He Keeps Us, Not The Other Way Around

One of the most difficult aspects of the Christian Walk is Christ living in us, not our living for Christ, our trying to live out His life through our own efforts.

What makes this so difficult?

Human beings, dead in their trespasses, are prone to taking over, taking control, trying to make do, as if they are the only ones doing and making.

The truth is, God was, is, and always will be on the move in and around us, watching over us, taking care of us, seeing us through every need.

We are not called to live up to a standard, since the Law was never given to us in order that we would have rules for living:

"20Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 20-21)

and

"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. . .23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.(Galatians 3: 17, 23-25)

Later in Galatians, Paul is more rigid in his declartion not to live under law, but by faith:

"28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4: 28-31)

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes:

"Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers" (1 Timothy 1: 7)

If you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, then you no longer need the rules outside of you, because the Holy Spirit writes God's laws of life, love, and liberty within you (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

We no longer try to keep the law in order to be kept by God. He keeps us because of the New Covenant which His Son cut on the Cross:

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26: 28)

This New Testament, or Covenant, is outlined in Hebrews 8, quoting from Jeremiah 31: 33-34:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

Our job is to believe on Jesus, who is our high priest at God the Father's right hand (Hebrews 4: 14; 6: 20)
He lives in us, He works on our behalf, and He cares for us as we never could.

Thus could Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, write to us:

"Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24, 25)

Our wisdom is Christ, along with everything else:

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 31-32)

and

"21Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; 22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." (1 Corinthians 3: 21-23)

What are we called to do, then? We are called to rest in Him:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

and also

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)



We are called to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

We are also called to rejoice, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18)

We can do all of these things, because He is living in us, He is watching out for us, and He is according all grace to us through the Spirit of God who lives in us.

As we pray, we keep ourselves, remind ourselves, of God's love for us (Jude 20-21)

Yet in effect, he keeps us, because He bought us back from death to receive His eternal life:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and then

"My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." (John 10: 29)

Get to know the Person of Jesus, as the rest depends on Him, since He is keeping you, not the other way around.