The Life of Christ in Us

By Brooke Momblow

Romans 8:1-17

Sin (rejection of God) separates us from God. Earnest sorrow for sin leads to asking God for forgiveness (2 Cor. 7:10). God is able to forgive our sin because Jesus paid the debt we incurred because of our sin (Rom. 3:20-26, Eph. 1:7, Acts 13:38-39).

Many people choose to believe the message of Jesus and the cross intellectually but fail to engage God with their heart by fearing him and calling out to him in complete surrender. God unknowable seems better because there is no accountability. We are warned against this (2 Timothy 3:1-9).

God hears each of us personally. When a person cries out to God in repentance, believing Jesus Christ has paid the price, and chooses to submit their life to God, several things happen: God declares this person to be in right standing with God (righteous 1 Cor. 1:30, Rom. 4:20-25). This allows them to be reconnected to God (Eph. 2:12-13). The Holy Spirit who is God himself, enters the believer’s body and joins with the believer’s spirit (1 Jn. 3:24, 2 Cor. 1:22). This means God dwells inside of them. It is a transaction that takes place by God, he changes the very nature of a person’s existence (2 Cor. 5:14-21).

When the Holy Spirit unites us with Christ, Jesus’ promise to us in John 16:7-15 is fulfilled. The Spirit of God allows us to know the truth of God, allows us access to God, and gives us the power of God. Without the Spirit we do not belong to God (1 Jn 4:13). God in us radically changes our desires, thoughts, actions, and gives us the ability to say no to sin (Rom. 7:6).

This is a miracle worked in us that is as amazing as the parting of a sea! We don’t always recognize this miracle when it happens in us because we didn’t understand or know it would happen. The things of the Spirit are available to us but we don’t act with them if we don’t know we have them (Gal. 5:22-25, Acts 1:8, 2 Tim. 1:7).

“The truth of the matter is this: God wants to be active in our lives; to endow us with supernatural abilities; to see us live with love, joy, peace and so on.” Richard Foster

Jesus said the Holy Spirit teaches us and will remind us of things. If we aren’t reading and studying scripture we can’t learn or be reminded of what God says.

“An all-too-common attitude to the things of the Lord is, ‘What I know, I know; and what I don’t know, I don’t know, and can do quite well without.’” Watchmen Nee, The Normal Christian Life

As we saw portrayed in scripture during our sermon series “Encounters with Jesus,” Christ touches our personal world and brings us to a place of decision. Seeking to live transformed lives and see God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven, requires God’s involvement. Choosing Jesus isn’t a one-time choice, we choose every day to submit to him or reject him.

Having the Counselor and Advocate enables us to understand God’s ways and to live them out in a manner that we cannot do in our own power and understanding.

It’s very difficult to condense into one devotional the Life of Christ in Us. There is an entire Bible dedicated to explaining the intricacies of it. The references included here cannot be considered a comprehensive explanation of the good news of Jesus or of being in Christ. (see other resources listed below)

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus, if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside of you.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Jesus’ Prayer for Us in Christ:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” John 17:20-23 NLT

Other resources:

Our church is helping us to discover and learn new ways to seek Jesus and equip us by offering a fall workshop on October 17, Come Taste the Kingdom Life. If you're interested, contact Cathy Ramsey by October 15 at cathyandjimramsey@gmail.com.

Also related, recently I read: The Case For Christ, The God Diagnosis, and Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, which include research into the reliability and historical accuracy of the Bible and resurrection of Jesus along with personal experiences of encountering God. Another excellent resource might be The New Evidence That Demands A Verdict.