Christ In You – Jim Fowler

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A reader asked the following questions, and I gave my responses to the questions:

What does ‘Christ in You’ mean to you?

The reality of “Christ in me” constitutes the gospel, the “good news” that God has made available in the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus did not come merely as a personage of history (although that is certainly true), but He rose from the dead in resurrection to make His Life available to all receptive mankind. “The Last Adam became life-giving Spirit” (I Cor. 15:45). “The Lord (Jesus) is the Spirit” (II Cor. 3:17,18). “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). The mystery (one concealed, now revealed) has been revealed. It is Christ in you” (Col. 1:26,27).

How do you experience this reality?

The living Lord Jesus living in me is my Life (cf. Col. 3:4). The very resurrection-life of Jesus dwells in me and lives through me. “For me to live is Christ” (Phil.1:6). There is no explanation for me apart from Him. A Christ-one, a Christian, is one in whom the living Lord Jesus lives, His Spirit in our spirit (cf. Rom. 8:16). Every moment of every day is lived in the awareness that Jesus lives in me, and He desires to re-present His life and character in my behavior. This awareness relieves me from all sense of having to perform for Him, allowing Him to be and do what He wants to be and do in me. It is not what I do, but what He does that is of any import.

What are the implications of this truth for your life?

The reality of Christ in me as my life necessarily implies that Jesus does not dwell in me simply as an “entry ticket into heaven.” Christ in me will always lead to Christ living His life through me and as me. People will look at me and see Him. Jesus did not just live historically two millennia ago, but He is living in me in everything I do here and now. What an amazing reality – the grace-dynamic of God energizing the life of Jesus Christ in my behavior.

How does ‘Christ in You’ impact your relationships in the Church?

Christ in me is not just an individualized reality. Christ in me makes me a vital participant in the Body of Christ. It’s as if Paul was a Texan, “Christ in y’all.” We are not “Lone Ranger Christians.” We must recognize that we are in this together in the collective of the ecclesia, the gathering, the assembly, the congregation of Christ-ones, instituted by Jesus. The “fruit of the Spirit of Christ in me” will necessarily manifest the character of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and the Godly control of myself: (Gal. 5:22,23) in the corporate ecclesia.

What practices have helped you deepen your intimacy with Jesus?

When one understands the reality of the risen and living Lord Jesus living in their spirit, this does not lead to an incentivization to “do great things for God.” God in Christ has done everything necessary; Jesus exclaimed from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The so-called “spiritual disciplines” have been helpful for some, but for me the extended out-living of the Christ-life has simply been real as I have been willing in faith to simply BE who I have become “in Christ,” a new creature, a child of God.

Jim Fowler is a cherished and respected friend of Plain Truth Ministries, a wonderful brother in Christ, having served in a variety of capacities, on our Board of Directors, as a theological consultant and as an author and editor.  He continues to write, with his latest being “Manifesting the Life of Jesus” available on Amazon.  Jim is a treasure to the body of Christ, a Christ follower who faithfully reflects God’s grace in Jesus, as our risen Lord lives his life within him.