But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17).
One of the most essential truths for the child of God to grasp and to hold on to by faith is the union of the believer to Christ. It is no longer me living the Christian life, but it is Christ in me, who is now living His life in me and through me.
One of the reasons that many of us are so frustrated in our Christian experience is that we are trying to live the Christian life in the power of the flesh. The flesh and the self life can never live up to the standard that the Word of God has set before us. It seems as if the standard has been set too high, and that it is impossible for us to live this life. The truth of the matter is that it is indeed impossible for us to live this life out of ourselves, but what is impossible with men is possible with God. Jesus Christ is the only one that has ever lived the Christian life in perfection, and this truth has not changed. Only Christ in us can live the Christian life. This means that the life of self must be removed so that Christ can live His life in me.
"I am crucified with Christ and it is no longer I that lives, but it is Christ that lives in me." (Gal.2:20). It is imperative that we see the truth of our identification with Christ in His death. When Christ went to the cross not only did He bear our sin, but the whole Adamic race died in Him. We were crucified with Christ. We were in Him and His death was our death. We cannot crucify ourselves. The flesh can never cast out the flesh. "Knowing this that our old man has been crucified with Him." (Romans 6:6). Deliverance from the self life only comes through death. We have been made one with Christ in His death.
Not only were we crucified and buried with Christ, but we were made alive in Him. "And you hath He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph.2:1). The resurrection of Christ was our resurrection also. Not only have we been given a new life in Christ, but we have been raised up with Him and made to sit in heavenly places in Christ. "But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ. And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Eph.2:5,6).
The great truths of our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection have not only put an end to the sin question, but have also put an end to the question of the self life. It is no longer I, but Christ. It is no longer I that is on the throne, but Christ now is in sovereign control of my life. The Christian life cannot be split up into me doing my own thing and giving a part of my life, part of my time, part of my attention to Christ. The Christian life is Christ. He is the head and we are the body. We have been made bone of His bone. It is Christ that is now on the throne of our hearts. He is the one that is in charge and is calling the shots. It is no longer two separate lives that are being lived, but it is one life, "His life."
"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:31,32). Christ and the Church are one. The Church is the fullness of Christ.
"For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ." (1 Cor.12:12).
We can no longer live the Christian life in independence from Christ, anymore than one member of our body is independent of the other members. Christ is our very life. It is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being.
"I am the vine and you are the branches. He that abides in me and I in Him, the same brings forth much fruit, for without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5). We have been grafted into Christ, and our very life is dependent upon abiding in Christ and partaking of the continuous supply of life that is ours through our union with Christ.
God's purpose for every child of God is that we would be conformed into the image and likeness of His Son. This does not mean that we are to strive within ourselves to be more like Jesus. Remember, self has already been given the death blow, for "I have been crucified with Christ." The reason that we can be conformed to the very image and likeness of Jesus is because we have been made partakers of the divine nature. (1 Peter 1:4).
The prayer that Jesus prayed before He was crucified was not only for those men that were the disciples of Jesus, but for the Church was this prayer prayed.
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe in me through their word. That they all may be one, as thou Father are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou has sent me. And the glory that thou has given me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, that the world may know that thou has sent me, and has loved them as thou has loved me." (John 17:20-23).
Mike
