Relationships That Give Life

Preface

Jesus said that one of the reasons He came into the world was to give us life, a more abundant life. He was so passionate about giving us this life that He went to the cross to purchase it and has sent the Holy Spirit to enable us to live it. The apostle Paul made it clear in his letter to the church at Rome, especially in chapters 6 to 8, that this life was on the other side of death. Just as the victory of the resurrection life of Jesus was after the cross so it is with us. The more abundant life that Jesus promised we could experience comes after our dying to self not before it. The Christian life is not trying to get God to help us control our sin so we can live the way He wants us to live, it is a brand new never before experienced life that has its origin in God. The Christian life is not the old life patched up it is a completely different way of living. It is so different that there is nothing in the way we lived our old life that is of any use to us for living our new life. Paul says in Gal 2:20I have been crucified with Christ; 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. that although we appear to carry of living the way we used to before our conversion a great change has actually taken place inside us. We have been crucified with Christ and the life that we now live as a Christian is Christ living his life in us and through us. This book has been written to help Christians relate to each other out of their new lives instead of their old lives.

Although 2 Cor 5:17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. reveals that the transformation which takes place at our conversion is total and complete it takes time for us to manifest that change in our daily living and personal relationships. Self interest is still a powerful and often unconscious motivation to the way we live and relate. In our relationships we have a bias towards thinking that if we could only get others to change their attitude towards us all would be well but the reality is that the only person we can change is ourselves. As you read let the Holy Spirit reveal what He has already put in your new born again spirit so you can combine it with the Faith of Jesus which is dwelling in your heart so you will look as good on the outside as you are on the inside.