The righteousness of God

Resuming our interrupted selection of snippets from The Rest of the Gospel: When the partial Gospel has worn you out, here's today's selection:

Twenty-one years of trying to live for Jesus. I had known Christ for me. I had known Christ with me. I had begun to experience the concept of Christ in me, but not Christ as me, expressing His life as me. Rather, Christ inme to help me become something. To make something out of me. And I had come to the end. Over the years, I had gradually concluded that I couldn't pull off living the Christian life. I was a failure at it...

Months later, Norman [Grubb] came and spoke to a small group in our living room. The first thing he said was, “You can't live the Christian life.” I thought, “Amen to that. I am a walking testimony to that. You can't live the Christian life.” Then he said, “Christ is the life.” Well, I knew that. I had head knowledge of that. But finally he stated, “Christ is in you and He will live the life.” And my spirit responded, “Ohhh! Not, 'He will help me live the life,' but 'He will live the life.' That's the good news. I can let Him live the life. I can do that...”

For the first time I came to know that He had already made me the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). I was truly righteous. He had made me holy (Colossians 3:12). He had made me complete (Colossians 2:10). I was blameless in His sight (Colossians 1:22). And loved. And acceptable.

The Lord taught me that when I was crucified on the cross with Christ, as Galatians 2:20 had told me for so long, I died to myself as my point of reference. He living in me was my point of reference. He would live His life through me, as me. Has He revealed that to you? If He hasn't, He wants to, because that's the good news. That's the good news.— The Rest of the Gospel: When the partial Gospel has worn you out, pages 21, 23

<idle musing>
Interesting, isn't it. He had known intellectually for over 20 years what the answer was. But, it took a special revelation from the Holy Spirit to make it real. As an academic, I certainly won't knock intellectual knowledge—I've invested my life in it—but, I also know that there are areas where only the Holy Spirit can give insight. Interestingly, the older I get, the more areas I find that to be true!
</idle musing>