Not I, But Christ
Many Christians are trying to live the Christian life by carrying a list when God has given them a Life.
There is a profound difference between receiving instructions from Christ and receiving the very life of Christ.
A list may tell us what to do and what not to do, but a list cannot love through us, forgive through us, strengthen us, comfort us, or transform us from within. Rules can describe righteousness, but only Christ can be our righteousness.
That is why the Christian life is not merely about trying harder. It is about yielding deeper. It is about Christ living in us by His Spirit.
Colossians 3:3-4 says: "For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory." Notice carefully the language of Scripture. It does not say Christ improves our real life. It says Christ is our real life.
Christianity cannot be centered in self. It must be centered in Christ.
The temptation, however, is subtle. After receiving Christ by faith, we often try to continue by adding ourselves back into the equation. We add our natural abilities, our personalities, our experience, our discipline, our religious effort, and even our good intentions.
But the gospel is not Jesus Christ plus our best efforts. It is Jesus Christ plus nothing. Not I, but Christ.
The Apostle Paul understood this deeply. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, he wrote: "I have worked harder than all the other apostles, yet it was not I…"
What an astonishing statement. Paul worked. Paul preached. Paul suffered. Paul traveled. Paul planted churches. And yet, looking back over it all, he said, "It was not I." Then who was it? It was Christ living and working through Paul by grace.
This is the freedom many believers have not yet fully entered. We are not called to manufacture the life of Jesus. We are called to trust Him, yield to Him, and let Him express His life through us. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says: "God, who calls you, is faithful; He will do this." The pressure lifts when we believe those words. He will do this.
In John 6:28-29, the people asked Jesus, "What is the work that God wants us to do?" Jesus answered, "This is the work God wants you to do: believe in the one He has sent."
That is where the New Life begins and continues: believing in the One the Father has sent. Jesus did not first give them a religious program. He pointed them to faith in Himself. The work of God begins with believing in the Son. The light of God continues as we abide in the Son.
Jesus died for us to forgive our sins. He rose again to give His life to us. He now lives within us to express His life through us.
If you are a born-again believer, you have been given the very nature and life of Jesus Christ. Your calling is not to create a better version of yourself, but to recognize and live from your new identity in Him.
There is nothing we can do to make ourselves more acceptable to God. Jesus Christ has already accomplished that fully through His death, resurrection, and indwelling life.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus Christ is not only present in your life, Jesus Christ is your life. The Christian life is not about religious rule-keeping, self-improvement, or human striving. It is about a personal, living relationship with Jesus Christ, who dwells within every believer. This truth moves us beyond law, religious striving, and self-produced righteousness. It brings us into the living reality of union with Christ.
Therefore, the believer's daily calling is not, "Lord, help me live better for You," as though the burden still rests on self. The deeper prayer is: "Lord Jesus, You are my life. Live Your life in me and through me today."
Well, there it is…
NOT I, BUT CHRIST
Video Spotlight: Pastor Waqar Emmanuel of GIGM Pakistan — watch here.
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