LIFE IN CHRIST
To be a believer is to be associated with Christ and be known as a Christian, a term first used at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Whether the designation arose within the Church as a word of commendation and testimony or whether the term originated outside the Church and originally was derogatory in nature is debatable. But believers from the earliest days of the Faith have been identified with Christ because they acknowledge Him and follow His teachings and example.
Jesus says: “I am . . . the life” (Jo. 14:6), and “I have come that they may have life” (Jo. 10:10). Life, true spiritual life, is Christ; and the believer possesses this life because the believer possesses Christ. The life is from Christ and the life is Christ; and the life is to be lived for Christ. So intimate is this life and its association with Christ that Paul testifies: “I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me” (Gal. 2:20). Life in all its dimensions is associated with Christ.
This section, “Life in Christ,” deals with living the Christian life, which is not just a totally and uniquely intellectually commitment to doctrine. The Christian life is that but it is more; it is the exhibition before the world of the Truth we accept. Christ makes a difference: old things pass away and all things become new (II Cor. 5:17); and because of this difference one’s behavior demonstrates one’s beliefs. “For to me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21) is to be the confession and the zeal of the one who has been embraced by life.
Life in Christ is the life of the believer.
Articles related to Life in Christ:
The Passion of the Believer
Summoned to Study
The Necessity of Faith
The Focus of Faith
See: Quotes - Life in Christ
Return to: Life
For overview of LIFE, see: Site Map - Life
For overview of THEOLOGY, see: Site Map - Theology