Our Life As Jesus

"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 faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galations 2:20 NKJV

I often wonder if Paul really knew the truth of the reality of Christ in us.  Indeed, Paul introduced us to this "Mystery among the Gentiles" {Colossions 1:27} of Jesus Christ within us.  I can understand just why this concept is a mystery, for it took me quite some time to grasp it.  For others it may have taken longer.  However, this does not diminish the fact that the risen Christ Jesus is now indwelling in each of us.  Therefore, whatever we experience each moment of each day, we experience as Christ Jesus.  This is the truth which I've wondered if Paul realized.  Since I can't speak to Paul himself, I must assume that he was aware of this fact as well.  After all, he spent a great deal of time trying to convince others of this truth.  So, if we can assume that Jesus shares each and every of our daily experiences as He is in us, this could open up some difficult situations for more than a few people.  What of those christians involved in various forms of addiction?  What of those involved in lewd or wrong behavior?  If we indeed live out each day as Christ Jesus who is within us, then does not Jesus also partake in our behaviors and actions?  Does not Jesus see that glance we cast at a woman dressed provacatively?  Doesn't Jesus share our glances at those pornographic magazines?  Can we now live with the fact that everything we see, touch, say and do we do as Jesus?

Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.  Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.  Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6-11 NKJV

My dear friend and hiking buddy Dennis once mentioned something interesting to me when I broached the subject of pornography.  As he put it, how would I feel about viewing pornography knowing that everything I was seeing Christ was seeing as well?  I was stopped in my tracks!  My entire perspective of my pornography habit being something done in the shadows beyond the sight of others was put to rest.  Of course, I already knew that God sees everything we do, but the personal aspect of Jesus sharing in my behavior put a bad taste in my mouth.  How could I put my savior through this?  Now, Jesus had become sin for us and shed His blood on the cross to wipe away our sins past, present and future so I knew I was forgiven.  However, Paul had a interesting response to that question of shall we continue sinning even though we know we are forgiven.

What shall we say then?  Shall we continue to sin that grace may abound?  Certainly not!  How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 6: 1-2 NKJV

As Paul tells us in Romans 6:6, our old man was crucified with Jesus!  That old man who was born into sin has been put away forever!  In his place is our Lord and savior Christ Jesus.  That old man is dead, sin is dead to me!  So, if we've died to sin, why should we continue to live in it?  Sin no longer defines us.  For we now share our life experiences with Christ Himself.  We now live every aspect of our lives as Christ Jesus.

~Scott~