“All believers are spiritually united to Christ in such a way that our spiritual life comes from Him. We are not completely passive, however, in this relationship. Rather we are to abide or remain in Him by faith. That is, we are to actively rely on Christ for the enabling power we need to wage war against the sin that remains in us, to put on the positive virtues of Christlike character (called the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23), and to serve Christ effectively in all that He calls us to do… However, we can always expect resistance. To stay with the tug-of-war analogy, although the Spirit who dwells within us is stronger than the sinful nature, that nature continues to “dig in its heels” every step of the way. And sometimes it will pull the rope in the wrong direction. What is it then that will keep us going in the face of this internal conflict? The answer is the gospel. It is the assurance in the gospel that we have indeed died to the guilt of sin; that there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus; that the Lord will never count our sins against us; and that we are truly delivered from the reigning power of sin, that will motivate us and keep us going even in the midst of the tension between the Spirit and the sinful nature.”
– Jerry bridges
Reflection:
Being united with Christ is an unsearchable blessing. Not only do we have Christ as our representative, but we also have His power flowing into our lives. As we abide in Him, He promises to bear fruit in us. We don’t have to muster up the strength to win the war over sin. We are called to cling to Christ and recieve power from Him.
Whenever we feel the push and pull of our war against sin, we can be tempted to give in. There are so many reasons to cave. But what keeps us persevering is the dual reality of Jesus in us and for us. Wallowing in guilt, we give in. Feeling defeated, we give in. Sensing that we are outmatched, we give in. But with our eyes on the risen Lord and with a vibrant awareness that He is at our side standing with us against our sin, we keep moving forward. And He will bring us safely home.
