To Live (Really Live) is Christ

Fill in the blank: To live is __________.    In this exercise, I am asking you to identify that which is most important in your life, essential to your life; what it is that gives meaning and purpose to your life, raises your affections, excites your passions – that which above all else occupies your thoughts, your time, your discussions with others.  Essentially what is it that you have determined you can’t live without?  For some it may be money, power or fame. For others it is family, their spouse, their children, while for others it could be their career, their hobbies or entertainment interests. And for some it may be just getting through another day, aided by their choice of drugs or intoxicating beverage.

For the Apostle Paul, it was intimate relationship with Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7-11), a relationship that began at the time of his conversion, a relationship that meant more to him than anything else in this world (Philippians 1:21); a relationship that would never end (John 17:1-3), and only grow more satisfying over time and into eternity, filled with ever increasing expressions of God’s love and joy and delight (Psalm 36:7-9). Paul understood that no matter what sufferings or afflictions he was experiencing as a follower of Christ in this world (Romans 8:18), that they were not worthy to be compared to the glorious life that awaited him with Christ in the world to come (John 14:19) (John 11:25).

This is why in the same verse in which Paul says to live is Christ (Philippians 1:21), he could also say to die is gain, because for him his physical death was entrance into the life for which he was created to enjoy with God – the life which his beloved Jesus had come to save him for (John 10:10) wherein Paul would finally see his Lord face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12) in all of His glory, and himself be restored to the glorious image of God in which he was created (1 John 3:1-3).  Paul believed that from the moment of his death on into eternity things would only get enormously better (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Paul had come to know Christ Jesus as the most glorious, most desirable, most excellent, most essential, most awesome and valuable being in all of the universe.  Once Jesus apprehended him on the road to Damascus, Paul’s entire life was centered around knowing Christ (2 Timothy 1:12), representing Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), resting in Christ (Matthew 11:25-30), rejoicing in Christ (Philippians 4:4) and proclaiming Christ (Acts 28:30-31) as he looked forward to the glorious life with Christ promised to all for whom Christ is their life in this world (Colossians 3:4).

Just as God created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7), He saves us for His glory (Ephesians 1:3-14); that we would find our greatest significance, peace and hope in this world, and ever increasing joy, pleasure and satisfaction in the world to come, in our knowing, loving and being loved by God as He has revealed Himself in the person and work of God the Son Jesus Christ.

Thus, the Apostle Paul’s life makes it clear that Christianity is not a religion where we spend our lives in a never-ending effort to gain God’s favor and acceptance, and ultimately our entrance into heaven through law keeping, participation in religious activities and ceremonies, or by doing enough good works to make up for our sins (Romans 3:20) (Galatians 2:15-16), but a relationship with the infinitely glorious and eternal God who created us for communion with Him (1 John 1:3).

It is a relationship we enter into through faith in and love for the one who is the ultimate expression of God’s love, Jesus Christ – God the Son, who loves us more than we can possibly imagine (Jeremiah 31:3), and who in the richness of His mercy and the extravagance of His grace comes into the world to accomplish, at great cost to Himself (2 Corinthians 8:9), everything necessary to reconcile and restore us to that relationship (Romans 5:10-11).  We are told that God has done this so  ^“that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.’ (Ephesians 2:7)

Thus, if all we are hoping for in our believing in Jesus is escape from Hell and entrance into what we perceive to be “a better place”, namely Heaven, we are likely to be horrifically disappointed on that day we stand before Jesus in judgement (Matthew 7:21-23).

We go to Heaven because at some point in our life in this world we have come to love God as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, more than anything else in this world (Luke 10:25-28).  He has become precious to us (1 Peter 2:7), our greatest treasure (Matthew 13:44-45), the one who gives meaning and purpose to our life; the one who raises our affections, excites our passions; the one who above all else occupies our thoughts, our time, our discussions with others while in this world, and who will continue to do so in the world to come.  And it is that world I will, God willing, begin to look at in upcoming posts.

Grace and Peace ×