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
Lately I've noticed a few different personalities of more than a few members of the gym which has become my second home. Sure, you still have the traditional muscle heads who repeatedly flex their own muscles in front of every mirror they can find. Then you have the rappers, those who don a pair of headphones that probably cost more than their car and go through their workouts chanting the lyrics to whatever obnoxious song that they're listening to at the moment. Then you have the alphas, who have it in their mind that they are the most important people in the gym bar none. Last, but certainly not least...you have me. See, before I even step foot inside of this haven of pain and sweat, I know who I am. My identity is not based upon how much I lift that day. Nor on how much my muscles have grown. No, the man that I am depends more on who is in me than anything I have, or will, ever do myself. There is a well-known verse which I learned well in a small discipleship class in church some years ago which speaks to the man I am. This verse proclaims that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me {Philippians 4:13}. However, over time I have heard a bit of a different translation to this verse. CHRIST JESUS IS my strength. The best way to explain this truth is to turn to the apostle Paul, who himself knew who he was. Was Paul the same persecuting Pharisee he was before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? No, something had changed. As Christians, we have come to accept that Saul, the persecutor, suddenly was transformed into Paul the follower of Christ. That's not the way it went down at all. For after His encounter with Jesus on that dusty road, Saul was sent on a journey to discover the man he really was. After a few years in the desert, Paul emerged with a better knowing of who he was.
"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"
Galatians 2: 20 NKJV
It is Paul who speaks to us the truth of Christ Jesus in us in Galatians. We have his experiences documented through scripture. Yet, all too often when I have broached the subject among believers about the meaning of Galatians 2:20, I'm told that this was unique to Paul himself. Weird. So, what does this all have to do with my assurance of the man that I am? The same assurance which Paul himself had. Not only can I do all things by Christ who strengthens me...Christ Jesus who is in me IS MY STRENGTH. There is no small group class or video series where we will come to this knowledge for ourselves. Again, we turn to the apostle Paul for guidance. Paul tells us that it is only through the Lord's timing, when it pleases Him, that we come to the realization of Christ Jesus in us {Galatians 1:15-16}. So, yes, I walked into that gym many a time without the realization of the man I was. I felt as if I somehow needed to justify myself for everyone who was there. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are not under man's approval, but the grace and love of Christ. If more believers were blessed with this knowing, we would have less of an identity crisis in this society.
~Scott~
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