Learning to live by the indwelling life of Christ.
“To live is Christ” means that the de-creation and re-creation work of God in us is finished. We are the new creation. Right now! The glory of God has entered the tabernacle of God – our life. Knowing that we are God’s finished work, we can get to work serving and worshiping God from the freedom of “it is finished.” Now we can walk through the glorious cycle of de-creation and re-creation each day knowing that we are already God’s new creation in Christ.
“To live is Christ” means the ultimate prayer, “Please show me your glory,” has been answered once and for all. It is Jesus. His living. His dying. His glorified life in and through us, shining in our hearts for all to see.
“To live is Christ” makes you and me the sanctuary-tabernacle of God. The meeting place of holiness and mercy. Separate from the world in Christ’s holiness. Connected to the world in his mercy. God dwelling in the midst of humanity in us.
“To live is Christ” means our unholiness and shame collided with God’s holiness and love and God won. Both his holiness and his love remain, just like at the bottom of Mount Sinai. How? Because Christ in us is the perfect collision of God’s holiness and love now destroying all guilt and covering all shame and leaving only his righteousness and grace in its place in our hearts. No more “get away from me, God.” No more Jonahs. No more fig leaves. Just Christ’s perfect grace on display in us for the world to see.
“To live is Christ” is to be not only pursued by a jealous God but also loved, cared for, and forever held by that same jealous God. God’s jealousy is what motivated the coming of Christ, the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ and the indwelling of Christ. God’s jealousy is for our good. And allowing yourself to be loved by this jealous God is the only thing that can cure you of all the personal jealousies that tear at your soul every day.
“To live is Christ” is to have everything God offered his people through the law, but to have it through Christ. Now we are God’s treasured possession. We are owned by God. We are empowered by God as his priests. And we are transformed by God as his holy ones. May we now proclaim the excellencies of him who called out of darkness and into his marvelous light.
To Live is Christ 