Life as a sacrifice of love is a description of Christ's life for us and for the world. But it's also a description of our life in Christ and following Christ. Of course it is grounded in the foundation who is Christ as well as the foundational act, which is Christ's work of love in dying for us, for our sins and the sins of the world. From that we live, and that life that we live is a Christ-life he lives out in us by the Spirit and we live out in cooperation with him, in faith and obedience to God.
This takes in everything, all that we face and experience. It ends up being swallowed up in this reality, so that we can live this out and grow in the grace of doing so.
Do we see all we experience in this light, particularly the difficult things and problems we encounter, the trials and even temptations? We are called to be little christs, and in Christ we are. And this is the life that we need to see in each other and that the world needs to see from us, a life that points them to its true source: Christ.
What would you add here?
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4 comments:
We are called to be little Christs, you said. I know that is the literal meaning of the word "Christian" but it struck me as strange today. Questionable.
I've heard that the Bible only uses the word Christian in a few places. That's why some people prefer to be called "followers of Christ."
Seems like a silly semantic distinction on one hand. On the other, I wonder. What is the difference between a little Christ and a follower of Christ?
Besides one of them sounds like a garden gnome and one of them sounds like a student.
Mark, In 1 John 2 (see verses 20, 27) Christians are said to have the anointing, chrisma. This is from the same roots as Jesus Christos.
Your question is a good one, and we forever remain distinct from Christ himself; he is the God-Man, we will never be that. Though we do have the same anointing and calling he had based on him and his work for us.
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity does use this same terminology for us Christians.
I love the fact that God didn't tell us to go out and lose our lives for him while he selfishly held on to his. He led by example and blazed the trail and then he bids us to follow. He does not bid us go forth. He bids us to follow. Good thoughts.
Matt, Great and important point. What a great salvation we have, so personal and so glorious in seeking to follow in the way of Jesus.
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