“But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Corinthians 1:30
It was Charles Wesley, who in his great hymn, “Come, Jesus, Lord, With Holy Fire,” wrote: “Let nothing now my heart divide, Since with Thee I am crucified, And live to God in Thee. Dead to the world and all its toys, Its idle pomp and fading joys, Jesus, my glory be.” What is Wesley seeking to impart to the believer in Christ? It is the practical application of some of the greatest truths concerning Christ, and His work on Calvary. First of all, without dealing with the matter directly, he begins with Christ as the only One who can come, and deal with sin and the sinner. The hymn is actually a prayer, the plea of Wesley’s heart that the Lord Jesus would move directly, and specifically, in his life to quicken his heart, and cleanse him from all sin. It is also an appeal to Him to reveal his blessed Life to Wesley’s soul. The call is an imminent one, declaring: “…Thy mighty working let me feel, Since I am born of God.” Wesley begins with Christ as the Sovereign Lord, the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last, and All in between. Paul would clearly declare this by saying, “Christ is All in All.” In beginning with Christ, the Almighty, Victorious Savior and King, Wesley deals with the singular object of his faith, the One in whom all of his trust is stayed. He then moves on to Christ’s work on Calvary, and the application of that work in the life of the believer. Too often the young believer in Christ begins with a knowledge of Who Christ is, but then, seeks to love and serve him according to the old principles of living that were his in Adam. He seeks to derive from himself the resources necessary to serve Christ. The Apostle Peter learned very quickly that the “arm of flesh will (always) fail you, you dare not trust your own.” Paul, as we read in the seventh chapter of Romans, discovered in profound detail, that “…there is no good thing” in the flesh, that sin nature, certainly no way possible to please God in any way, by trusting in self. Both Peter and Paul, as well as all true Christendom, is always brought to the place in their experience, as was the case with Wesley, where one finally discovers the truth of Christ, and His work on Calvary. With regard to the person of Christ, He alone is worthy to be trusted, for He alone can accomplish that which He has declared and promised. Secondly, only by the revealed work of Calvary does the believer begin to understand the ways of God, as opposed to the ways of men, whereby Christ’s victory and power are truly known. From the greatest of minds, to the lowliest of men, all are brought to this point, if they would know Christ, that: “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” Christ is Life, to know Him is to live eternally. His work on Calvary is the only perfect, everlasting work, whereby a sinner can be saved and declared free from sin, Satan, and the world. Christ’s resurrection, specifically His power in being raised from the dead, was the declaration by God to all of creation, that God in Christ had come, and accomplished completely a perfect and worthy work by which man need no longer fear death. Even though, by men’s ways, there was still no power to rise again, yet, IN Christ, the believer, IN union with the Conqueror of Death, IS risen. How are these truths to be lived?
It is only by faith. Christ has been MADE the sanctification of the believer. IN Christ, the believer has been set apart, rendered holy, consecrated to God. All the resources of this Life in Christ, belong to the believer. The believer belongs to Christ, by the Father’s work, to live by the Spirit…by FAITH.
Dear Father, Strengthen us to take Christ as our Life, Light, Love, and sanctification, by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.