I live by faith
Gal 2:20 KJV
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
This theme must ring continuously in your mind and soul. It must be a moment by moment
thought. It is something that somehow by the help of the Spirit, you must carry consciously to avoid a relapse into the old life. For Christ to live in you is not something that is achieved by your determination or resolution. Many try to live that way; those who are strong in determination can carry on for many years, yet are uncharitable. Those who are weak on the other hand fall short ever so often and are frustrated and compromising. What is the way?
The prescription for living the life of Christ is by faith. All other things had been done for us. God in His infinite wisdom had included us in the death of Christ on the cross, knowing that unless the old life is terminated in death, the new life cannot come out. The new life cannot be lived in the ‘wine skin’ of the old. Both are not compatible. God has taken care of what we could not do by ourselves. There was no way we could have died and lived again by ourselves. God had to do that. We died, in a moment, when we believed and received Christ into our lives, what Christ did on the cross was immediately effected in us by the Spirit’s operation. The old life was brought to an end, hence, the new life, which is the life of Christ, sprouted. This is the part only God could do.
The Christian is not to worry about how the old self would die, that has been done! He only need to step into that reality by faith. We will not be able to do anything about dying, but we can live.
Our part is to live by faith, that the life of Christ may blossom and become visible. Where this faith does not exist, although Christ is alive in the spirit of the believer, he remains unfruitful in the works of Christ.
The life of Christ is supernatural and extraordinary. It is beyond the earthly realm. So the Christian life should be such. It cannot be ordinary because the one who is living within is of a higher life. Everything about Christ is awe inspiring, such should be the Christian life. There ought to be some distinction about us that others cannot understand. This is possible because of Christ living in us. We are thus called to a higher life. It is life incomparable to the earthly life. Even the best moral standard is insignificant in the presence of this life. If a natural German does not tell lies, what will the Christian show to convince him that that character is merely a traditional heritage and not of Christ. It must be something higher. If in some cultures, unmarried singles must not be found to have had sexual relationship before marriage, what will a Missionary of such status show to point them to Christ? This is what we are talking about. The call to live the life of Christ is not duplicable; it is not something that by the rods of magicians can be duplicated. Even if they succeed in doing something like it, the life of Christ will still swallow up all these.
Let us return to the fact that the life of Christ can only be lived by faith. It is expressed by faith alone and not faith plus something. Even the works that accompany it are the works of faith in the Son of God. Now, ‘Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God’ Rm 10:17. I am walking by faith when I am conducting my affairs in line with the Word of God that has been revealed, either in Scriptures or by the Spirit in the circumstance. Jesus Himself said, “…If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” Jn 8:31. The place of the Word of God in the life of a believer is imperative. It is by obedience to the Word of God that we are molded into the image of Christ. Obedience reflects our faith. If we are to bring it down, we will say, “…the life I now live in the body, I live by obedience to the Son of God…” It is about rejecting my own will and doing the will of God. This is how we show that he is in us. We pay attention to hearing what His will is in the matter and obey…even when it is extremely inconvenient for us. Let us note his own example… he loved and gave his life. This is the principle that undergirds the Christian life; ‘dying to live; living to die’