If we are to bring forth fruit in the Christian life, or rather, if Christ is to bring forth this fruit through us by the agency of the Holy Spirit, there must be a constant act of faith, of thinking: Upon the basis of your promises I am looking for you to fulfil them, O my Jesus Christ; bring forth your fruit through me into this poor world.
So now we stand before two streams of reality: those who died and are with Christ now; and we, who have the earnest of the Holy Spirit now and so, upon the reality of the finished work of Christ, have access - not in theory, but in reality - to the power of the crucified, risen, and glorified Christ, by the agency of the Holy Spirit.
True spirituality is not achieved in our own energy. The "how" of the kind of life we have spoken of, the true Christian life, true spirituality, is Romans 6:11 "Reckon ye also yourselves [there is the faith; then the negative aspect] to be dead indeed unto sin, [but then the positive] but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." This is the "how" and there is no other. It is the power of the crucified, risen, and glorified Christ, through the agency of the Holy Spirit by faith.
TS, p53.
No comments:
Post a Comment