CHRIST LIVES IN YOU
The Gospel message of redemption through Jesus Christ teaches us that the Son of God became human in order to live and die for us. But it also teaches that because of His perfect life, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection from the tomb, Christ comes to live in us. This is the greatest truth one can ever embrace. Jesus came to live as a human on this earth so that He could live within the hearts and lives of His people in an intimate, abiding, personal relationship.
By trusting in the crucifixion of our Lord, we are “crucified with” Him (Gal. 2:20). This means that the “former” us is no more. All of our sins are gone, and the sinful person that abides within us has lost control over our lives. Christ now rules and reigns supreme. A new way of life has taken over because Christ lives within us (Galatians 2:20).
The great “mystery” that was concealed in the Old Testament but has been revealed in the New Testament is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And this Gospel means “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). We now “stand” in a state of grace (Rom. 5:2). Our life has a power it has never had before. Rather than the power of sin controlling us, the power of God and His grace through Christ abides in us.
The matchless wonder of what our Lord has done for us and in us means that we become the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). This is an astonishing truth. Our sins once separated us from God and made us His enemies. Now He lives within us. This work of Christ on our behalf, and His presence within us, makes us completely new people, so that nothing in the past matters (2 Cor. 5:17).
Because the Spirit of Christ now resides within us, we are promised that He will give life to our bodies (Romans 8:10-11). We are now able to live a life of love for Christ and others. He has freed us from the bondage of sin to live His glorious resurrection life through us.
None of this has to be understood fully in order to be appreciated. Trust Him and love Him, knowing that He is an ever-present reality in your life. Christ lives in you.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
