Colossians 3:4 "When Christ, who is your life, appears............."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
This is possibly the most important truth to know in the Christian's life. It is also the hardest to grasp for the vast majority of Christians. How can I say that? If the church truly grasped this truth, lives would be transformed instantly. The obvious problems of division, immoral behaviour, self righteousness, greed, love of money etc. would evaporate if Christians knew the truth. There would be less need for counselling as people would know the counsel of Jesus. It does not mean that teaching and preaching are no longer required. It does mean that Christians would be certain of their salvation and not constantly worrying about their spiritual state.
We need to look at the problem before we can discern the answer. Many think that the problem is a matter of knowledge. Bookshops are full of Bibles, study guides, concordances, preaching, teaching and advice on every subject you can think of. If that is not enough, there is Christian TV and youtube. There are Christian Bible Schools, universities and theological institutions. Yet the church is still far from mature. Lack of knowledge is not the problem. Christians know how they should live. The problem is how to live what we know.
God placed two trees in Eden, at the centre. One I will call the tree of Knowledge, the other the tree of Life. God warned Adam that the fruit of the knowledge tree was death to him. God did not say, "I will kill you if you eat from that tree". Why did God place the two trees there? God wanted Adam to choose freely. Adam had free will. Love does not force itself on anyone.
We know Adam's choice was catastrophic. What is not so obvious is that mankind is still ruled by the knowledge of good and evil. Satan still steers even Christians away from Life and towards knowledge. Yet God's word is plain: "knowledge puffs up". (1 Corinthians 8:1). Paul warned against speculation and controversy over things that do not matter/
The Christian life is so simple that many miss it. Jesus did not come to give us a better set of rules or to help us obey the old rules. He did not come to place a burden of righteous behaviour that we cannot lift - although the sermon on the mount seems like that. Jesus came that we might have more abundant life. Jesus is the Life (John 14:6).
A bird is a bird because it has the life of a bird. It flies naturally, without going to flying school, without learning navigation, theory of aerodynamics and so on. Christians also should be "naturally spiritual". We are in the Spirit because Christ lives in us now.
Many Christians waste much of their lives trying to be something that God has already made us to be. We should instead focus on who God has made us to be in Christ already. For sure we need to know that we are helpless sinners with no hope in ourselves. It is good to despair of self. But if we stay in that place, we will fail to grow as Christians. Peter said to Jesus, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man". Yet Jesus called Peter to follow Him. Peter did not let his sin consciousness to hold him back. We also need to be assured that we are accepted by God in Christ, that we are indeed new creations, that the blood of Christ has paid for all our sins and that we indeed are righteous in Christ.
The choice is ours still. We can seek knowledge for its own sake and try to live in a way that pleases God. That way is failure and defeat. Or we can commit ourselves entirely to Jesus and ask Him to do the living in place of what we are in Adam. Life may not be any easier, but for sure we will overcome, if we fix our eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
Many can quote "By grace are you saved.........(Ephesians 2:5). Romans 5:10 also says that we are saved by His life. Not so many understand this. Ask God to show you. You will be glad that you did.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
This is possibly the most important truth to know in the Christian's life. It is also the hardest to grasp for the vast majority of Christians. How can I say that? If the church truly grasped this truth, lives would be transformed instantly. The obvious problems of division, immoral behaviour, self righteousness, greed, love of money etc. would evaporate if Christians knew the truth. There would be less need for counselling as people would know the counsel of Jesus. It does not mean that teaching and preaching are no longer required. It does mean that Christians would be certain of their salvation and not constantly worrying about their spiritual state.
We need to look at the problem before we can discern the answer. Many think that the problem is a matter of knowledge. Bookshops are full of Bibles, study guides, concordances, preaching, teaching and advice on every subject you can think of. If that is not enough, there is Christian TV and youtube. There are Christian Bible Schools, universities and theological institutions. Yet the church is still far from mature. Lack of knowledge is not the problem. Christians know how they should live. The problem is how to live what we know.
God placed two trees in Eden, at the centre. One I will call the tree of Knowledge, the other the tree of Life. God warned Adam that the fruit of the knowledge tree was death to him. God did not say, "I will kill you if you eat from that tree". Why did God place the two trees there? God wanted Adam to choose freely. Adam had free will. Love does not force itself on anyone.
We know Adam's choice was catastrophic. What is not so obvious is that mankind is still ruled by the knowledge of good and evil. Satan still steers even Christians away from Life and towards knowledge. Yet God's word is plain: "knowledge puffs up". (1 Corinthians 8:1). Paul warned against speculation and controversy over things that do not matter/
The Christian life is so simple that many miss it. Jesus did not come to give us a better set of rules or to help us obey the old rules. He did not come to place a burden of righteous behaviour that we cannot lift - although the sermon on the mount seems like that. Jesus came that we might have more abundant life. Jesus is the Life (John 14:6).
A bird is a bird because it has the life of a bird. It flies naturally, without going to flying school, without learning navigation, theory of aerodynamics and so on. Christians also should be "naturally spiritual". We are in the Spirit because Christ lives in us now.
Many Christians waste much of their lives trying to be something that God has already made us to be. We should instead focus on who God has made us to be in Christ already. For sure we need to know that we are helpless sinners with no hope in ourselves. It is good to despair of self. But if we stay in that place, we will fail to grow as Christians. Peter said to Jesus, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man". Yet Jesus called Peter to follow Him. Peter did not let his sin consciousness to hold him back. We also need to be assured that we are accepted by God in Christ, that we are indeed new creations, that the blood of Christ has paid for all our sins and that we indeed are righteous in Christ.
The choice is ours still. We can seek knowledge for its own sake and try to live in a way that pleases God. That way is failure and defeat. Or we can commit ourselves entirely to Jesus and ask Him to do the living in place of what we are in Adam. Life may not be any easier, but for sure we will overcome, if we fix our eyes on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
Many can quote "By grace are you saved.........(Ephesians 2:5). Romans 5:10 also says that we are saved by His life. Not so many understand this. Ask God to show you. You will be glad that you did.
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