Ask Christian children, “Where does Jesus live in you?” and they will answer “in my heart.” I’d say we’ve done a good job of teaching them that. And it’s appropriate. It’s not “wrong.” But it’s not the whole story. And by living and believing a childish truth, could we as adults miss out on the amazing truth of what it means that “Christ lives in me”?
“For I have been crucified with Christ,
and it is no longer I who live
but Christ who lives in me”
Galatians 2:20
How unfortunate that would be if we go through all of our life not understanding the power and grace that’s available inside of us because the Holy Spirit is always present. I know for myself I haven’t understood, nor do I fully understand, this amazing truth!
In 2 Corinthians 6:1, Paul says “We also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” The word “vain” is kenos in Greek and means “empty or hollow.” So what God is saying is that He gives us His grace, but we can miss the fullness of that grace.
1 Thessalonians 2:1 has the same word “kenos” and it means to be “unaccompanied by the demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Again, it’s possible to have the Spirit of God within us but miss experiencing and living in the Spirit and power. It’s possible as lifelong Christians to live weak, defeated lives. This is receiving the grace of God in vain. But God has so much more for us to grow in maturity as His children!
Let’s dig into the Word of God and cry out to God for deeper understanding and for a revelation in the knowledge of truth. And then let’s walk in that truth to experience the demonstration of the Spirit and of power in our lives. And especially in our struggles with diet idolatry and gluttony.
“For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said,
‘I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
2 Corinthians 6:16
God dwells in us and walks in us. This is an amazing truth! From the tips of our fingertips to the top of our head and to the ends of our toes…this is where God lives by His Holy Spirit.
Not in my heart–but in all of me!
Because of this, God tells us to be separate and not touch what’s unclean. You see, anytime we sin, God is right there with us. Inside us. When my hands pick up something, His hand picks it up inside of me. When I cheat and eat and live by my appetites instead of the Spirit, God is present with every bite.
When I look to a worldly plan…a new set of laws…a manmade diet to deliver me, God is right there grieving because we haven’t yet learned that the source of all power–the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!–lives in us. We’re receiving the grace of God in vain!
I take Him with me as I sin. He is not on the outside of me watching. He is not in heaven, looking at me from a distance.
He is right here with me present in everything I eat, taste, see, experience, do, think. He is always here.
This reminds me of the movie The Matrix. (If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth watching and considering these truths!) The main character Neo lives in a dystopian society where machines create a false reality for humans. The only humans who see what is genuinely true have been awakened and live as rebels fighting the machine. And all the other humans don’t realize that they’re in a false reality and a physically weakened state. They must be awakened!
May God awaken us to the truth of what it means that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me!”
May God awaken us to the truth that deliverance will never come from anywhere except from the power of God.
May God awaken us to the truth that He alone deserves to get the glory for our deliverance, victory, and freedom!
