Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” means that God is for us, and nothing against us will stand. The proof is Christ. His death FOR US and our union WITH HIM. The proof is the completion of our salvation. Conformity to Christ’s likeness and our brotherhood with him. Everything that is Christ’s is now the all things that God will give us one day.
“To live is Christ” means that all who love God, all that are in the Spirit, can claim this most marvelous of promises – God WILL work everything out for your ultimate good and glory in Christ. Nothing is an accident. Nothing is random. All worry and fear can melt away. The eternal plan of God has not been thwarted by our mistakes, our sins, or our suffering. It all works out in the end.
“To live is Christ” makes us the desired, wanted, adopted sons of God. Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are in Christ you are a son. An heir. A co-heir with Christ. And your son-ship is the truth behind everything that makes life worth living. Intimacy – that’s son-ship. Impact – that’s son-ship. Identity – that’s son-ship. Glory – that’s son-ship. And one day, victory – that’s son-ship!
“To live is Christ” is not the end of morality. It’s the beginning. The indwelling life of Christ has given us the knowledge of good and evil through the shared life of Christ. We have, through grace, what we tried to earn in the Garden through effort. The Garden left humanity with knowledge but no life. In Christ, we have his life and his knowledge. We have his love and we know how to use it. The daily question is “will we?”
This assurance now allows us to face our own moral and intellectual limitations. We no longer have to be consumed with our personal justifications. We can fight to win hearts not arguments. Because we have the life and peace of Christ, our mind can now rest. It can stop running desperately toward self-righteousness. It can actually be quite humble and open minded. Our minds can be renewed in love. The love of “to live is Christ.”
Because of “to live is Christ,” the force of condemnation – excusing and accusing – is no longer at work in our conscience. Now our conscience is guided by the love of Christ. And the more we allow the gospel to overwhelm our hearts, the more we can listen to our conscience, and follow it into the battle for the hearts of others.
To Live is Christ 