August 1st, 2024
20 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.
Anyone that has endeavored to live a meaningful life on this earth has already been fueled by some sort of ultimate passion or main motivation. For some it is ambition and wanting to reap the harvest of success through dedication and hard-work. For others it is about caring for people and using whatever means possible to become an agent of change. While these pursuits can be good in their own right, we as Christians hold onto something that triumphs over them all. That is, our lives are infinitely stirred and activated by the one and only gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of salvation to all of mankind.
It would be a large oversight to claim Christianity and yet only see the gospel as one aspect to your complex life. As if following Christ is some extra-curricular activity or hobby we take interest in every now and then. The Bible has never taught us such an optional way of living. In fact, our passage today communicates the very opposite. Rather that Christ and His gospel being a small attachment to our life, it has now permanently engulfed our life and even taken over. In coming to Christ, you and I have handed over the whole of our person into the Almighty hands of God. This wasn't a simple makeover so that we look a little different, this was a complete renewal of our body, soul, mind and spirit.
We can envision this as we read Paul's words in this passage. Firstly, we have been spiritually crucified with Christ. Whatever we were before coming to the Lord has now completely vanished from existence. In other words, Jesus Christ has completely terminated the old person you once were and instead created a brand new person. This is precisely why the apostle Paul can utter the words "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". This is why we can hold on to the promise that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has passed and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We were immersed into the waters of spiritual transformation and there we were baptized into the person of the Lord, Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3-7). You are in Christ and Christ is now in you. And because of this reality, it is simply impossible to merely add the gospel to your life. On the contrary, the gospel has now become your life. It is the oxygen in your lungs and the blood that flows within your veins. Without the gospel fueling our existence, each one of us would cease to live.
Perhaps this is not the perspective you hold to. Maybe, you only signed up to follow Christ as a weekend hobby or a side interest. If that is the case, then true Christianity may not be for you. Because what Paul describes in this verse is not an activity we use to pass the time. He states, the newness of life he now has in his body, is radically consumed by faith in the Son of God. In other words, the gospel has infused us with an electrical charge that functions toward one purpose only - living for the glory of Jesus Christ.
This is unbelievably great news for the Christian. This means that no believer on the earth is living a meaningless or purposeless life. Every one of us have the privilege of living for something precious and infinitely valuable each new day. You and I hold the distinct honor of offering our lives as living sacrifices to the very one who sacrificed Himself for us (Romans 12:1). So then, what is our responsibility today in light of this? Take every other passion you own and turn them into your hobbies and side extensions of your life. Now take the gospel of Jesus Christ and make that the centre of your entire universe. We can be assured that all else will find its perfect balance once Christ is permanently situated at the core of our existence.