Dying to Live: The Foundation, Focus, and Shape of the Christian Life, Second Edition

Visit the timeless rhythms of the Christian life with award-winning author Harold L. Senkbeil. As he addresses the concerns and pressures of the world today, you'll discover that even while the world is dying, Christ's death brings about life. True life. One that He offers to you. 

This new life stands the test of time and endures through the challenges of our dying world. While paradoxical, Christ's death is necessary for Him to guide you through death to life everlasting. Explore how this truth informs your entire Christian life, providing the Incarnational foundation, Sacramental focus, and Liturgical shape for your day-to-day. 

In a dying world, let your journey be shaped by life—the life of Jesus, given for you.

What’s New in the Second Edition?

• Foreword from Rev. Dr. Robert Kolb
• Updates to reflect cultural and technological changes
• Updating Scripture to the ESV translation
• Updated Scripture Index

Take a Look Inside:

"We're all dying; we can either die alone, or we can die in Jesus. But His death brings life, and it's when we die with Him that we really begin to live." —page 65

"Christianity is the unbelievably good news that there is forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation to be had in the midst of this dying world of ours. And this is the real thing: not just the same old rat race traded in for yet another treadmill. This is God's gift of life in exchange for death; LIFE in Person, in fact. In the person of Jesus Christ, who came that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10)." —page 34

"As I use the adjective liturgical in this book, it points to the origin and goal of Christian life and worship: from the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit and then back again in the Spirit through the Son to the Father. This divine cycle gives shape to the entire Christian life. Everything we do in the Christian life is liturgical from beginning to end—including public worship, which is liturgical life together; our private prayers and meditation, which is liturgical life alone; and the service we perform in our vocation, which is liturgical life in the world." —page 128

"For the 'bottom line' of the Christian's life in this world is the person and work of Jesus Christ Himself and what He continues to do still today through His Holy Word and Sacrament. In fact, the work of every Christian in this world is actually the work Jesus Christ is doing and through that Christian." —page 177

Praise for Dying to Live:

"A brilliant work. In our age of religious consumerism, confused theology, and shallow piety, many Christians are searching for something more. The vital, Christ-centered spiritual life cultivated by the Reformation is often overlooked (even in Reformation churches). In this book, Pastor Senkbeil recovers the rich heritage of Reformation spirituality. In the process, he takes the reader on a gripping journey into the depths of the Christian life."

—Gene Edward Veith Jr., author of The Spirituality of the Cross and Embracing Your Lutheran Identity

"With pastoral sensitivity, Senkbeil scripturally counters this false understanding of faith. Instead, God works through dead ends and brokenness to shape us into people of faith, after the image of His Son, Jesus. A gifted communicator, Senkbeil draws from Scripture and worship life to offer Christ as our Advocate and source of meaning in an increasingly secular world. This book is a must-read in today’s spiritually checkered climate.

—Rev. Dr. Mark Mattes, chair of the Lutheran Bible Institute and professor, Grand View University, Des Moines, Iowa

"The second edition of Dying to Live, like the original, sparkles with the truth that God bestows forgiveness where there is sin, covering our shame with Christ’s righteousness, calling life out of death. Pastor Senkbeil speaks the truth of faith confessed in Luther’s Small Catechism to both the heart and the head. The author demonstrates that the timeless truth of the word of the cross is ever fresh and new in each generation."

—John T. Pless, MDiv, DLitt; assistant professor of pastoral ministry and missions, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana

"With a passionate and timely perspective, Senkbeil reaffirms life is in Jesus and that to live, we first must die. Through Scripture references and sound sacramental theology, God’s promise of life out of death is made clear. The liturgy breathing new life into death, offering us rest from the harried world, is a wonderful perspective. A scholarly yet readable work!"

—Rev. Dr. Gregory S. Walton, vice president, Grace Place Wellness, Lutheran Church Extension Fund