us.

But if we kill our selves, and depise our lives here, then we will live indeed, and life will be precious, because we will see that Christ is what life is all about, not life itself being what life is all about.