Raised in power in the flesh as well as in glory – Jesus was both fully alive by the Spirit in the weakness of human flesh and also fully alive in Glory – raised out of weakness in resurrection power.
We want to live like Christ– to wash the feet of others, to be calm before opposition, to stand at the grave and expect New Life to emerge. But how can we do that except in the power of the Holy Spirit given – that is, the power of resurrection, of rising to New Life In Christ?
Being Transformed to be like Christ, the Christian is fully alive — both now and in the glorious certainty of being fully alive in glory forever.
Our transformation into Christ-likeness should not be focused simply on his relationship with people when he walked this earth before the Cross, but must embrace and step into the life of Christ-followers AFTER Christ arose from the grave and ascended into Glory.
We can attempt what Jesus does by law (what’s expected of me) or by the Spirit (what’s expected of God). If we choose to live by what others tell us to do, rather than by faith in the presence of His Almighty Spirit, we do so in the power of the old man of flesh, and it will fail. Living by law leads us to focus on death, not life, because it is a return to life as it was lived before the cross and the resurrection – a turning away from the power to live in light of Christ’s gift of the Spirit after he arose.
There was no resurrection for Christ without the Cross, but His death does not provide the power to live that we witnessed in His resurrection. His death provides atonement for sin and opens the door to reconciliation with God. His resurrection provides the Power of the Holy Spirit to all those who believe in Him.
Christ’s life example and his teaching before his death on the Cross are critical for all of us under slavery to sin, but were not designed simply to remove the shackles of that sin, but to empower life.
Christ’s life and teaching were designed for a born again life by the power of the Spirit after His resurrection.
In fact, we might say that everything Jesus taught before he died cannot be lived out in this life except by the power of the Holy Spirit giving us new life. The historical realities of the Church for over 2,000 years demonstrates how important it is to recognize that his teaching was not for just back then, but for now so many years later.
“Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. If you love me, keep my commands.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.“
So, Jesus rose from the dead, gave the gift of the Spirit, and suddenly all his teaching, relating to others, and the disposition of his human soul are now in reach for me in:
Turning from reliance on self, yielding to God’s word, seeking his presence, choosing to follow his voice and his heart alone…
Humility, commitment, waiting, acting in faith…
Repentance, rest, quietness, trust…
Lord God,
I want to live a life consumed by victory and overcoming faith, NOT consumed with the need to repent and die to self.
Repentance or death to self is necessary – the reality of where I started in my walk with you. But repentance is only one word out of four that you gave me from Isaiah 30:15. The other three are rest, quietness, and trust. I want to live more and more in those three realities and rise above a life consumed with dying, dying to self, to flesh and to the world.
Oh God, I do want to die to those things but more and more, Lord, I hunger and thirst after life in you and freedom from those things. Perhaps you are getting me ready for Glory but oh God, help me to walk in newness of life now as much as possible.
By your grace Lord I will rise up out of this present darkness that keeps condemning my walk and causing me to fear the loss of your mercy – mercy you’ve already granted me. I love you Lord and I want to believe that your gift is life out of death.
I’m trading my sorrows for Christ’s joy, my pessimism for Christ’s optimism, my disappointment for Christ’s confidence…
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