New Year's Revolution
On the last evening of 2010, my family was having dinner and discussing the new year. My seven year-old Caleb thought we should talk about our goals for the new year. His number one resolution—or "revolution" as he calls them'was to not break anymore bones in the coming year. (Just last week he got casts off both his wrists which he had broken in a playground accident.)
He's right. What we need are not New Year's resolutions. We need New Year's revolutions. We don't need to better our life, rededicate our hearts, or renew our faith. We don't need to change our life.
We need to exchange our life.
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (2:20).
Interesting. Let's have a quick review about Paul, the apostle formerly known as Saul. He was brought up in the strict Jewish faith and was zealous for God's law. Saul was a Pharisee. He held closely to God's covenant with Abraham—if you do what's right, you will be blessed, and if you do what's wrong you will be cursed.
So when Paul said he too was crucified, that he no longer lived, that Christ lived through him...that was a revolution in thinking! The idea of a relationship with God and the thought of Him—in the form of the Holy Spirit--living through you was completely foreign to Jews.This revolutionary thinking caused many Jews to turn on Paul. He was setting a different course.
The sad thing is that many Christians today are still thinking like the Jews following the old covenant. To some extent Paul's revolutionary thinking has been lost amongst Believers today. We don't realize that Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. We don't realize that our life has been exchanged with Christ's life—the indwelling Holy Spirit within us. We are to depend on His life within us to guide how we think, talk, and act.
Christianity is not a self-help theology. Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). No matter how hard we try to live for God, we won't. We must allow Christ in us to live through us.
So feel free to make resolutions. But know that resolutions are ineffective without first making a revolution to exchange your life with Christ's life, or more accurately, to realize that this great exchange has occurred already. Jesus is the only one who has ever lived the Christian Life, and now (through His Spirit) He wishes to live it through you.
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
Revolutionary indeed!
Created over 1 year ago
