As I began reading the Book of John, I asked the Father to open my eyes....to cause me to receive revelation from His Word as I read it. I know sooner got the words out of my mouth when my eyes were opened to a passage of Scripture.
John 1: 4. "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men."
Life only comes from God. Nothing exists apart from Him....NOTHING.
Colossians 1:16-17 "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
He gives life to the universe....life to the animals, life to the creatures of the sea....life to vegetation, but there is no life like the life He gives to man, for only man is made in the very image of God.
The life He gives to man is the very life of God. It is a life full of vigour and power....made active in Him.
He came to unite us to Himself....enabling us to take part in the very life of the triune God, becoming one with Him. Life in the Trinity is full, exciting, and happy. It is a life of celebration. It is one big party in Him. This is not saying there will never be difficult times, but what joy in knowing that He is in the difficult times, and He has already made a way out of the difficult times back before the foundation of the world. He sees the beginning to the end....the Alpha/Omega. He is our shield, our protector, our health, our righteousness, our conqueror, and the list goes on. He is everything we need for life, because He is life.......He is OUR life. He has entered into us to give us His life. We don't give our life to Him. He has given His life to us. He has invited us to join in the relationship of the fellowship of Himself....the Triune God. WOW! We can only love Him because He first loved us. We can only receive Him because He's already received us and predestined us before the foundation of the world. We have been adopted into His very life because of the finished work of the cross.
"In Him" was life. Most of us believe that when we invite Jesus into our hearts by saying a prayer, that is when we receive His life. I use to believe that. I didn't think anyone was "in" Him until such a time as THEY made that decision. I know longer believe that.
The thing that kept coming to my mind were the words of Jesus, "It is finished." What did that really mean? I pondered it for a long time, always praying that the Lord would reveal to me what it means. Through prayer, and listening to wonderful men of God such as Steve McVey and C. Baxter Kruger and others, the Lord has caused me to "SEE" something really significant.
When Adam fell in the garden, his act of disobedience caused everyone of us to fall and inherit his sin nature. We didn't do anything ourselves. Adam's fall resulted in our fall. As I pondered that, I began to see what actually took place at the cross.
Romans 5:12,18 are very clear about it.
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to 'ALL' men, because 'ALL' sinned. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to 'ALL' men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to 'ALL' men."
We became "IN" Adam the 'moment' he disobeyed back in the garden. I think everyone can agree to that. So, that being the case, then we became "IN" Christ the very 'moment' that Jesus uttered those amazing, life-giving words, "It IS Finished," understanding that this statement is inclusive of His resurrection and ascension.
Mind-boggling yes, but none the less true. If this is not the case, then what Adam did was more powerful than what Christ did. And we all know that this is not true. There is nothing more powerful than God. His plan was a perfect and complete plan. He had it all figured out before the foundation of the world....it was a plan without flaw....a plan to undo what was done at the fall of man, and HE DID!
IN HIM was life and that life begins at the cross. It doesn't begin when you say some prayer inviting Him in....but it begins at the cross when He invites you in through the door of Jesus Christ. We don't invite Him....He invites us, and He makes the way. There is nothing we can do. It's all Him....ALL. Life is "IN HIM." This is a DECLARATION of faith. This is the GOOD NEWS.....That we are "already" in, now just "believe" it and live in that life that He's given. Unbelief is what stops us from experiencing the life that He died to give us. Only unbelief....not sin.
When we come to the place of believing then the "Light" of the world begins to shine forth from us to the world around us. People are drawn to the Light....the Life that shines forth through us. And we are able to share with people what they "already" have "in Him." Not what they can have, but what they already have through the "finished work of the cross." Now that is the GOOD NEWS! The good news is not telling someone they can be free from their sins. They already are, but just don't know it yet. And how will they hear unless someone tell them? That is what we are to do....share the Good News, that in Him IS Life....His Life flowing through you. It's already done. Believe it....live it....and let the LIGHT of the world shine forth through your life.
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