Every believer is one with Christ. We therefore live upon the Son of God, our Savior. How do we live upon Him? We live by faith in Him: in His Mediatorial life and death, in His risen life, in His reigning power and in His interceding presence at God’s right hand. We who are one with Christ live by faith upon the Son of God.—“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”
Christ in me is my life. Because He lives, I live (John 14:19; 11:25). He is my life (Col. 3:3). I do not live upon what I have done for God. There’s no life in any part of that, but only death! Nor do I live upon what I can do for God. That would be blasphemy. But I live upon Christ: upon who He is as the Son of God and who He is to God for me as Mediator. I live upon what He did for me (John 6:51, 56). I live upon the Son of God my eternal Surety, my suffering, satisfying, successful Substitute, my Savior, my sovereign King, my glorious Lord. I live upon Him by faith, not by works.
Who is He to God for me? He is my wisdom, my righteousness, my holiness, my redemption, my eternal life, my all (John 11:25; 14:6, 19; 1 Cor. 1:23-24, 30-31; Col. 2:3, 9-10; 3:4, 11). What did He do for me by the will of God? He gave Himself for me! He took my sins as a body upon Himself and bore them on the cursed tree (Rom. 6:6; 1 Pet. 2:24). God’s law cursed Him to death with the curse owed to me and which I must pay (Gal. 3:13). But by eternal election, Christ was joined to me in eternal union, and I to Him in that everlasting covenant of grace (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 5:12-19; Heb. 13:20). My sins were charged by God to Him. The debt that I owed God became His to pay. He endured the utmost to pay the uttermost farthing of my debt to God. He bore the wrath of God for my sins (Psalm 85:10; Isaiah 12:1-3; Psalm 88:7; Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 1:10). By that same union, God credited to me His obedience in a death that fulfilled God’s law and established my everlasting righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). His death made satisfaction to God for my sins. He washed me from my sins in His own blood. He made me holy before God in love (Eph. 1:4). By His one offering of Himself to God, He perfected me forever (Heb. 10:10, 14). He now dwells in me. He is my life. Though I died with Him, I am alive with Him to live to God (Gal. 2:19). Christ in me is my life. I am one with Him (Eph. 5:30)!
Why do we never grow tired of setting forth Christ and Him crucified? Why is He our only message? Because He is our life. He is our wisdom by which we come to God,. By Him alone we are accepted by God and know God (Isaiah 53:11; John 14:6-9; 17:3). He is God’s power in our salvation from our sins, from eternal death, from satan and from this present evil world (1 Cor. 1:23-24; Rom. 8:33-34). What else is there to a believing sinner than Christ and Him crucified (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 1:17-1 Cor. 2:2)?!
Christ in me is my life. Because He lives, I live (John 14:19; 11:25). He is my life (Col. 3:3). I do not live upon what I have done for God. There’s no life in any part of that, but only death! Nor do I live upon what I can do for God. That would be blasphemy. But I live upon Christ: upon who He is as the Son of God and who He is to God for me as Mediator. I live upon what He did for me (John 6:51, 56). I live upon the Son of God my eternal Surety, my suffering, satisfying, successful Substitute, my Savior, my sovereign King, my glorious Lord. I live upon Him by faith, not by works.
Who is He to God for me? He is my wisdom, my righteousness, my holiness, my redemption, my eternal life, my all (John 11:25; 14:6, 19; 1 Cor. 1:23-24, 30-31; Col. 2:3, 9-10; 3:4, 11). What did He do for me by the will of God? He gave Himself for me! He took my sins as a body upon Himself and bore them on the cursed tree (Rom. 6:6; 1 Pet. 2:24). God’s law cursed Him to death with the curse owed to me and which I must pay (Gal. 3:13). But by eternal election, Christ was joined to me in eternal union, and I to Him in that everlasting covenant of grace (Eph. 1:4; Rom. 5:12-19; Heb. 13:20). My sins were charged by God to Him. The debt that I owed God became His to pay. He endured the utmost to pay the uttermost farthing of my debt to God. He bore the wrath of God for my sins (Psalm 85:10; Isaiah 12:1-3; Psalm 88:7; Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 1:10). By that same union, God credited to me His obedience in a death that fulfilled God’s law and established my everlasting righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). His death made satisfaction to God for my sins. He washed me from my sins in His own blood. He made me holy before God in love (Eph. 1:4). By His one offering of Himself to God, He perfected me forever (Heb. 10:10, 14). He now dwells in me. He is my life. Though I died with Him, I am alive with Him to live to God (Gal. 2:19). Christ in me is my life. I am one with Him (Eph. 5:30)!
Why do we never grow tired of setting forth Christ and Him crucified? Why is He our only message? Because He is our life. He is our wisdom by which we come to God,. By Him alone we are accepted by God and know God (Isaiah 53:11; John 14:6-9; 17:3). He is God’s power in our salvation from our sins, from eternal death, from satan and from this present evil world (1 Cor. 1:23-24; Rom. 8:33-34). What else is there to a believing sinner than Christ and Him crucified (Gal. 6:14; 1 Cor. 1:17-1 Cor. 2:2)?!
Rick Warta
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