The Life We Now Live in the Flesh
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." Gal. 2:20.
By Sam Petkau
What kind of life do you now live? In Gal. 2:20, Paul gives his personal testimony: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." No matter what type of life you live, the fruits of that life will eventually be expressed in one way or another. Living with the attitude of mind and heart that Paul writes about here, will, in life's daily situations, produce results that are genuine and undeniable. Paul was so apprehended of this life, that he diligently sought out and zealously followed in Jesus' footsteps—the man who sincerely and fervently cried out to His heavenly Father, "Not my will, but Yours be done!" Jesus says in Matt. 7:18, "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. " Here we see that life's situations became opportunities for Jesus to make sure the right "sap" was flowing in the inner channels of His heart and mind!
When we have entered into this covenant with Jesus, that "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live (or I no longer live for myself); and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me," then we can also boldly proclaim the same personal testimony that we read in 2 Cor. 2:14: "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." What a fantastic expression of life and thankfulness radiating from our inner thought life, regardless of the situation or people we are with! Thankfulness and triumph! That Spirit will diffuse the fragrance of love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, etc. All the fruits of the Spirit! A direct product of the life which I now live—a genuine result of the inner thoughts that I hold fast to and nurture! "THANKS BE TO GOD!" He knows what He is doing, and by faith He is my God and my Father! Jesus is my forerunner, and guides all things perfectly for me!
By the power of grace given to us through the gospel that Jesus came with, we have been invited to live this life while we are in our earthly body. "For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Cor. 4:11. When life expresses itself, who can argue or disagree or deny the evidence? When a rose bush bursts into blossoms, who would dare question or challenge the validity of the plant and its roots? In His days here on earth, Jesus' spirit of faith led Him in triumph over all His self will, and by obedience to God's will, He brought the fullness of the eternal life and virtue that is in God, into His mortal being! Col. 2:9. Because of His faithfulness and by that same spirit of faith, we can now live this life in our mortal flesh! "He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." 1 John 2:6.
July 2008