What a glorious thought that, wherever sin is, there is Christ, the
Saviour from sin! He bears sin, all sin, the sin of the world. Sin is in
all flesh, and so Christ is come in the flesh. Christ is crucified in
every man that lives on earth. This is the word of truth, the Gospel of
salvation, which is to be proclaimed to all, and which will save all who
accept it.
[Sidenote: Living by Faith.]
In the tenth chapter of Romans, as already noted, we learn that Christ
is in every man, “a very present help in trouble.” He is in the sinner,
in order that the sinner may have every incentive and facility for
turning from sin to righteousness. He is “the way, the truth, and the
life.” John 14:6. There is no other life than His. He is the life. But,
although He is in every man, not every man has His righteousness
manifested in his life; for some “hold down the truth in
unrighteousness.” Rom. 1:18, R. V. Now Paul’s inspired prayer was that
we might be strengthened with might by the Spirit of God in the inner
man, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;” “that ye might be
filled with all the fulness of God.” Eph. 3:16-19. The difference, then,
between the sinner and the Christian is this: that, whereas Christ
crucified and risen is in every man, in the sinner He is there
unrecognized and ignored, while in the Christian He dwells there by
faith.
Christ is crucified in the sinner, for wherever there is sin and the
curse, there is Christ bearing it. All that is needed now is for the
sinner to be crucified with Christ, to let Christ’s death be his own
death, in order that the life of Jesus may be manifested in his mortal
flesh. Faith in the eternal power and Divinity of God, that are seen in
all the things that He has made, will enable any one to grasp this
mystery. The seed is not quickened “except it die.” 1 Cor. 15:36.
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone;
but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24. So the one who
is crucified with Christ, begins at once to live, but it is as another
man. “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
[Sidenote: The Life of the World.]
“But Christ was actually crucified eighteen hundred years, and more,
ago, was He not?”—Certainly. “Then how can it be that my personal sins
were upon Him? or how can it be that I am now crucified with Him?”—Well,
it may be that we can not understand the fact, but that makes no
difference with the fact. But when we remember that Christ is the life,
even “that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested
unto us” (1 John 1:2), we may understand something of it. “In Him was
life; and the life was the light of men,”—“the true light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:4, 9.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account