IF CHRIST IS IN YOU - PART 3

FRIDAY 16 AUGUST 2023

Reference: Romans 8:9-10 New International Version (NIV)

"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness."

But if Christ is in you! In other words, if you are really born again, you have the tangible presence of Christ evident in your body. Yet, many Christians don't understand the weight of the LORD's constant presence within the ambience of their inner man and in all parts of their bodies. Let's consider the rendering again:

"But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness."

The apparent result of the absence of Christ in a man is death. But if Christ is in a man, a lot happens in the body of such man, not just in his recreated human spirit, and in the soulish realm, which is in him. In a nutshell, the Spirit of Christ is not just the controlling influence in your interior operation, He is also the glorious custodian of your physical body. To that effect, Pauline epistolary expression reads, "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself..." (1st Corinthians 6:19 NLT). Your body does not belong to you; it belongs to Christ. Why so? God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body (1st Corinthians 6:20 NLT).

What about the soulish realm in a born again Christian? The soulish realm, which is made of the mind, will and emotions, is also subject to death because of sin. To that effect, Romans 8:6 reads, "The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace" (NIV). This Scripture conveys the contrastive analysis of the carnal mind and the Spirit-governed mind. Christians whose minds are governed by the Spirit have the knowledgebase system of their soul continually flooded with divine light. By this, I mean that their mindsets are constructively built by the Word of God, which shows that they always let the Word dwell in them hugely.

Beloved, to live as a god on earth, you must submit to the Supreme God, and yield your spirit and will to the Lordship of Christ, as well as dedicate your body to the administrating influence of the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ. If not, you will function and die like ordinary men. Zero wonder the Psalm of Asaph reads, "I said, 'You are gods'; you are all sons of the Most High. But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler" (Psalm 82:5-7 NLT). This is God Himself standing in the divine assembly, where He judges among the gods (divine beings). And beloved, if Christ is in you, you are not an ordinary person; you have become a divine being.

Question: Are you really a god? If you are born again, yes of course! If not, you are not god. Again, what makes you a god on earth? Christ in you, who has given you eternal life! Glory to God. To that effect, 1st John 5:11-13 reads, "And this is the truth: God has given us the gift of eternal life, and this life is in His Son. If you have the Son, you have eternal life. If you do not have the Son of God, you are not acquainted with true life. I am writing all of this to you who have entrusted your lives to the Son of God - so you will realize eternal life already is yours" (The Voice).

What is the overall consequence of living in this world without Christ? The answer is numbered as John 3:36, which reads, "He who believes and trusts in the Son and accepts Him [as Saviour] has eternal life [that is, already possesses it]; but he who does not believe the Son and chooses to reject Him, [disobeying Him and denying Him as Saviour] will not see [eternal] life, but [instead] the wrath of God hangs over him continually" (AMP). 

Jesus Christ Himself guaranteed this verity in John 6:47 (WEB), and it reads, "Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life." What a timeless truth! In other words, you are a divine being (supreme god). Hallelujah! Stay tuned for part 4. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 10:28-30; Romans 5:21; John 17:3; 1 John 5:13.

Exuberant Declaration:

I have eternal life and this life is in the Lord Jesus Christ who lives in me. On a daily basis, I run into the true and full discovery of this truth, in all wisdom and spiritual experience. Praise God!