In Him We Live, Move, And Have Our Being
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Acts 17:28
There is no greater joy than the discovery of our spiritual liberty in Christ, the True Vine. I am truly fascinated by the Excellency of His grace toward the saints in light. Can you fathom a world without the rule of the Holy Spirit? I certainly cannot even begin to imagine a life separate and apart from Him, who died and gave himself for, not just me, but for all of mankind.
I love the verse, Colossians 3:4, which says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” In my opinion, this highlights the connection that the heavenly realm has with creation. Truly, the creative thinker left no stone un-turned in making provision for our standing in Him. How many of us have been taught that our Creator is up there somewhere, when the word of God reveals otherwise? We are called to be the visible expression of the invisible God, just as Christ our example was in all His doings upon the earth.
Religious theology in all of its good intentions, fails miserably in presenting the Christ that is within reach. In this study, I wish to present to you a Christ that is well within our reach, and when we fully understand this principle, we shall truly know what it is to IN HIM, LIVE, MOVE and HAVE OUR BEING.
THE CONCEPT OF IN HIM…
First, let us understand the meaning of the phrase, “FOR IN HIM…”
To fully get the understandings we need to obtain from the word of God, in its written form, we truly must rightly divide its content. We also, when approaching the biblical written word, must have a dependency upon the Holy Spirit to take the veil off of each verse, enabling us to behold the mystical Christ.
The word (in) in the Greek Lexicon is (en – G1722) denoting a FIXED POSITION (in place, time, or state), and by implication instrumentality (medially or constructively), in other words, a relation of rest. Christ is the fixed position for the believer, He alone is our place of rest. I am not of the persuasion that there are many paths to God, I subscribe to the principle stated by the Lord Himself in John 14:6, when He said of himself, “I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE; NO MAN cometh unto the Father, BUT BY ME (a.k.a. THE FIXED POSITION). If we are to know HIS WAY, HIS TRUTH and HIS LIFE, it must follow this persuasion, HE IS THE ULTIMATE point of origin and beside him, there is no other.
I do not subscribe to the concepts of metaphysics and Buddhism, or anything of the systems of belief that are outside the domain of ‘IN HIM’, and there may be many that would disagree, but I have no other source of information to base my stance upon, other than what is written in the text. It is my belief that these forms of “spiritual” expression have their origin in the soulish realm and do not emanate from the source of life. Just as in Paul’s day, there were those who subscribed to the ideology of other gods (i.e. other methods to accessing God), there are many in our day that do the same.
My press is toward the mark of the prize of the high call of God, in CHRIST JESUS!
Christ is the FIXED POSITION, that as followers of Christ, we are to press into, understanding our LIFE, MOVEMENT AND POSSESSION OF BEING resides solely there. There are countless verses that proclaim this truth. From the moment we are introduced to the phrase IN THE BEGINNING…this FIXED POSITION is established in the conscious universe as I AM.
Nothing exist without the influential Christ, who is established as the catalyst for ALL THINGS. Note what Paul by divine inspiration states in Colossians 1:14-17, when he says this concerning Christ, THE FIXED POSITION:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
This is a powerful truth unveiled to us, and you don’t even need Greek or Hebrew to comprehend the vastness of the verses; for they speak clearly that CHRIST IS NOT ONLY THE AUTHORITY OF ALL THINGS…HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS.
When we put this in its proper perspective, it becomes increasingly clear that Christ has to be the CHIEF in all that we are in Him. Any man (mankind specific) that journeys through this life, must conclude that life apart from THIS CHRIST, is the truest form of zombie-ism. The walking, living, moving dead; for sure. Christ is the CHIEF CORNERSTONE of HIS BUILDING, and if we are to have true spiritual expression, it must be noted that it BEGINS AND ENDS with Him.
This ‘him’ that I refer to is not the man, but the eternal essence that composes the man – the very one that proclaimed himself to be THE ANOINTED ONE. “Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:7). Yes, “I” spoke, He who rose above ALL PRINCIPALITIES…SPOKE and declared that HE IS THE BOOK!
He is the visible expression of the invisible God, abiding in his FIXED POSITION poised to receive all that will turn affectionately towards him, seeking him diligently, because to do so will yield a sweet reward; THE REWARD OF HIMSELF!
When we understand the magnitude of the statement “FOR IN HIM…,” we will embrace the union of Heaven and Earth, Father and Son, Bridegroom and Bride, Head and body, Spirit and Soul, the spiritual body and the natural body, the Beginning and the End, and so many other things that bespeak the union of Creator and creation.
When we abide in the FIXED POSITION, we like the psalmist will say with a trumpeting voice:
2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9 O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
Next: For In Him We Live
The significance that I see here is this, Christ is proclaiming, though there may be other vines, containing some level of life and sustenance, He (the Christ) is THE TRUE VINE of all vines. I find it very fascinating that in a world with so many different religions, and methods to get to God, we tend to forget one simple truth: CHRIST IS THE TRUE!
