In Christ Alone

I awoke this morning singing In Christ Alone.  HERE is the song as sung by Travis Cottrel.  The last refrain has the following lyrics:

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

“No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.”  I might be in conflict with others today and I might have to wade through schemes from people who seek to either lift themselves or push me down, or both, but Jesus is still God and He still holds me.  I do not have to dwell with the pigs in the sty because He has lifted me out of it and cleaned the mud from me.  He has received me with open arms and He holds me.  I can dwell in His presence even as my physical body exists in this world. 

In fact, I believe this is how He intends for us to live daily.  We are not of this world.  Jesus said in John 15:19, “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”  It hates you.  Matthew Henry comments, “How little do many persons think, that in opposing the doctrine of Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, they prove themselves ignorant of the one living and true God, whom they profess to worship!”  I continue to be overwhelmed at the constant assurance I get over and over and over from God in this difficult time. 

How does someone oppose the doctrine of Christ?  It’s simple, they do not obey His Words.  He Himself said, “If you love Me, keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15), “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.“ (Jn 14:23), and 1 John 5:3 says “In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands”.  Matthew Henry is reflecting upon how little time people spend to comprehend that when they oppose Jesus, by not doing what He says, they make themselves unable to understand God, while professing to worship Him.  While difficult to comprehend, it is true nonetheless.

Someone who actively participates in actions that do not equal what God says in His Word cannot be relied upon.  The cause for their actions, their words, and their wisdoms serve a purpose that is not God’s.  It’s impossible to understand God if you can’t hear Him.  If you can’t hear Him, you are just guessing at what you think is best, or you are just doing what is best for you.  James says that “their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”

We are to live as a part of Christ.  Christ commands my destiny.  His Spirit has to dominate.  We have to learn to live every day, every moment in the mind of Christ.  Either He is in that moment or we’re not going to make it.  It is Jesus or nothing.  It is In Christ Alone.