A lot of Christian thinking stops way short the life that Jesus died to give us. In Galatians 5:24 the apostle Paul describes Christians as "those who belong to Christ." In other words, when we accept Jesus Christ we accept His claim on us, and we become His property! That means that Christ doesn't want merely to change your life: He wants to live it!
Consider the depth of Christ's ownership of our lives:
- For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Phil 1:21
- I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
You may be thinking: "Whew! I'm glad I'm not one of the apostles." That's what we want to think, but the statement:"For me to live is Christ" is not just meant for apostles. It applies to everyone for whom He died:
- . . .He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. 2 Corinthians 5:15 (ESV)