Christ not in the Heart of the Sinner
Here is something that caught my attention, and it goes just like this; “Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but in the heart of him who is susceptible to the influences of heaven.” {RC 107} Here in this quote we are firmly advised that Jesus Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, so here is the full quote for us to all ponder over.
Quote; “As a Christian submits to the solemn rite of baptism, the three highest powers in the universe–the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit–place their approval on his act, pledging themselves to exert their power in his behalf as he strives to honour God. He is buried in the likeness of Christ’s death, and is raised in the likeness of His resurrection. . . .
The three great powers of heaven pledge themselves to furnish the Christian with all the assistance he requires. The Spirit changes the heart of stone to the heart of flesh. And by partaking of the Word of God, Christians obtain an experience that is after the divine similitude. When Christ abides in the heart by faith, the Christian is the temple of God. Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but in the heart of him who is susceptible to the influences of heaven.
The light that shines forth from the life of the true Christian testifies to his union with Christ. Self is hidden from view, and Christ is revealed….”Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Then those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.” {RC 107}
There is so much packed into these few short lines of text that one has to re-read them over a few times to actually absorb the fullness and completeness of these thought provoking sentiments. It is like the humourist says, “Going to Church no more makes you a Christian than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.” The Christian life is not about being part of a club or association and just absorbing Christianity by osmosis, it is all about being connected to Jesus Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit and being filled by “The Word of God,” (Bible) that we actually do reflect and represent Jesus Christ in everything we do and are.
That is where the term actually originally came from, as the believers were so Christ focused that those about them could really easily see Jesus Christ in their words, deeds and actions that they went and called them a name that was a direct reflection of their Lord and Master as these believers were in essence a living, breathing, miracle working duplicate of Jesus Christ right before their very eyes.
So how about you and me, are we living breathing worldlings, or are we living breathing Christians who are living a Heavenly Life well before we have even got there?(Righteousness by Faith) We each should contemplate this other Humourist saying, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” So how would we stand up to this intense scrutiny? When you delve into scripture and analyse the word “Righteous” it is commonly taken from a “Legal Term” for when a Greek Judge had viewed a case before him, he had viewed all the evidence and testimony of the witnesses, and everything was weighed up against the Laws and the Charges that were brought forwards, and he found no evidence of Law Breaking, he would have the person stand, face the charges, and deliver the verdict/sentence, “This Court has found you Righteous,” (weighed in the balance and found perfect) and not like a certain other king in the book of Daniel.
This is also a reflection of what is often referred to as the “Three Angel’s Messages” which is the last warning ever in earth’s history as found in Revelation 14:6-12 and it is clearly spelt out Vs 12 that the Law Books have been spread out and each of these people have been checked over very carefully and have been declared Righteous, as they have Christ in the life and are therefore a genuine Christian.
Back to our opening quote, “Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but in the heart of him who is susceptible to the influences of heaven.” In essence “with Christ within- there is no sin,” so judgement (which we are all currently living with and under) is soon going to be completed and then it is all over. The Wheat will be clearly differentiated from the Tares, the sheep are tagged for life and the goats are tagged for destruction, the Five Wise are clearly marked for eternal life and the five foolish are marked for being locked out. It is all about Judgement and sorting through everything to clearly delineate the Saved and the Lost.
Back to our opening quote, “Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but in the heart of him who is susceptible to the influences of heaven.” There is another “Critical Word” in this quote, and that word is “Susceptible.” This word has the concept of being “impressionable.” This is a strongly “Holy Spirit” concept where we quickly respond to the Holy Spirit and are quick to obey, and yet sin and evil are like water off a ducks back as the Christian does not even acknowledge or respond to sin, believers only respond to God which makes them susceptible to always doing right and opposing evil.
Dear Reader; “Christ does not abide in the heart of the sinner, but in the heart of him who is susceptible to the influences of heaven.” So is Christ actually in your heart or do we have a “form of godliness and no power.”
