Where
does the label "Christian" come from? The Bible tells us that King
Agrippa copied the use of this term from those in Antioch (Acts 11:26) to define
the Followers of Christ apart from the rest of society (Acts 26:28).
The
apostles accepted the term, and the rest is history (1 Peter 4:16). God
revealed Himself to mankind through Jesus. Now, as followers of Christ, we
exhibit a godly sorrow for our sins, and embrace a spiritual conviction that
Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4).
Jesus
was fully human; yet through His divine nature from the Holy Spirit's formation
of Him in Mary's womb, He is also fully God. With His presence within us, we
enjoy a similar measure of union in our earthly existence - fully human; yet,
filled with Christ within us.
By
faith, we unleash the power of God in our life through entering into the
Kingdom of God by His adoption of us into His family. Then, we submit to the
sanctifying work of God's Spirit in our life, and allow Christ to reign supreme
in our thoughts, words and actions.
Jesus
is the Son of God (John 11:27), and also our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), High
Priest (Hebrews 3:1, 8:1), and our Risen Lord (Matthew 28:6). Father God
revealed Himself to us through His Son, Jesus, by His Spirit; and His power now
manifests itself to and through authentic Believers (John 1:17; Luke 10:22).
The
rest of humanity, whether they call themselves Christians or not, give Jesus
the status of a celebrity, and commemorate His life; but they are disengaged
from the reality of who Christ really is, and they do not follow His Biblical
teaching or submit to Him as King and Lord.
Yet,
authentic Christians have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), possess the
indwelling Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9), and exhibit the fruit of God's Holy Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23). Our obedience leads to our ultimate freedom through our
union with Him in this life (James 1:25).
Prayer:
Father
God, You did not choose us, so that our life in You will be reduced to a list of
do's and don'ts. You give us Your laws and write them on our heart to keep us
safe and filled with Your righteousness, peace and joy (Hebrews 10:16; Romans
14:17). Thank You for our new birth and spiritual regeneration and resurrection
(John 3:1-6; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).
Secondly,
we are forever grateful to You for giving us Your Holy Spirit in our new birth
(Romans 8:4-11; John 4:24; John 1:13), and for giving us eternal life with You,
through Jesus, the Christ (1 John 5:11; John 10:10, 11:25, 14:6). Since Jesus
rose from the dead, we can now live each moment of our life in Your presence,
because He gives us the desire and power to work out our salvation during our
lifetime (Philippians 2:12-13).
Thought
for the Day:
Jesus
came to earth and died in our place in order to secure for us His righteousness
in exchange for our sins, as well as the Godly character of His holiness that
is exhibited by Him through our life on this earth; through this process, He is
facilitating our union with His Trinity.
-
1 John 2:1, 1 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 1:11
