Join for our live streamed Sunday School (9:30am) and Worship Service (10:30am). You can view them HERE.

Verse By Verse Devotional On 2 Corinthians By Pastor Jack #30

April 25, 2016 | by: Jack Lash | 0 comments

Posted in: 2 Corinthians

Christed With the Spirit

1:21-22 "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge."

You didn’t know the word ’Christ’ was a verb? In English usage it’s not, but in the original Greek it is. The word Christ (CHRISTOS) is not a name but a title. In English it means anointed one. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word messiah. It is derived from the verb form (CHRIO) which means anoint. That verb is the one used here in v.21. So, messiah = Christ = anointed one.

In the OT, priests, prophets and kings were ordained to office by being anointed with oil. Jesus was to be the Messiah/Christ/anointed one but was never anointed with oil. Rather, He was anointed with the real thing: Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan after being baptized by John (Acts 10:37-38). After His ascension to the right hand of the Father, Jesus began to anoint His people with the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the words of John:

"I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:8)

Believers in Christ are the ones who have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, anointed by God.

So we’ve been Christed. We are little christs, if you will, little reflections, little representatives of the Christ. We have been given the job of living out His life on this earth, of looking like Him and acting like Him. For it is the same Spirit that was upon Him that is upon us.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that we’ve been made the Christ/Messiah. In fact, this is the only place in the NT where this kind of language is used, so we must be careful not to wander off into dangerous territory by taking this one statement too far. But it does mean we’ve been given the Spirit as He was given the Spirit. And it does mean we’ve been made people of the Christ.

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Gal.2:20)

O Father, history has shown that left to ourselves we humans are utter failures. No one does good, not even one. But Lord, we thank You for the Christ, who was anointed by Your Spirit and empowered to live not according to human strength but according to divine power. Thank You that now we followers of this Christ are also anointed with this same Spirit. Open the eyes of our hearts that we might see the surpassing greatness of Your power toward us who believe. May our lives be transformed by Your power. May it no longer be we who live, but Christ living in us.

COMMENTS FOR THIS POST HAVE BEEN DISABLED.

FILTER MESSAGES BY: