The Christian walk is always an interesting ascend. My hope is that a long ascension is never simultaneously a long decline. I never want the facade of improvement or progress to eventually be revealed as a period of complacency or degeneration. The difficult part, however, is figuring out how to avert this state. Colossians 2:6 states, ”Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” I received Christ through grace and faith. While theology, practicality and doctrine might have been a little blurry, the things that were clear were: one name- Jesus Christ; one book- The Bible. As my walk has continued, however, utter dependence upon God has been easily replaced by a sense of independence. The breath of God which allowed my dry bones to come alive has often been replaced by a sense of self-existence. The remedy against this state is to walk in Christ the way we received Him.
I have thought about three aspects of my receiving of Christ that must be applied to my walk if my continual ascension is not one of decline.
1. Grace and Faith: We are all saved by both. Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, not a result of works.” The grace and faith that received Christ with such dependency needs to be present in one’s current walk with the Lord. One can look upon their past salvation with praise, however, must look to the present or future understanding that the past graces of God only point to future graces. These future graces are embraced through faith. As G.K. Chesterson says, “The man who has thus praised progress does not think it necessary to progress any further.” Any reflecting on our progress must not be an end, but a means to further progress.
2. A Reliance on the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the things of Christ. Therefore, every morning, every evening, every hour and second I need to utterly rely on the Spirit to open my eyes to the things of the Father. I need the Spirit to break my heart from what breaks the heart of the Father.
3. A Position of Effective Reliance: 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” I received Christ through a command that created what it called for. When Christ commanded, “Lazarus, come forth!” The command to come created the actually coming. Just as God the Father in Genesis stated,” Let there be light,” and light was created, so he spoke those words over the darkness of my heart, and light immediately shone. Just as he told Lazarus to rise from the death that swallowed him, so my soul was commanded and awakened amidst my utter depravity. So, just as I received Christ in this way, I need to position myself (BY GRACE, FAITH and the SPIRIT) in a way where I can hear the effectual commands of God. I want neither a lack of faith nor a reliance upon self which prevents me from being effected and transformed by the power, grace and love of the Divine.
Therefore, we all need to walk in Christ in the way we have received him.
