“Christ in You, the Hope of Glory” (Col. 1:27) Udskriv
Skrevet af Alan Navaratnam   
Tirsdag, 31. januar 2023 15:56

I remember a close friend in my early days in the U.S. who with radiant enthusiasm kept emphasizing to me, “Rejoice for Christ with all His fullness  and glory lives in you!”  I sometimes thought his enthusiasm was too emotional.  My own emphasis at that time was the teaching of our position or standing in Christ, but I was boringly too lopsided myself


My friend whose name was David didn´t go too far.  I needed his emphasis too as a practical dynamic experience but it did take some needed humiliations.  Our position in Christ is a healthy doctrine taught  in Ephesians in particular, and it´s wonderful to see that, especially when you become unhealthily occupied with your own sad wretchedness (Rom. 7:24) which can never be removed nor improved. No matter how.


However, alongside with the freedom of seeing yourself “perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28) we are also taught the truth of not only being “crucified with Christ” but the new experience of Christ living powerfully in us (Gal. 2:29) despite our extreme weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9-10) and my waking up in the morning “dead as mutton”.  Then and there the freedom in Christ for me and in me should be applied by faith in joyful worship.


In my dealings with quiet Lutheran church goers I often feel tempted to say, “your Lutheranism is mostly okay, but it badly needs the ignition of the Holy Spirit outside the church with all its many human relations!” 


This is to most of us a humiliating experience especially when you face somebody that hates you (or vice versa) whom you can´t love.  Of course you can´t, but Christ in you He can!  If that “Christ in you” experience is not there a work of the Holy Spirit needs to be done.  “Do you not realize that Christ is in you?  Unless, of course, you fail the test!” (2 Cor. 13:6).


Alas there´s with us a lot of established “statement-of-faith- Christianity”.  All that dry gunpowder needs but one thing – fire!   12/30/22