The Christ Who Lives in Us — Part 2
In other words, Christ went to the cross on purpose.
The Christ Who Lives in Us — Part 2
Yesterday, we started to break down this amazing quote by Major Ian Thomas, a blessed teacher of the word and a British WWII veteran.
“He had to be who He was in order to do what He did. He had to do what He did in order that you might have what He is. We must have what He is, in order to be what He was.”
We have established who Jesus was: He was the visible image of the invisible God. Now, let’s ask ourselves, “What did He do?”
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asked His disciples who the people thought He was. The disciples answered that the people thought He might be John the Baptist, or Elijah or a prophet. Their answers reflect the same problem that people have today. People will never really be able to understand who Jesus is until they realize what it is that He came to do.
He didn’t come just to be a teacher. Anyone could have done that. He didn’t come to be a good example for us, although He told us to be like Him. He didn’t come to lead us, although He commanded us to follow Him. He didn’t come to perform the miracles or to heal.
Yes, He did all of those things but that’s not why He came. Everything He did pointed toward one great purpose: He came to die for sinners.
He taught, He led, He healed and He left an example because that’s just who He was. But, He came so that He could be the perfect sacrifice who would pay the penalty for our sins, die in our place and reconcile us to God. No one else could do that. There was only one acceptable sacrifice. Paul explains:
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
“...One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ ... God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself...”
In other words, Christ went to the cross on purpose. He wasn’t just willing, He was intent on it. It was His goal from the start and He accomplished what He set out to do: die for us, take the sins of the world upon Himself and conquer death once and for all!
He was the only One who could accomplish that. He had to be who He was in order to do what He did.
Tomorrow: What is He and how can we have that?
