CHRIST: THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT - PART 2

SATURDAY 15 APRIL 2023

Christ is a life-giving Spirit, which implies that the very life and presence of our Heavenly Father, is manifested in the person of the Son. The real revelation of God the Father to our hearts, is "Christ in you", that is, His abiding presence in us. Hear me, humanity, we do not yet live, until we possess God in our spirits. Through salvation, we must fill our souls and spirits with the Godhead so we can become alive. And for every human being on earth, the only answer to this is to be born again.

Reference: 1st Corinthians 15:45 New Living Translation (NLT) 'The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam—that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit.'

Adam was fully human, and according to John 3:6, humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life (NLT). In other words, flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. The human nature consists of flesh and blood, but those in Christ, have put on Christ, meaning that although they are still in human flesh on earth, in the realm of the spirit, they have put on a new covering fashioned after the image of Christ, in true holiness and in conformity to His divine nature. Got it?

The Bible says, "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27 NIV). Every born again Christian wears the unseen Christ. To that effect, Colossians 3:10 (YLT) reads, "And having put on the new, which is renewed in regard to knowledge, after the image of Him who did create Him."

In what ways does Christ manifest in our lives as a life-giving Spirit? In this article, I will share two important impactful and illuminating ways: Firstly, as a life-giving Spirit, Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life" (John 6:63). Beloved, it is Christ alone, the life-giving Spirit, that gives eternal life. Human flesh and blood amount to nothing, as long as eternity is concerned. So Christ manifests His life in our lives through the very Word of God given to us, and all He has spoken concerning us (contained in the Scriptures), because they are spirit and life. This is the reason we must learn to respond to the Word habitually.

Secondly, Christ manifests His life in our human spirit and body, through our firm decision to yield completely to the leading of the Holy Spirit in us. In line with this verity, Romans 8:8-11 reads, "...Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you." Got it? As a life-giving Spirit, Christ gives life to our mortal bodies or corporeal existence through His Spirit at work in us.

Now watch this: Remember that it is only those who are born again (born of the Spirit) that can progressively demonstrate the life of Christ in their bodies as well as the brightness of glory He imparted in their spirits. If you are not born again, no matter how good and religious you appear or seem to be, you are still a natural man because of Adamic nature fully evident in you and expressive through you. You do not have any future with God, and so you have no place and inheritance in our Heavenly Father's Kingdom, which means that you have such an ill-omened uncertainty, after life on earth. That's just the plain truth. But please do not wait to be taught by the experience of "after death", because by then, it's going to be very late to receive salvation that is in Christ.

Also, understand that you will not have eternal life or make heaven by religious and moral distinctions. It's only by receiving Jesus Christ genuinely - as Saviour and Lord. As for those who are saved, continue to walk in righteous until Christ, who is your life appears on earth for your sake. Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 104:30; Ezekiel 36:26-28; John 3:6-8; Galatians 6:8.

Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I thank you for your unconditional love and mercy that inspired the Lord Jesus to die for me, so that I may have life and enjoy it in abundance. Therefore I acknowledge that Christ, the life-giving Spirit, lives in me and I'm fully yielded to the leading of the Spirit as your beloved, in Jesus' Name, Amen!