Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” means our lives are joined to the conquering, victorious, Savior-King of our souls. Jesus is exactly what we need. Not a helper, not a partner, not a coach, not a boost to get us over the hump. No, he’s our overcomer. Which means winning only comes when we first admit that we are losers. Victory only comes when we are overcome by his grace. Peace is found in a person. And it’s not you.
“To live is Christ” is possible because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to your life. The application of the truth of Jesus. His incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and glorification each declared over and over again to your heart.
“To live is Christ” means there is no greater joy than to be loved and to love. To be elevated so high by the love of the Father, that it frees you to lower yourself for the sake of others. And thus live as the friends of Christ.
“To live is Christ” means that we abide in Christ and Christ abides in us forever. Now apart from him we can do nothing. And that is good news! Because it means that in him we can do all things. All believing, all loving, all giving, all sharing, all hoping, all fruit born out of the life of Jesus in us.
“To live is Christ” is to live in the heart calming shalom of God. Christ has left his Peace with us and it is himself. His personal presence, the Spirit of Christ. A peace experienced as we trust all that Christ has said to us about himself and all that Christ has done for us on the cross. A shalom that we can now share with the world as we rise and walk the way of the cross.
“To live is Christ” is to have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, ministering the death and resurrection of Christ to my life. To be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the life of the Lord Jesus Christ as a seed. He IS at work in us, Christian. And he is not waiting passively for us to meet a series of conditions before he begins his work. In fact, the work is already finished. We are fully alive in Christ. Fully justified. Fully sanctified. Fully glorified. Now the finished work of Christ is the ongoing work of the Spirit in us. By the Spirit, his death IS our life. And our dying is now our living.
To Live is Christ 