How the Christian Life is Truly Lived

Part II
 

Nothing is more dear to my heart than discovering the glory of Jesus Christ as not only my Savior and Lord, but my hope in walking out the Christian life on this earth.

Therefore, writing this is truly describing my personal  journey  of years, seeking to understand how this Christian life is really lived!  And I've done my best to share it, not as a intellectual teaching on God's Word - but again, a true journey of my own heart!  So it is very personal with me.

I've done my share of sinning through the years - and I know that the potential for sinning is always there, in every child of God.

Yet I know too how the Lord wants me and us to rest in Jesus Christ - by looking at HIM as the ONE who is the power and dominion over sin - NOT ME!  This has caused me to not be SIN conscious, but CHRIST conscious. 

And this also led to this question:  How can a person possibly enjoy Jesus Christ in their hearts, if they are constantly struggling in their minds and  have no peace - battling with thoughts He doesn't like us, it's not good enough or even fighting against sin? 

Paul wrote on this very thing in Romans 6, 7 and 8.

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into the captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members."

Who would think that this Scripture is one of the most encouraging verses in the New Testament?  But it is to me - especially when the Holy Spirit enlightened my heart to the meaning and reality of Romans 6, 7 & 8!

One of the age old questions in Christianity since I've been on this earth is "How do you get Christians to stop sinning?"

Another altar call?  Another message on stop sinning or steps on what to do?  More condemnation, guilt, pointing of the finger?

God did something marvelous at salvation, when we were regenerated by the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  He put Himself there!  He is Holy, Righteous, Pure, Love, Kind - all the marvelous things He is!  And because we are in union with His Spirit (I Corinthians 6:17), we have holy desire in us.

In Romans 7:22 Paul wrote that in the inward man is the desire to do good.  Paul was truly being guided by the Holy Spirit of God, as he understood the "way" God intends for us to live the Christian life here on this planet.

What did he discover?

First of all, he said it was not by looking at the Law of commandments.  But why?  God says the commandments are good and holy.  And no one can argue with this!

However, Paul continue to discover and write for us that flesh is still flesh.  Sin is in the members.

It started making sense to me when I understood that Christ came to dwell in my spirit - there is nothing old there!  If I am in union with God's Spirit - there is NO sin dwelling in my spirit with Him.  The reason is because Jesus Christ is Righteous.  He is NOT a sinner and He has NO sin dwelling in Him.

Therefore, how can you have sin in the spirit of a child of God in union with Christ Jesus' Spirit?  I find that impossible - Jesus has no part with sin - ever!

BUT...our body is still part of the old creation.  Why?  One reason we know this is because the body dies.  There is no death in Christ - for He is life.  Yet death is still in my mortal body.  Therefore, sin is still in the members - sin and death go together!  And we are promised immortality at a later time - that is, in the body.  Our spirits are eternal. 

Paul proves that our spirits go to be with the Lord at death.  "To be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord!"

The law of sin - or another way to say it, is the sin principle is still in the members of our body.  Again, this is because the body is start part of Adam's fall!

Paul said he looked at the command to not covet.  And when he tried (on his own) to obey not coveting, he said he found evil present with him.  He found himself coveting!  Well, that's no fun - when you want to do good and you sin instead?  Or at least tempted to sin?  Where then is the peace?

Who likes to go around always in turmoil - struggling with not coveting?  Doesn't make sense - especially when Romans 8 tells us the mind of the Spirit IS life and peace. 

So then he says, "WHO shall deliver me from this body of death?"  In other words, if I want to do this good and holy desire to not covet anymore, how do I do it?  Because I find myself coveting, when I try to not covet.

The glorious light comes on from the Lord:  He shows Paul the WHO in him is the HOW of him.  God's Son dwelling in his heart  is the way of God in this great salvation:  "I thank my God - THROUGH Jesus Christ my Lord!"

Paul goes on to say, "For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has SET ME FREE from the law of sin and death!"  It is so stressed all through Romans and in other Scriptures that we live by FAITH in and of the SON of God dwelling in our hearts for ALL things - especially bearing fruit unto holiness in our lives.

At the beginning of Romans 7 Paul said we are not under law, but under grace.  The oldest translation uses the phrase "married to ANOTHER!"

To sum all this up - as we abide in Jesus Christ, WHO alone is LIFE - as we look only to HIM to live out through us in this life - we bear fruit to God.

If we think we are independent souls who can pull off holiness and righteousness, we will ever find the law of sin howling at us trying to have dominion.  There will be no peace in the mind, because with it comes the howling voice, "that was not good enough," and the failures will be there for sure.

It is a glorious thing to look to Jesus Christ, the ONE who is able to be life in and through us.  We have unbroken fellowship with Him - it makes no sense to try to  live the Christian life apart from abiding in Jesus Christ, our Life.

Flesh and blood can't do it.  Flesh without God's Spirit is not only impotent, but DEAD!  Therefore, when flesh is seeking to produce the Christian life and walk, all self-righteousness arises.  With that comes comparison and looking at vessels, instead of Christ - being led by Him.

The greater ONE lives and dwells in us.  He is doing this - He is able to make ALL grace abound and bring forth abundance of HIS life in us.  He gives more grace, we have growing FAITH!

Romans 6 is clear concerning our yielding to HIM all the time - considering ourselves dead in every way  but ALIVE only in Him.

Why is this good news?  Because our Lord Jesus is a Living Person.  He is Love.  He is Mercy, He is Kindness.  He is the Savior of the body - the ONE who cherishes and nourishes His Bride, His Church.

Because of His cross - because of His precious blood - because of His resurrection, we can enjoy Him living in our hearts.  We can enjoy His presence believing and trusting in His blood, believing and trusting in His great love, believing and trusting in His ability to work and live through us as vessels.

He has called us to intimacy with Him.  His will is our dependency on Him for Life and for ALL godliness.  

If we were dying physically and had to have life support, they would hook us up to the machine for oxygen - in hopes that maybe we would revive?  And in hopes, that maybe we would be normal?

The Lord Himself raised us up with His resurrection Life.  So for lack of ability to come up with a better analogy I will say like this:  "We are hooked up to HIM!"  And in and only in Him we shall be alive and quite frankly, be NORMAL!

Now if we want repentance, let the repentance be because we have not understood Him and have lived by our own efforts instead of through His Spirit of Life WHO is JESUS dwelling in our hearts.  He is our Wings.

Glory to His name.  There is freedom in Jesus Christ, because He can bring forth His life in and through us.  There is peace and life only in Him.  

He said it Himself:  "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the Life!"

The Christian life is a beautiful Life, because it is His Life!

Sue Gaither