This episode contrasts mediocre Christian life with the abundant life that Christ promised us. The difference is the power-source that we most often rely upon. If we adopt the bogus assumption that dependence on resurrection power is mostly for crisis moments, not for routine everyday life, then we consign ourselves to living a substandard mediocre Christian life mostly governed by our fleshly power. Christ exploded this distinction, maintaining that the routine, even boring aspects of biotic life should be filled with zoe life, the spiritual life that He alluded to in John 10:10: "I would that you have life and that more abundantly." Christians should consequently bear their crosses, depending on resurrection power and not their own. Paul prayed that Ephesian believers would live out of this power, which was the same power that rose Christ from the dead. (Eph. 1:19-20) And Paul Himself linked this resurrection power to the crosses that all of us must inevitably bear: "I want to know Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings." (Phil. 3:10) Everyday reliance on resurrection power is then the only way to experience "abundant life" and rise above mediocrity.
Wait on the Power!
This episode ties identification with Christ's resurrection to the power of that resurrection. The Scriptures abound with descriptions of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in believers, and this power is actually the same power that rose Christ from the dead. (Eph. 1:19-20) Peter observes that "God's divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." (2 Pet. 1:3) The great hope of the Christian faith is that we ultimately don't depend on ourselves to mature ourselves into the likeness of Christ, we abide in Christ and wait till His power transforms us. As we identify with Christ's death, we reckon ourselves dead to sin. We wait for God to transform us, and we experience burial, sometimes an extended period of time in which we see little change, but in faith we persistently shove the rotting corpse of the flesh back into the ground. Then, in God's time, "light rises in the darkness for the upright." (Psalm 112:4) Resurrection power, the same power that rose Christ from the dead, invigorates and animates our souls, expanding our capacity for the divine life, even to the point where Paul says "we are filled up with all the fulness of God." (Eph. 3:19) Giving all glory to God, Paul concludes that "we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." (2 Cor. 4:7)
The Flesh Profits Nothing
This episode emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in weaning believers off their natural dependence on the flesh. Christ said that "the flesh profits nothing." (John 15:5) The prerequisite to embracing the power of the resurrected Christ is thorough conviction that the flesh cannot please God and is utterly inadequate in fulfilling the great commandments. The Holy Spirit is the indispensable helper Who enables us to keep God's statutes, AFTER convicting us of the bankruptcy of the flesh to accomplish any good. This sanctifying work of the Spirit helps us unite with Christ in the likeness of His death, abandoning all hope in the flesh, and then invites us to identify with Christ in His resurrection, so we might walk in the newness of life.
God’s Kindnesses: Motivation to Repent
This episode unpacks Romans 2:4, where the kindnesses of God lead us to repentance. Reflection on the Lord's many kindnesses helps resolve the dilemma of many who're stuck in confession without repentance. Constant repentance, or turning to the Lord, is absolutely essential if anyone of us would make progress towards the beatific vision. Without it, veils and blockages obstruct our vision of the glory of God and transformation stalls. Part of the solution to unwillingness to repent is reflection on God's many kindnesses. We are called to reflect on God's bountiful gifts in Christ, how God canceled our ridiculous debt to Him. We reflect on the Holy Spirit's persistent shaping us into the image of Christ, even when we stubbornly resist Him. And how many times, has God intervened and delivered us out of dire circumstances that we ourselves created? God's many kindnesses, when deeply pondered, often lead to reconsideration of our stubborn rebellion, leading to repentance.