The Christ Who Lives in Us — Part 4
So how can we ever be like Christ? The standard He set is perfection and we are weak and unable to live up to it on our own.
The Christ Who Lives in Us — Part 4
“We must have what He is, in order to be what He was.”
When Major Ian Thomas wrote those words, he had one thing in mind. That is the idea that the Christian should be like Christ.
The very word, Christian, means “little Christ.” We are followers of Jesus and we strive to be like Him, but that is no easy task. In fact, even Paul found it to be frustrating:
Romans 7:18
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”
So how can we ever be like Christ? The standard He set is perfection and we are weak and unable to live up to it on our own. To be what He was we must have what He is. He was completely righteous and holy while He walked on this earth in a real flesh-and-blood body. He became our righteousness, and His goal is to make us pure and blameless.
Ephesians 5:27
“...that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
The only way to be what He was is for Him to give us His own righteousness.
Romans 4:5
“But to the one who ... believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”
Philippians 3:8-9
“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.”
Through His gift of grace, He cleanses us from our sin and makes us pure in the eyes of God.
Thank You, Jesus, for making me whole and righteous. Thank You for giving me what You are.
