"He Lives, We Live"

"He Lives, We Live"

       

     Coupled with the Apostle Paul's affirmation that "Christ liveth in me," our memory verse for the week provides the clearest and most succinct New Testament revelation of life lived in, by, and through the Lord Jesus (Galatians 2:20).

    In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (I John 4:9).

    Christ lives in us so that we may live through Him.  Paul and John unite to reveal the truth of relationship with God whereby He provides His living and enabling presence in our hearts: "Ye are the temple of God…. the Spirit of God dwelleth in you"(I Corinthians 3:16).  We also play a role in the spiritual bond by trusting and submitting ourselves to our Lord in confidence that "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13).  Such blessed truth delivers us from the fleshly self effort and frustration of attempting to live as if all depends on us.   It also keeps us from the passivity of waiting on God to do that which He calls us to do.  He lives in us, but He does not do our living for us.  We rather do our living, but we perform all in full awareness and confidence that we "live through Him."  

    The aforementioned passage in Galatians illuminates our understanding in this vital matter.  First, Paul declares himself dead and gone.  "I am crucified with Christ."  He then returns, however.  "Nevertheless I live."  Paul leaves again.  "Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me."  Finally, the Apostle returns, this time to stay and to live, but to do so by Christ living in him, and he living by Christ.  "The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Herein we discover that "to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).  However, we also live by actively engaging ourselves in the relationship.  We trust God, yield ourselves unto Him as those alive from the dead, and go forth in confident expectation of His presence, guidance, and power.  "I can do… through Christ."

    Christ lives in us so that we may live through Him.  Once again, Paul illuminates our consideration of real relationship with God whereby He originates, maintains, and empowers us, and we respond in faith and enabled faithfulness.  We close with the Apostle's plain declaration of such grace, as received by faith…

"Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

(Philippians 2:12-13)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Weekly Memory Verse

   In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

(I John 4:9)