Done!

Done!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 KJV

Context and Charge:

Today's extract starts with a statement of fact. It does not reflect any negotiation or compromise. It is a statement borne out of an understanding of who God is, what He has done for me and where I am headed. It speaks to my past, present and future, all at the same time. How does this work. The past was my life of sin. Adam and Eve laid the foundation for a life of sin by disobedience. Death was supposed to be the natural consequence for sin, in line with God's principles, but by those same principles, I couldn't pay that price, so God sent his son to die in my place. 

The price for sin was fully and permanently paid for, so I could now live in the present, forgiven, clean and headed in the right direction. The present is my current life of total dependence on that finished work of Jesus on the cross. The price He paid was his own life, offering the perfect sacrifice for sin. Since He has died, I do not have to die anymore. My life now must reflect new ownership, pursuits and priorities. It can't be business as usual anymore; by his death, he secured life for me. Yet, it isn't a life I get to live on my own terms or for my own pleasure, but for the pleasure of the One who secured it. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

Imagine the eternal gratitude if someone had to pay the price for freedom from physical bondage. That is the same heart I must have, in appreciation of the freedom I have received from spiritual bondage. I am the eternal debt to Christ for what He gave up for me, and what He has secured for me. The future is that unspoken, but very loud benefit of the cross. Jesus would not have done all He did if there were no eternal ramifications. This earth is just a temporary arrangement; a rehearsal for eternity. The work of the cross has eternal ramifications, as it secures eternal life for all who come to the cross for the cleansing it gives and the redemption it secures. 

Consider the finality of the cross, and the fact that it will never be repeated again, and you will know that it is not something to be toyed with or treated with levity. Paul understood what it meant, and that is why he could say with authority and finality that his present life was not his own, but one lived for the pleasure of the One who had died for him. Let this be my own default position too, that Christ will be all that matters and that I will live for him alone. Eternity is too long a time not to be sure of where you will spend it. God's time of favour is here.