Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” is to know that we have the victory. We ARE already conquerors because God has promised that one day we WILL BE conquerors. Jesus has fought for us and won. We are free now to fight and win, even when we fail. How? Because God works all things for the good – our transformation into the character of Christ, the One who has conquered us.
“To live is Christ” means there’s no way God cannot love you. The Father loves the Son. And he loves all that are in the Son. Forever.
“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?”
