Christ in Us

The beauty of Christ in people. What do I mean by this? Specifically, Christian people are beautiful when they strive to make Christ look glorious in each other and in the world. We are called to encourage and build each other up to good works. This takes on many forms, reproving, rebuking, edifying, exhorting, forgiving, and loving. Christians should be most generous and loving. Knowing that this is not our final destination and that all that we have is gifted to us. We are freed from earthly worries and greed because we are exhorted to be stewards of what God has given us for He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Thusly, a community built upon the joyful gifts of God can be mutually encouraging in reminding each other of the wonderful goodness of God. The Gospel-centered man and woman are compelled to love like Christ.

So, being compelled by the love of Christ is a beautiful thing. The love-compelled acts of the Christian are innumerable. From common courtesy to emergencies, Christians can love and serve well in all circumstances. That is the beauty of people. The many varied opportunities of Christians that come from every culture and any background create a beautiful tapestry weaved by God himself. He proudly displays his glory in the handiwork of his people as he weaves the common thread of Christ through history. God is made glorious in his people.

People, and their actions, present opportunities for others to learn about the work of God in the world. As they share their lives we see how God has guided and directed them to where they are now. We also see how the truth of God is displayed in people when they share their defeats and victories. In defeats, we can see what it means to hope in the Gospel and how Christ has the final victory. And in victories, we see how the Gospel radically changes lives and has the power to move and change people. We are blessed to live in a world where God is active and displaying his glory in people.

A quick note on forgiveness, I believe one of the most beautiful things about Christians is their capacity to forgive. Recalling the compelling love of Christ, we are called to forgive. As Christ on the cross forgave us, let us also forgive others, shocking others as we forgive them 7 times 70 times. This is a wonderful display of the Gospel in everyday life when we approach a brother or sister in Christ and ask for forgiveness, and how much more when we ask for forgiveness when we have sinned against an unbeliever. This humility truly displays the glory of God and I believe lives out the dying to ourselves which the Bible speaks of. And when we forgive others, we are furthering the gospel in the world. In forgiving other Christians, it should serve as a wonderful reminder of Christ who forgave us. And when we forgive unbelievers we get to display the glorious patience and unbreakable love of God.

Both sides of forgiveness should offer such hope to us as Christians. As they both serve as reminders of the reality of the Gospel. They offer hope in that God’s love is very real and powerful, that the Holy Spirit is active in us, exhorting us to repent and ask for forgiveness and also to remind us of what it means to be forgiven. People display the fruits of the Spirit as they walk in the Spirit, it is a wonderful blessing to be a recipient of their fruit. This is the beauty of people, to be fruit bearers, to serve, and to love God and others.

Ultimately, we magnify Christ when we live full of Gospel-centered love and hope. We know that Jesus has the final victory and that it all rests upon him. We are blessed to know such glorious truth and further blessed to know that others possess the same truth in themselves. Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ create an amazing group, indeed a body, of faith and support when we live for the common purpose of making Christ look like the treasure that he truly is.