Thursday | 22 August 2019
The gospel revolves around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without His death, there would be no shedding of His blood for our sin; nor would there be any hope of the resurrection. We would be in a miserable state. But the fact is that Jesus has died, and He has been raised. Rom 4:20-25. And now, by faith, we can be made alive in Christ. Not only are we made alive; but, also, we can now live every day in, and by, the faith of Christ Himself. Gal 2:20. This means that we can walk in resurrection life. He is the resurrection and the life! Joh 11:25.
We all know and believe that. But there is a question that many of us are still coming to understand. It is, ‘How do we overcome by the Spirit and not walk after the flesh?’ After all, we are still sinful, mortal, and are not always spiritual. So, how can we live a genuine Christian life without being merely religious?
The answer is found in our communion table! In our weekly communion meal, we have been given access to fellowship in Christ’s body and to the life in His blood. 1Co 10:16. This is what sustains us and keeps us in the love of God. We can walk in the Spirit if we remain in the fellowship of Christ’s body. Gal 5:16. In this fellowship, suffering is not a strange thing. Knowing this allows us to remain real with one another. We don’t need to pretend that we are feeling terrific when we’re not. And we shouldn’t feel any pressure to say something religious when things aren’t going so well. We can be honest about the mess.
If we are going to walk by the Spirit, we need to understand that things are going to go very wrong sometimes, even though we are sons of God. And that is normal. More than that, we need to know that God is particularly able to work in us when things go wrong. He deals with us individually, because each of us is a unique person. We stay connected to communion by our participation.
Further Study:
2 Corinthians 1
Daily Proverb:
References:
Rom 4:20-25
He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘IT WAS ACCOUNTED TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
Gal 2:20
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 the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Joh 11:25
Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’
Gal 5:16
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
1Co 10:16
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the participation in the body of Christ?