I Must Kill You!

“Now that you know Who I Am, I must kill you!”

“Who are you?”     “If I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you.”

Growing suspenseful complexity marks the progress of the John Grisham novel. Enjoyable, but not enlightening.  After I borrowed the phrase as a somewhat dated, but hopefully clever response to a friend, it dawned on me.  True words, they describe our growing revelational simplicity of our progress in Jesus Christ’s transformation of our lives.

The apostle Paul grew from “least of the apostles” to “greatest of sinners” in his epistles.  “I die daily”,    “For me to live is Christ”,   “…not I, but Christ” were his proclamations.

Romans, chapter 6 repeatedly describes our death to self life. Then chapter 7, describes our wretched condition with the concluding gasp of “who will free me from this body of death?”  And, then, the victory of chapter 8: “The spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free! “

So, as we grow in grace and the knowledge (intimacy) of Jesus Christ, our life expands in His revelation (not achievement, man-pleasing or human growth).  And it contracts into the “simplicity and purity of the knowledge of Christ”.  “All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ”, so let’s abide, listen, wait on Him. He is our source, as He is revealed by the Holy Spirit and Scriptures. He who began a good work in you will complete it! 

What was vague to the disciples in “abide in Me and I in you” in John 15, explodes with life in Paul’s epistles. When Christ died, we died. We were buried with Him. Then we were  resurrected to newness of life in Him.  Yes, and ascended with Him and seated with Him.

 The first bookend to the great paschal discourse of John 13-17,  “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”  Ponder that!

 The other book end was so important Jesus repeated it in John chapters 17 and 20:                                                               “As  Father has sent me, so I send you.” 

So, yes we die, but then we find our real life in intimate dependence on the One who loves us with an everlasting love. Finally,” these words I have spoken to you that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”     Do we want to be His disciples?

                                                Rejoicing in the amazing Gospel of Jesus Christ                                                                                                                                          

                                              Gary Gaither                                 6 June 2011