Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me… As Christ lives in all God's children, so let all that profess Christ, and call God Father, see and discern Christ living in them. This is the crown and comfort of a Christian — to have Christ living in him; and without this he has but the naked and empty name of a Christian, like an idol that has the name of a man, and is no man: a name that he lives, and yet is dead. Feel Christ, therefore, living in your understanding, by prizing the knowledge of Christ above all learning, by determining to know nothing in comparison of knowing Christ and Him crucified, by learning Christ as the truth is in Him, being filled-with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Feel Christ living in your will, in making your will free to choose and embrace Him and the things of God, to intend and will Him and the glory of God above everything, making His will the rule of your will, and fashioning and framing you to be a willing people in and about His work and service. Feel Him living in your imaginations, by thinking upon Him with more frequency and delight than of any other thing, by having more high, honourable, and sweet apprehensions of Christ, than of all the creatures. Feel Christ living in your affections, by being rooted in Christ by a lively faith, as a tree in the earth; by fearing Christ above all earthly powers, as the subject his sovereign, above all civil rulers; by loving Him, as the bride the bridegroom, above all other persons; by rejoicing in Him, as the rich man in his jewel, above all the residue of his substance. Feel Him living in your members, by circumcising and preparing your ears to hear with meekness and reverence, by returning to your tongues a pure language, that your speech may minister grace to the hearers, by restraining your eyes from beholding vanity, by disposing your hands to work that which is good, and by making your feet swift to every good duty. As you discern your soul living in your human body, moving all the members to human services, so discern Christ living in your bodily members, disposing and framing them to religious duties. Feel Christ living in all your services, as the chief worker of them, and enabler of you to do them, doing all in His name, by His assistance, and for His glory. Feel Christ living in the prayer which you make, praying by the Spirit of Christ, in the name of Christ, and for the honour of Christ. Feel Christ hying in the Word which you hear, making it an immortal seed to regenerate you, a sacred fire to purge you, a heavenly light to guide you, and a message of peace to comfort you. Feel Christ living in the sacrament which you receive, making it a celestial manna feeding you; a seal of righteousness, assuring you of your justification; an obligation binding you to new obedience; and a pledge of God's unchangeable love towards you. All holy ordinances, if Christ live not in them, show not Himself powerful by them, are but an empty shell without kernel, and a dry. breast without milk, ministering no nourishment. All the religious duties we perform, if Christ live not in them, are but a sacrifice without fire, a dead carcase, of no esteem with God. Our affections, if Christ live not in us, are a chariot without wheels; they sink and fall into the earth, they cannot incline nor move towards the Lord. All our best abilities, if Christ live not in them, are as standing waters without a living spring; they putrify, and rot, and prove unprofitable. If Christ live not in us, our understandings are blinded, and we cannot savingly know God; our will is enthralled, and we cannot intend God; our faith, like Jeroboam's arm, is withered, and we cannot lay hold upon the promise of God. The whole sufficiency of a Christian is from Christ's living in him. (A. Gross, B. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
    |