My Understanding of “Christ as my life” - Why it Works for Rest & Peace in My Life

By Arthur J Licursi

The following is the understanding that I’ve come to after about 25 years, concerning my relationship with God as my Father. This understanding brings security, peace and rest to me, as I simply believe to receive all that He has done for me, and also all that Christ is in me, as the new me. Anyone who comes to see and trust these facts will also enjoy the fruit of that kind of loving relationship that we were each meant to enjoy.

- Since the moment of my regeneration, I’m a recipient of the only genuine unconditional love, and the only real (eternal) “life,” in the universe, that which is given by God the Father, in the person of Christ, as the Spirit of life (Rom 8:2a), who indwells me as my new life, according to Paul’s “mystery gospel” (Col 1:26-27, Rom 16:25, 2Thes 2:16, Eph 2:4, 1Jn 4:16-21, 5:1-3).

- God, who is now my progenitor, my Father, sees me “in Christ,” clothed with Christ’s righteousness.

- I presently bear Christ’s Spirit of life (Rom 8:2a) in and by my spirit; thus, in my spirit union with Christ, I am “as He is” (Gal 2:20, 1John 3:2, 7, 4:17).

o I no longer have the stress of having to perform to any righteous level by my self-effort, or any need to imitate Jesus of Nazareth. Christ is now alive in me, to be expressed as me. I do not have to hypocritically make believe I’m religious or spiritual, or to achieve anything in order to have and maintain my relationship with God as my Father. I can be who I am by Christ in me, as me; living life without concern for outward appearances as to what my performance may look like (Gal 2:21, Rom 12:9, Col 2:20-23).

- I am now, already, okay as I am; I’m chosen and accepted by Him, to stand blameless in Christ (Eph 1:4-6) because of what Christ has done for me in obedience to the Father (2Cor 5:18a, Rom 3:21, 2Cor 5:21).

- My Father gave His Son Jesus for me that I might be saved from perdition; and He also gave His Son’s Spirit of life to me; I’m now a partaker now of His eternal, resurrection, life (Rom 5:8, John 3:16).

- God has no expectation of me, apart from Christ’s life operating within me (Philip 1:6, 2:13).

- My Father made me and knows me personally; knowing the hairs on my head (Psa 139:13, Job 31:15, Matt 10:30).

- I am individually born of God, as if I were His only child; not as one of as of a nation, as Israel (Eph 4:7, 1Cor 3:13, 1Thes 4:4).

- He received me and really loves me as I am, now and forever. (Rom 5:8).

o Now my daily walk is based upon that same love and grace (Col 2:6); I walk in pure grace (Rom 11:6).

- I did nothing to obtain my salvation and his love, thus, as Abraham, I can do no work in order to be righteous; or to earn or keep His love and care for me (Rom 4:5). I can only trust the grace and love of Him who loves me unconditionally (Eph 1:6, 2:8-9).

- I am now literally His child by a literal, spiritual, birthing by God’s Seed (sperma), which is Jesus Christ (John 3:6, Gal 3:16, 1Pet 1:23).

- God’s Seed, Christ, is given to me out of His heart of love, making me God’s birthed child (Jn 3:16, 1Jn 3:1).

- The “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” within my spirit (John 3:6, 1Cor 6:17) is Christ Himself (2Cor 3:17, 1Cor 15:45 Rom 8:9-10), who now indwells my spirit as my new life (1John 4:13).

- I’ve been literally born anew, into the eternal race of Christ-people, as a new creation sort of people (2Cor 5:17), who make up the invisible “church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22b-23a).

- I am His son and have a father/child relationship with God, not as a servant to a king (Gal 4:7).

- Christ lives within me that I might come to know Him and grow to trust Him, experientially, intimately (Eph 4:20), day by day (2Cor 4:16); in trusting Him I can “just be” who I am by His life in me, as me.

- By grace, mine now is a living birthed relationship with my Father; it is not a covenantal relationship that requires me to fulfill vows or promises, or for me to “perform” at all in order to remain His loved child (Eph 2:8-9, Rom 11:16).

- I know that God as my Father is working in and through all the happenings in my life for my good (Rom 8:28-32), even when things go bad or when I make wrong choice; that I might learn to trust in, cling to, and rely upon Him, as Paul learned trust by the suffering he endured in his life (2Cor 1:8-10).

- I no longer try to be like Jesus of Nazareth, not by will power or presumption, but rather I live by a trusting expectation that Christ is operating in and through every situation that the Father permits to come into my life. I see it all for my good (Rom 8:28-29); that I might understand this Christ who indwells me as my life (Eph 4:20).

- Trusting in Christ as my life is the answer to every issue of life, now and for eternity (Gal 2:20, Titus 3:7).