Christ Gave Himself for us; Christ Gave Himself to us

Steve Behlke,
Sept 13, 2008

In Galatians 1:4 and 2:20, the apostle Paul makes two Gospel assertions upon which being saved and spiritually growing — really, the whole Christian life — hang.

The first is that Christ gave Himself for us,

Gal 1:4 "Christ gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age."

Christ gave Himself for us. This is fundamental to understanding the Gospel of God's grace. God did it all. Christ did everything.

Our sins separated us from God but God-in-Christ gave Himself for our sins. Through Jesus' work on the cross believers are forgiven, holy and brought into union with God.

The second assertion is that Christ gave Himself to us,

Gal 2:20 "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 for me."

The Gospel includes both of these realities!

Having no ability to merit pardon, to birth new life, to graft ourselves into God's people or to draft ourselves into God's Kingdom, Christ gave Himself for us, for our forgiveness, for our redemption, for our justification.

Having no ability to change our hearts, to transform our character, to make ourselves any more holy and loving and Christly, Christ gave Himself to us, to energize, transform, and empower our sanctification from the depth of our souls.

This is grace, Christ gave Himself for us and Christ gave Himself to us.

Grace is not some inert thing that God gives us. It is not mere kindness and pardon. Grace is also God's sovereign activity. Grace is the Spirit's own doing. Grace is Christ-in-action, God personally acting in us, toward us, for us, and through us.

So it is to be understood that we are saved by grace — Christ's sovereign activity alone — through faith — trusting and relying upon Christ's work alone. We are also sanctified in the same way, by grace — Christ's doing — through faith — via reliance upon Christ's doing — alone.

Christ does it all.

Salvation, from start to finish, is a divine not a human undertaking. Christ alone is in charge of my salvation and my sanctification. Yea! Soli Deo Gloria.

Do you believe this? It may be difficult for some to give up hoping in themselves and trust that only Christ's current activity can change me, only Christ can mature me, only Christ can save me from sin, from myself.

And He will!

"He who began a good work in you will complete it" (Phil 1:6).

"Now glory be unto Him who by His mighty power that works within us is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope" (Eph 3:20).

Christ lives in the Christian to "work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Heb 13:21).

Christ lives in the believer "both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Phil 2:13).

It's not Christian principles in my mind, or the mastery of Christian formulas for living, or even a spiritual anointing, or the power of God upon me. It's more personal than that! 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).

... And He gave Himself to me, ontologically living within the Christian believer, leading those who wait on Him and filling those who thirst for Him.

So when you are led to do something that Jesus would do, do it! Do it with Him, trusting Him to do it through you.

And watch what Jesus does.

He does things in ways that bring God glory, that make us feel alive to God, and in ways in which we recognize that Christ lives in us.