Christ Our Life
CHRIST - OUR LIFE
By Ruth Paxson
(Written in 1928)
CHRIST Jesus was made like us that we might be made like Him. In the incarnation there was the union of Deity with humanity, that in regeneration there might be the union of humanity with Deity. When the Holy Spirit begat in the believer a new nature, He opened the door to a living, organic union between Christ and the Christian which will exist through the ages upon ages to come. Christ and the Christian are eternally one. The exalted Christ lives now to bestow upon us in all of its fullness His own triumphant, joyous, holy life.
To be a Christian is nothing less than to have the glorified Christ living in us in actual presence, possession and power. It is to have Him as the Life of our life in such a way and to such a degree that we can say even as Paul said, “For me to live is Christ.” (Philippians 1:21) To be a Christian is to grow up into Christ in all things; it is to have that divine seed which was planted in our innermost spirit blossom out into a growing conformity to His perfect life. To be a Christian is to have Christ the life of our minds, our hearts, our wills, so that it is Christ thinking through us, loving through us, willing through us. It is increasingly to have no life but the life of Christ within us filling us with ever increasing measure.
But I can hear some modern Nicodemus say, “How can these things be?” How can I live such a life in my home where I receive no sympathy nor help, but rather ridicule and scoffing, and where I have for so long lived a sinful and a defeated life? How can I live a truly consistent Christ-life in my social circle where there is scarcely a person who ever gives Him a thought and where His name is never mentioned? How can I live “in the Spirit” in a place of business where I am surrounded by those living altogether “in the flesh” and where the very atmosphere seems surcharged with evil? How can I even learn to live the life more abundant when my membership is in a thoroughly worldly church where little is given to feed and strengthen my spiritual life?
The Love-driven, Sinner-centred Gospel?
What is the Gospel?
Courtesy of Operation 513
Check out their website, and apologetics blog!
I believe that the gospel as outlined below is a fantastic read for any and all christians and non-christians alike, to be able to get a grasp of the wonder of the Good News which we believe, and the Glory of the one who sent his son to die in our place for our sins.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." -John 3:16
John 3:16 has to be one of the most quoted verse in the Bible. It does appear to capture the essence of the Gospel quite well. It contains a positive message of love, forgiveness and self-sacrifice on the part of God. Who wouldn't like to know that God loves them and have nothing but divine well wishes towards them. You would think Jesus Himself intended for John 3:16 to be the catchy slogan and mission statement for His ministry. At least many Christians thinks so. They see that evangelism as the sharing of divine love, and their God given mandate is to tell a world who are ignorant of God's affection towards them. God is very much like the shy school boy who has his heart set on the prettiest girl in his class, and Christians are his best mates trying to help out a God who is so madly in love with the sinners. Well intentioned Christians help Him write sonnets, draft love letters on His behalf and try to capture the wayward sinner's attention. Many desperately try to secretly meet her felt needs and give the credit to all powerful, all knowing God. The ever more popular approach is to attempt to persuade the sinner how their lives will be much better and fulfilling than it is now if they decide to "accept Jesus into their heart." All the efforts and energy swells into a climatic proclamation designed to woo and swoon the love of God's life into submission and surrender. It's diced and sliced a thousand different ways, it's all called evangelism and it's all about love, sweet love. Surely nothing can be wrong about such a lovely, positive and uplifting message, can it?
Unfortunately it can, and the love driven, sinner centered message is not the Gospel message of the Bible. Even our beloved verse of John 3:16 itself gives us a vital clue:
"...whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life..."
Have you considered this all important question: perish from what?
I Cannot now call you "My Friend"
I Cannot now call you "My Friend"
You taught me many things that’s true, I called you “friend” and trusted you.
But I learn Now that it is too late, And you could have kept me from this fate.
We walked by day and talked by night, And yet you showed me not the light.
You let me live, and love, and die. You knew I’d never live on high.
Yes, I was your friend in life, And trusted you through joy and strife,
And yet, on coming to this dreadful end, I cannot now call you “my friend”.
by Mark Cahill
The Convicted Sinner
"It is of great importance that the sinner should be made feel guilty, and not the impression that he is unfortunate. Do not be afraid to show him the breadth of the divine Law, and the exceeding strictness of its precepts. Make him to see how it condemns his thoughts and life. By a convicted sinner, I mean one who feels himself condemned by the Law of God as a guilty sinner. I remark that the Law is the rule, and the only just rule by which the guilt of sin can be measured…Every man need only consult his own conscience faithfully and he will see that it is equally affirmed by the mind’s own intuition to be right" – Charles Finney