(Romans 8:10Romans 8:10
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
WP-Bible plugin) “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
In 1978 singer Billy Joel released a song that had a melody that just stayed in my head for weeks. The title of the song was “My Life.” It was the theme song to the television series “Bosom Buddies” (with a really young Tom Hanks). All but a few of the lyrics were memorable. The one line that sticks out even today goes like this – “I don’t care what you say anymore, this is my life.” If you remember the song too, you probably remember the emphasis on the word my.
We’re taught to “live life to its fullest.” We’re encouraged to live with “no fear” and “without regrets.” A while back, Nike told us to “just do it.’ Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life…” We feel we are missing out on something if we don’t sample everything. Students across college campuses today are living a life thinking that fulfillment comes from filling up their past with experiences. Young adults just out of high school believe their maturity is based on what they’ve done. These students are then translated into middle aged adults who still search for that fulfillment. This is the definition of life for most people. We are led to live in a way that says, “This is my life.”
Christ redefines all of this for us. The world’s definition of fulfillment is shown to be empty when we truly experience Christ in us. He is our fulfillment. After we experience the reality of the cross, what we do has real purpose and divine direction. It is at this point we come to the great realization that the “Spirit is life.” The word “life” in this verse is a noun. It is something. The Holy Spirit gives meaning to that something. My life and your life become defined by Him. We are no longer the sum total decider of what is meaningful and what holds purpose. Death is an adjective describing the true state of the flesh. Yes, He defines life because we are declared righteous. Our identity is provided for us. It is not something we need to search out, discover, or provide for ourselves. His life is now our life. This is the definition of life for the Christian.
Renewed Thought – The greatest relief you can have is to realize you don’t have to fulfill or define your own life. Allow God to do it for you and you will experience the greatest sense of fulfillment and purpose possible.
