Why Does Christ Live in Us?

by Dr. Bill Gillham

"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9b). When you turned toward Jesus to become a Christian, the "Spirit of Christ" (Holy Spirit) entered into you. Why did Jesus come into you?

• Why didn't Jesus come before you so He could lead you (some say that's His function);
• or beside you so you could lean on Him when you grow weary (some say this is His function);
• or behind you to give you a jump start when you need help (others claim this is His job);
• or perhaps under you to carry you when you can't make it on your own (as the poem "In His Steps" teaches)?

It's because Jesus is the only One who ever has or who ever will live the life which is pleasing to the Father, and He is to express His life through you on a moment-by-moment basis. Christ's life alone gets God's Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Everything else is trashed.

It's presumptuous of any person to think he can emulate the life of Christ. God doesn't want to "help" you live on earth any more than He wanted to "help" you get saved. He did it all for you then: He's made provision through Christ to do it all for you now. This way God, not you, gets the honor (glory). Salvation is all of God, nothing of man. Guys, the Christian life is to be experienced in exactly the same way it's begun. He wants to do it all for you, through you. In this way He gets just as much glory (credit) for saving you from the hell of life as He does for saving you from the hell of death, and He gets to build the intimate, bonding relationship with you which He longs for. He died to attain this relationship with you! Imagine that!

Please don't continue in your independent self-sufficiency, naively believing that this is pleasing to the Father, that He is proud of your strength. He's covered this in His love letter: "They will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god" (Habakkuk 1:11). Your personal strength is His enemy. It keeps you from intimate fellowship with Him.

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