The
true test of all Christians is how closely they resemble the Savior. As we align ourselves along various
scales...faith, forgiveness, confidence in the Father, indifference to what we
have or don't have, love, purity, disregard for acclaim, loyalty to the Kingdom
of God, honesty, unhurried devotion to prayer, patience, gratitude, we find a
different sort of life coming into place.
It is impossible to be a "good Christian" without the
supernatural working of Christ in us. We
are a hopeless tangle of lusts, frustrations, lies, mismanaged emotions, fears
and self-absorbed loyalties. Nothing we
do can make us fit with Christianity...not with real Christianity. Spiritually, we are like a dieter who cannot
break free of too many calories. The
world can only look at the symptoms of unprocessed Christianity: road rage,
drug abuse, depression, anxiety, materialism, greed and cheating spouses. The one who is born-again sees something much
more personal; the absence of Christ in daily living. With Christ a part of us, not just as a role
model but a living, interconnected part of our new personality, we can become
perfect as He is perfect. Each day is
day one of Christ coming out of us in a new way; His love joined to our
affections, His faith brought into our stresses, His holiness pouring into our
desires. Christ crucified does away with
our Sin. Christ resurrected breaks apart
the bondage Sin has had over us and gives us the habits and behavior patterns
of God Himself in the day we have before us.
What did Paul mean by, "I have been crucified with Christ and I
no longer live, but Christ lives in me "? (Galatians 2:20 NIV)Was it some
quasi-spiritual gibberish or is he saying that Jesus Christ really does live in
us? Is He as He really is a part of us, living
through all the decisions and behaviors of our personality? If so, then we have real hope to be good and
righteous and full of the peace and joy of God Himself.
But
the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, 'Who
will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who
will descend into the deep?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the
dead). But what does it say? "The
word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the
word of faith we are proclaiming: ( Romans 10: 6-8 NIV)
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