Many believers struggle and strain to try to muster up out of themselves what they think a Christian ought to be. But this is doomed to failure. Unwittingly we are trying to call upon the resources of our natural man, thinking that this is what we are supposed to do — mistaking our natural man for Christ in us. Emotions and the psychic nature of natural man is easily mistaken for the spirit of God. This errant tendency is exactly what God must often let us fail, and bring us into the Truth of the utter emptiness in ourselves. Only then will we see that our natural man is not only void of life, but is, in fact, corrupt. But the good news is that this is all orchestrated by God so that once we see this Truth about ourselves that we will embrace Jesus Christ — Who is in us — by faith as our ALL. God has not given us a new religion. He has not merely acted upon us to make us able. He has not give us a THING called, “power” — nor has He given us other THINGS. No. He has given us Christ — in Whom are ALL things. Yet despite the clear words of scripture — “God has freely given us all things in His Son” (Rom. 8:32) — many believers are blinded to this great Truth of Christ in us as ALL:
Christ is our Redemption. He “was made unto us… redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14.
Christ is our Righteousness. 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 4:24; Phil. 3:9.
Christ is our Sanctification. 1 Cor. 1:2,30.
Christ is our Faith. Mark. 11:22 (“Have the faith of God,” lit. trans.); Acts. 26:18; Gal. 2:20 (R.V.); Eph. 1:15; Phil. 3:9; Col. 1:4.
Christ is our Peace. John 14:27; John 16:33; Eph. 2:14.
Gather all of these verses up and it becomes clear why Paul was able to boldly proclaim: “Yet NOT I, but CHRIST.”
David De Pra