Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
1John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
In Christ, your capacity is measured by His ability. That’s the potential that you carry into every situation, and when faced with every temptation, every day of your life. Galatians 2:20 gives us another one of those glorious present tenses. When it says “but Christ lives in me,” that can sound kind of stagnant and not dynamic, but our Union with Christ is not just a vital one, but it is a vibrant one. It is one that is living and active, that is very dynamic. Therefore, that phrase should be translated “but Christ is living in me.” That is what the Holy Spirit is trying to say. He is telling us the Christ isn’t just resting inside of you as some kind of Holy Cheerleader, watching you struggle to live the Christian life. Instead, He is actively present as your very life in every situation and temptation, longing to simply be recognized as actively present, and fully sufficient, and conquering right now. That’s why I love that last phrase in first John chapter 4:17, which says, “as He is, so also are we in this world.” That is also one of those glorious, continual present tense statements. Everything He is, He is right now in you, for you, and to you. Think of the reality of that; wherever you are, or in whatever situation you are in at this very moment; or whatever temptation may be overwhelming to you in the present now; you have all that He is to reign in life.
