32420 The Exchanged Life

The Christian life is “Christ”

We have such wonderful resources for supernatural living! Jesus Christ dwells in us and wants to live through us!

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

The Christian life is the “exchanged life.” We are new creatures in Christ. Our hearts have been radically changed through the indwelling Christ.

Jesus modeled the Exchanged Life for us with the Father. Then He announced that He would live His life through us in the same way.

 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds.” – John 14:10

“I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you. In a little while the world will not see me any longer, but you will see me; because I live, you will live too. You will know at that time that I am in my Father and you are in me and I am in you.” – John 14:18-20

We died with Christ on the cross so he can now live his life through us. It is important for all believers to remember that we couldn’t save ourselves, or earn our way to heaven, through our own self-effort. It is equally important for us to realize that we can’t live the Christian life in our own self-effort. In other words, an exchanged heart should lead to an exchanged life. Let’s look at these verses.

“But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.” – Romans 8:10-11

“Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.” – Romans 6:3-4

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your life because of righteousness. Moreover if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive through his Spirit who lives in you.” – Romans 8:9-11

“And to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.” – Ephesians 4:24

An exchanged heart leads to an exchanged life.

Remember, we didn’t just “add” Christ to our life, we became a new creation. But for many believers, “Me living for me”, or “Me living for Christ” in the power of self- effort is still the norm. The word “exchanged” clarifies that it is no longer me living for Christ, but Christ living through me.

Three Levels Of Christian Living

How many believers do you think are living in category 1? 2? 3?

1. Me Living for Me _________%

2. Me Living for Christ ________%

3. Christ Living Through Me ________%

What about you? Do you want to live the Exchanged Life?

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *