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THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

BY DON BANTUM

Some people say it's difficult to live the Christian life. But it isn't difficult at all, it's impossible! Could you or I of done this?

You see, the Christian life is Christ's life, and He's the only One who can live "HIS" life. We can't live His life. We have to live our own lives through faith in Jesus and His ability to live His life in us. Once we have come to saving faith in Jesus Christ, He comes to live His life in and through us. Allow the Spirit of Jesus to live that life in you. It's kind of funny in a way, to see people trying to live Christ's life. I wonder what it is that makes people think once they get saved by grace through faith in the "ONE" who did it all, some mystical thing happens to them, and they suddenly become like God. That's just plain old deception from the evil one. Remember Satan's lie to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, “You shall become as God?” They fell for that lie, and believed Satan rather than God; who created them out of the dust of the earth. That's the same lie which killed man and caused the Spirit of life to depart from us in the first place. Let's not go back there again!!!!

Man seems determined, in his own mind, to somehow become a god. Man often wonders why he can't do what God does. I mean, man sits around thinking to himself, "What's wrong with me? I've accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, why can't I be good? Why can't I seem to do anything right? Why can't I pray for people and have them just rise up and walk? Why can't I just say I want to be rich and then have piles of money all over the house? What am I doing wrong? Am I not using the right combination of words when I pray? Is it because I don't think positively enough about what it is I want? Perhaps I'm not praying hard enough. Maybe I don't have enough faith. Perhaps if I start kicking my feet and holding my breath long enough, I can spur God into action, or just create what I need by speaking it into existence.” There are those who would have you believe such things, but they just aren’t true.

Wow, are we messed up or what? God doesn't change us into little gods. Jesus came to live in us, spiritually, through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Third Person in the Trinity. God Himself is living in us. We are still us, we are still people, we haven't become deity; deity has come to live in us. Jesus Christ will live His life in us.

Galatians 2: 20. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Praise God, is that not perfectly clear? I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live today, I live by faith in Jesus Christ. We haven't been turned into god's, but rather the very same God who created the Universe, has come to live His life in US. No, you will never be as God, you are man, made of flesh and blood, and as such, you are imperfect. Had you been made perfect in your flesh, you would no longer need God, you'd come to believe you were God in short order. That is the pride of mankind. We have very short memories. We'd forget we ever needed God and start worshiping ourselves, which many people do anyway. So we are still very much dependent on God for every aspect of our lives. Yes, and for every breath we take as well. Christ lives in us, continually renewing our minds with truth; teaching us we can trust Him for everything, because He loves us perfectly, and unconditionally. We will continue to sin as long as we live. But sin is no longer our master. We can resist the devil and he will flee from us. We are to be controlled by the Spirit who lives in us. So we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh, through the power of God. But trust me, you will also fail, and fall from time to time. But you don't have to lay there and roll around in that failure. Get up and move on! Just start thanking Jesus for what He has done for you. You’re a forgiven believer. He is no longer taking your sins into account. Don't get all bothered because you make mistakes, and start beating yourself up over it. God knows perfectly well you aren't perfect. If you were, you wouldn't need Jesus in the first place. He is always there, interceding for us. When we come to Jesus we give him our very lives, so He can give us His life. It's called the "exchanged life."

We give Jesus all that we are, utter failures, in exchange for His LIFE, which is perfect, without spot or wrinkle. That way, when God looks at us, He sees Jesus and the blood He shed for us on the cross. He no longer sees us, but rather His only begotten Son. Jesus has taken our sins away from the sight of God. That doesn't mean we stop sinning, as we are still housed in a body of flesh and blood.

1 Corinthians 15:50. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

John 3:6.That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

Nobody can please God in their flesh, and our flesh will never inherit eternal life. This body was made out of the dust of the earth, and someday it will return to the earth. But our spirit lives on forever. Since our spirit belongs to God, we will go to be with Jesus the very instant we take our last breath. Pretty exciting isn't it. We call that “victory in Jesus.” That's the only time we have complete victory.

On the other hand, if we reject that salvation being offered to us, we go directly to Hell. In other words, we lose, and that is not an option we want to take. Hell was prepared for Satan and his angels, where the beast and the false prophet are. It's not a game, it's real. Not much of a choice in my opinion… a no-brainier. And what's cool about the whole thing is Salvation is a free gift from God. We can't do anything to earn it, and because of that we can't do anything to lose it once we receive it. We are saved by God's grace, through our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ the righteous "ONE". We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. So the life we live, we live by faith, in the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. So we are lead internally by His Spirit who lives in us.
We no longer live by laws written on stone, because those who belong to Jesus, have been set free from the law that once brought death.

Romans 8:2. ...because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

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