In Christ Alone

Worship songs have a way of reaching your soul that is unique. Beautiful musical notes combined with lyrics about God's relationship with man can reach deep into the soul's intellect and emotions.
I have said many times that my favorite Bible verse is Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
I am very much drawn to music and there are many great and inspiring songs that I love. But there is one in particular that seems to match perfectly with Galatians 2:20 – "In Christ Alone".

In Christ alone I put my trust.
I find my glory in the power of the Cross.
In every victory, let it be said of me:
My source of strength, my source of hope
IS CHRIST ALONE!

It took me most of my Christian years to discover – to really understand – Galatians 2:20 and "In Christ Alone". I spent too many years looking to myself as my source of strength, putting my trust in my own ability to please God. I knew the power of the Cross to forgive my sins. I knew Christ was somehow available to "help" me when I thought I needed it. But seeing the Christian life as trusting in Christ alone? It just seemed to escape me. Why? I wanted to please God - but I wanted to earn His pleasure with me.
Matthew 5:17 says that Jesus came to fulfill the law. There has been much debate about the meaning of "fulfill". Many feel that this means making the 10 commandments stricter – filling them full. There were examples of hating a person being "murder in your heart"; lusting in your mind about a person was "adultery in your heart".
But what is a law? It is the WAY that a thing is made to work – and it does not work properly in any other WAY.
Jesus said that He is the WAY, the truth and the life (John 14:6). In other words, Christ is the LAW implanted within us – the WAY to live implanted within us. When we trust that this is so and live from this knowledge, we are living from the righteousness of the law by Christ's righteousness and power. When we try to live by the strength of our own righteousness, we inevitably fall on our face. Trying to "do our own thing" to please God (with a little help from Christ) leads to failure and frustration. But God uses that failure and frustration in the Christian for good – to drive us to a closer awareness and trust in Christ within to direct us, that is, to fulfill the law in us.
King David, the psalmist, summarizes the merits of our union with Christ in Psalm 19:7-11: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is your servant warned. And in keeping of them there is great reward."
What does this say about Christ within? Let's make a list:
* CONVERTS THE SOUL – as the Holy Spirit teaches our soul more and more about our living union with Christ in our spirit, the soul is transformed or converted into a greater and greater awareness of our dependence and trust in Christ.
* MAKES WISE THE SIMPLE – as long as our ego independence exists, we see life as complicated to solve. But allowing the mind of Christ to live out through us gives us the wisdom to see God's overall plan. This gives us insights about God, man, life and everything.
* REJOICES THE HEART – trusting and allowing Christ to direct us gives us a rejoicing peace and happiness.
* ENLIGHTENS THE EYES – we see how Christ causes the situations around us in the world to play out for our good.
* ENDURES FOREVER – the power of Christ within us endures for eternity, first in material, human existence, and then in the total-spirit afterlife. Christ said that He would never leave us or forsake us.
* TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS ALTOGETHER -
Christians are children in God's Family having the actual nature of God (2 Peter 1:4). When the Father looks on us, He sees this spirit, soul and body being as altogether righteous in Christ's righteousness.
* MORE DESIRABLE THAN FINE GOLD – Solomon and many others have found that all of our worldly possessions are as nothing when compared to a relationship with God. And we as a born again new species in union with Christ have that relationship. Christ is able to produce in us a kind of prosperity that is more valuable than all the riches of the world.
* SWEETER THAN HONEY AND THE HONEYCOMB – there is not only a spiritual pleasure but also a physical, mental pleasure in our fellowship with Christ within. During those quiet times alone with our Savior and Master, we savor the pleasure of His love. He lone is able to remove the sourness, acidity, and bitterness of sin and to produce in us a sweetness of life that surpasses anything the world can provide.
* A WARNING TO GOD'S SERVANTS – when we slip up and are influence toward independence, a Christian does sin, misses the mark. A form of correction is built into the sin which warns us that this is not the WAY. We stay a child in God's Family but the sin results in a kind of "spanking" and reminder of our Family status and obligation. Trust in Christ alone is able to infallibly warn and protect us from the numerous dangers and disasters of life caused by ignorance of what is truly right.
* GREAT REWARD IN KEEPING – there is a physical reward in following Christ within, a peace of mind. And the Bible also speaks of individual, eternal, spiritual rewards in heaven. I have no idea what these rewards are, but they are part of God's promises.
Confidently, we can say that Christ alone is more than capable of challenging, teaching, changing, correcting, and fully equipping any person who will make Him Lord and follow Him.
Understanding this power of transformation existing in our salvation is crucial to the Christian life. All true Christians know the "forgiveness" of salvation. But many do not understand the "living union" of salvation. Eternal life begins with our human living union with Christ on this earth NOW!
All those who have personally encountered the power and depth of Christ within would readily agree with Jeremiah 15:16: "Your words are what sustain me. They are food to my hungry soul. They bring joy to my sorrowing heart and delight me. HOW PROUD I AM TO BEAR YOUR NAME O LORD!"

Yes, in union with Christ, you bear His Name. IN CHRIST ALONE, you are a child of God with the name: Christ/______________.
(put your own name in the blank)

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