What does this verse mean? Well, I take it to mean something like this: The Apostle Paul says, as it were, “In the degree in which I always bear about in my body the dying of Jesus, in the degree that I do it, I am going to be able to help you. If I succeed in going on in the path of communion, reckoning myself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God if I keep the flesh in the place of death and live my life to the glory of God I can be a help to you.”
How would you like to be a help to other young believers? Do you have someone on your heart that you would like to draw nearer the Lord? How are you going to help them? Well, you will never do it by turning to worldly schemes and associations. You never lead them to Christ by dangling before their eyes something worldly. Never! You will lead them to Him by showing them in your daily walk and conversation that you are enjoying Christ in your own soul, and if death is working in you, life will be working in them.
You will be acting in the capacity of those lifeguards down at the seaside that are watching constantly over those who are in the water swimming, and they are ready to go to their aid whenever they hear a cry for help.
Oh! wouldn’t it be nice to be found among those that are helpers to our companions, our dear brethren, when they get tempted, tried and tested? How nice it would be if we could be in the capacity of helpers—to go to their rescue, having a life that backed up our attempt to be a spiritual help to others. But if you go to help someone spiritually and they know that you are living a worldly life, they are very apt to say, “No thanks... no, no thanks.” Why? They haven’t seen Christ in your life. “Ye are... known and read of all men” (2 Cor. 3:22Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: (2 Corinthians 3:2)).
C. H. Brown (adapted from an address, 1963)