We were created and saved to live from Christ in us as our functional way of living. This way we express His love and life to those around us. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
For many years, when I read that verse, I thought it was speaking of a spiritual state I would arrive at one day, putting me on the highest plane of the Christian life. If you step back and read the verse carefully, however, you see it’s talking about something God has already done to us that affects our present life. Let me personalize Galatians 2:20 for you by inserting a few words to give it real meaning:
I [insert your name], [the old me in Adam], have been crucified [past tense] with Christ and I [the old me in Adam] no longer live, but Christ lives in me [the new me in Christ]. The life I [the new me in Christ] now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God [who is in me], who loved me and gave himself for me.
When we understand this, we realize that God our Father intends for us to live by faith in the Son of God, Christ in us, for our everyday living. This is not only when we read the Bible but also when we go to work, relate to people, our eating, our relaxing, our cooking, our parenting, our dating, our grandparenting, etc. This doesn’t mean we will live perfectly at all. But it does mean we will express Christ through our unique personalities, spiritual gifts, talents, and bodies. I’ve also noticed that people who live in this kind of freedom tend to laugh a lot more!
Why don’t you ask Christ to live through you and do this every day going forward? Or you can simply thank Him that He is living through you, too.
You may ask questions like these.
- “How will I know if Jesus is living through me?” Believe by faith that he is, whether or not you feel him—unless God shows you that you are sinning.
- “What if life seems to get harder when I ask him to live through me?” Don’t stop asking. This may be spiritual resistance from Satan, attempting to get you to give up.
- “What will be the results of Jesus Christ living through me?” In time, the evidence will be the fruit of the Spirit. It will also be the power of the Spirit enabling you to obey more and to serve with greater fruitfulness.
You are never on your own to live your life. You have Christ in you. And if you can hang out with people who understand this, it will encourage you to do this.
(C) God’s Best-Kept Secret, author Mark Maulding (but feel free to share this)
