LESSON EIGHT – CHRIST IS LIFE

Col. 3:4 — When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

THE LIFE THAT THE PNEUMATIC CHRIST HAS GIVEN TO US

[The Bible says,] “It is the Spirit who gives life” (John 6:63). But what is this life that the Spirit gives? We know that there are many forms of life. In this world there are the plant life and the animal life. The plant life is lower, and the animal life is higher. Even higher than these two kinds of life is the human life.…All these forms of life are wonderful, but there is a fourth kind of life—the divine life, which is God’s uncreated life.

THE HIGHEST LIFE

What are the characteristics of this highest life? First, this life of God is divine.

Being divine means being of God, having the nature of God, and being transcendent and distinct from all others. Only God is divine, so His life is divine. Furthermore, God’s life is eternal. God’s life is uncreated; it has no beginning and no end. All of us were born at a certain time and on a certain day, and all of us realize that our human life will have a definite ending in death. However, God’s life has no beginning, and it will continue in perpetuity. For centuries men have tried to build machines that will prolong their lives, but none has succeeded. But God is self-existing and ever-existing. His life is unfailing and unchangeable. God’s eternal life not only endures forever, but also in quality it is absolutely perfect and complete, without any shortage or defect. (Christ Is Spirit and Life, pp. 9-11)

GOD’S ETERNAL LIFE BEING IN HIS SON

First John 5:11-12 says, “And this is the testimony, that God gave to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who  does  not  have the Son of God does not have the life.” Here we are told that this life of eternity is in the Son. It is found in no other place.

After the Son of God passed through death and resurrection and became the Holy Spirit, He is no longer limited by time and space. We can now receive Him anytime and anywhere. Hitherto, whoever received the Son of God received God. In the same way, whoever receives the Holy Spirit receives the Son. First Corinthians 15:45b says, “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” This enables all those who have received Christ to obtain a new life. Not only are their sins forgiven, but they inherit an eternal life from God as well.

TO RECEIVE CHRIST AS LIFE BEING AS SIMPLE AS BREATHING

[A person who was] greatly used by the Lord was Mr. F. B. Meyer. At one time he did not realize how Christ can be life to us in the Holy Spirit, nor did he see how to receive this life. One day he was praying on a mountain, hoping that he could obtain the Son of God as life. All of a sudden it occurred to him that all he needed to do was simply believe. He took a deep breath and prayed, “Lord, in the same way that I am breathing in this air, I am exercising my faith to take You in.” After he came down from the mountain, he testified to others, saying, “Since the day when I breathed in the Son of God, my life has been totally changed.” To receive the Son of God as life is a very simple matter. It is as simple as breathing the air into you. (CWWN, vol. 27, “The Normal Christian Faith,” pp. 143-144)

GROWING BY EATING AND DRINKING

When the divine life comes into us, we are regenerated; we have God’s life, and we become God’s sons.…In our human life after we are born, we continue to grow by eating and drinking.  In  the  same way,  by eating Christ as the spiritual food and drinking the Spirit as the water of life, our spiritual life will grow. Day by day as we eat and drink of Christ, we will grow in the divine life. In this way we will be a people who are filled with God and will eventually express God in our living. This is the meaning of the Christian life. (Christ Is Spirit and Life, p. 17)

References: Christ Is Spirit and Life; CWWN, vol. 27, “The Normal Christian Faith,” ch. 12; CWWL, 1983, vol. 1, “The Five Great Mysteries in the Bible,” ch. 3

LIFE OF GLORY— OH, WHAT GLORY!

Experience of Christ— As Life – 8380

• Life of glory—oh, what glory!
  Christ is glorious life to me;
  Perfect, righteous, pure, and holy,
  Life and light so rich is He!
  All the glory of God’s nature
  Dwells within Him hiddenly,
  But as life is He imparted,
  Me supplying inwardly.

• Life divine—oh, joy to know it!
  Christ is life divine to me;
  He’s the consummated Spirit
  Who has come to dwell in me.
  Touching, moving, shining, teaching,
  He’s th’anointing soothing me,
  Filling, drenching, and refreshing,
  Me supplying inwardly.

• Life of power—oh, what power!
  Christ’s the life of pow’r in me;
  Crucified with Christ the Savior,
  No more slave of sin I’ll be.
  With Him I’ve been resurrected,
  I in Him and He in me;
  Resurrection pow’r I’ve tasted,
  Me supplying inwardly.

• Life of vict’ry—oh, what vict’ry!
  Christ’s victorious life to me;
  On the cross He won the vict’ry;
  I’ll no more a captive be.
  Satan, demons, world, and passions—
  He has conquered all for me;
  Now His life of victory is
  Me supplying inwardly.

• Life of glory—power, vict’ry!
  Life divine is Christ to me!
  He gives vict’ry, power; gives me
  Growth unto maturity;
  To His image He transforms me,
  Makes me all transcendent, free;
  Till I’m raptured, glorified, He’s
  Me supplying inwardly.