… until Christ is formed in you …
Summary: Paul has a clear vision of what it means for a person to have Christ “fully formed” in them. We continue to meditate on Paul’s words so we can better understand what he means.
Paul’s use of childbirth as a metaphor for being “born again” (John 3:3) opens the door to some interesting thoughts.* Why, exactly, is Paul still laboring over the Galatians?
When Paul left the Galatian believers, he must have thought he left them equipped to fend off any misconceptions about the gospel of Jesus Christ. His astonishment (Galatians 1:6) at hearing about them “turning to a different gospel” suggests the news caught Paul off guard. Paul immediately dives into writing this beautiful letter about the true gospel that we call “Galatians.”
So what do we know?
- Paul taught the Galatians about faith in Jesus when he was with them.
- Paul left to continue with his work elsewhere.
- Some unknown persons arrive in Galatia and teach the Galatians a “different gospel.”
- Paul hears about the believers in Galatia turning back to a reliance on the law.
- Paul writes his letter to the Galatians.
Paul appears to have believed that “Christ was formed in [them],” but when he hears the news about them pursuing a different gospel, he realizes the opposite is true. Christ is not yet formed in them.
What does it mean for a believer to have Christ “formed in [them]”?
When the Pharisee, Nicodemus, comes to visit him, Jesus begins to teach him saying “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). In this passage, Jesus is talking about a salvation issue, i.e. — how we come to “see the kingdom of God.”
Later in the conversation, Jesus says, “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God” (John 3:21). This statement is about how we live out our lives here on earth.
Did Jesus intend to address these topics separately? Does he want us to see our salvation through faith differently than how we see ourselves struggling with Christian living?
Rather than argue about Jesus and Paul’s intent, I would suggest that there is value in looking at our lives as Christians this way. On one hand, we are saved by faith in Jesus. There is nothing we can do to add to what Christ has already done. On the other hand, once saved by putting our faith in Jesus, we are confronted with the daily question, “How are we to live out our lives in a way that honors Christ?”
New Christians have a lot to learn. Some of us older Christians have a lot to learn, too. Having Christ “fully formed” in us is an amazing and worthy goal.
Application: Strive to please Jesus in everything we think and do.
Food for Thought: How does having Christ formed in us impact how we live our lives on earth?
*A special thanks to all who commented on yesterday’s post.
It impacts everything. A sincere follower of Christ submits to Him as Lord of everything. Our lives should look very different than the lives of unbelievers because we live for the one who died for us. Indeed, it is Him living through us that makes this change obvious.
2 Corinthians 5: 15: And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Galatians 2: 20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Thank you, Rich.
Well said! “Everything” is a lot! 🙂
When I think about your words, things like “values” and “priorities” come to mind. It must be challenging being a shepherd who keeps an eye on the development of Christ in many sheep!
I agree with Rich; our lives will look different. Our lives will be different.
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
People, on their own, struggle with loving others. It is a constant struggle between self preservation and showing love, giving everything and giving to a point, creating boundaries, pushing people away or trying to draw them in. It is rare to meet someone who can show the type of love that Christ shows for us. Limitless, boundless, sacrificial love.
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Some people try to copy it, make it a guidline, a benchmark of sorts. In the end, it is meanless unless we have faith in the One who is that love. That Christ is that love, and when He abides in us, we feel His love, His presence. Feeling that changes us, we are able to show that same love to others. Able to give that love back to Him, and in doing so, feel the love of God.
The phrase I often hear in my heart is “what does love require?” For me this isn’t a compulsive phrase, where I feel I must do something I don’t want to do, it is a gift of grace. A moment to reflect on the condition of my heart, to measure it against the love of Christ within me, and it presents to me a choice. This in itself is something I love most about my relationship with Christ. To be able to clealy see the dark and the light and to be able to choose the light.
Matthew 22:37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Chris,
Thank you! I love the question you hear in your heart, “What does love require?” What a powerful question!
Agapé love requires self-sacrifice. At the very least, loving others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22: 39).
How does having Christ formed in us impact how we live our lives on earth?
As our creator, God is the source and power maintaining the life confined in these bodies we occupy. We see ourselves as physical beings, existing in a physical world and naturally believe this is it. At some point, or many points, God makes every person aware of the truth that there is more to His creation than what is seen. He also makes certain all mankind is aware of the rewards and consequences of right and wrong.
Romans 2:15, John 16:8
Jesus prayed to the Father that believers would become a “new creation”, and we remain in this world but not of this world, in response, believers have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us. We no longer conform to this world, but are transformed by the renewal of our minds, and this life we now live in the body, we live by faith in the Son of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17, John 17:15-21, Romans 12:2, Galatians 2:20
We do not study and copy Christ in our power, we submit and begin to live our lives in His power as we serve God and are being transformed in His power, allowing His will to become our will. We are transformed into Christ’s likeness, it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.
Christ gives each freedom to do as they please, and what we please is surrendering our will to Him.
Ron,
Your comment reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:18 —
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
It is the part of us that is unseen, the inner personal being, that testifies to the reality of Christ’s presence within us. It is what we do in the world that is seen that testifies to what is unseen.