* Praising God because of Christ *
"And they praised God because of me." (Galatians 1:24)
One of the greatest doctrines of the faith is the amazing truth that the Lord Jesus Christ indwells each believer, through His Holy Spirit.
said the apostle Paul -
"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." (Galatians 2:20)
And, since that was true by experience as well as doctrinally, he could invite people to see Christ and hear Christ and follow Christ by seeing and hearing and following him.
This might seem incredibly arrogant if it were not real.
He could say, for example-
"But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being." (Galatians 1:15-16)
And he could say, as in today's verse, that those who heard him "Praising God because of me."
He also commanded-
"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9)
The Lord could say to His disciples-
"Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father's?" (John 14:9)
No one thinks it inappropriate, because He fully manifested the heavenly Father in word and deed.
Similarly, Paul said that-
" As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine." and referred to- "since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you." (2 Corinthians 11:10; 13:3)
Noting that Christ was-
"For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles." (Galatians 2:8)
This was not boasting, for Paul acknowledged that in his flesh-
"For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18)
Still, he was bold to exhort-
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Now the same Spirit of Christ who dwelled in Paul also indwells all true Christians, for
"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9)
We should be able to say with Paul, in practice as well as theory, that "Christ lives in me."
Passages of Scripture are from the New International Version Bible (NIV).........................
"And they praised God because of me." (Galatians 1:24)
One of the greatest doctrines of the faith is the amazing truth that the Lord Jesus Christ indwells each believer, through His Holy Spirit.
said the apostle Paul -
"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." (Galatians 2:20)
And, since that was true by experience as well as doctrinally, he could invite people to see Christ and hear Christ and follow Christ by seeing and hearing and following him.
This might seem incredibly arrogant if it were not real.
He could say, for example-
"But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being." (Galatians 1:15-16)
And he could say, as in today's verse, that those who heard him "Praising God because of me."
He also commanded-
"Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:9)
The Lord could say to His disciples-
"Jesus answered: "Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father's?" (John 14:9)
No one thinks it inappropriate, because He fully manifested the heavenly Father in word and deed.
Similarly, Paul said that-
" As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine." and referred to- "since you are demanding proof that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you." (2 Corinthians 11:10; 13:3)
Noting that Christ was-
"For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles." (Galatians 2:8)
This was not boasting, for Paul acknowledged that in his flesh-
"For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (Romans 7:18)
Still, he was bold to exhort-
"Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Corinthians 11:1)
Now the same Spirit of Christ who dwelled in Paul also indwells all true Christians, for
"You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9)
We should be able to say with Paul, in practice as well as theory, that "Christ lives in me."
Passages of Scripture are from the New International Version Bible (NIV).........................
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