Living in Jesus, Not Just Knowing About Jesus
Why the Christian Life Must Return to the Living Christ
There is a great danger in Christian life: we can know many things about Jesus without truly living in Him.
We can know His titles.
We can know His miracles.
We can know His teachings.
We can know His parables.
We can know church history, theology, doctrine, and religious language.
Yet still, the heart may remain distant from the living Christ.
Christianity is not simply the admiration of Jesus from afar. It is life in Him. It is communion with Him. It is surrender to Him. It is being shaped by His words, healed by His mercy, corrected by His truth, strengthened by His Spirit, and led by His lordship.
Jesus did not say, “Study Me from a safe distance.”
He said:
“Follow Me.”
Matthew 4:19, NKJV
And later He said:
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
John 15:4, NKJV
This is the heart of Christian discipleship: not only to learn about Jesus, but to abide in Jesus.
The Difference Between Information and Communion
Information is important. We should study Scripture carefully. We should understand the historical world of Jesus. We should know the meaning of the incarnation, the kingdom of God, the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A shallow faith is easily shaken.
A careless reading of Scripture can produce confusion.
A Christianity without theology can become emotional, unstable, or easily manipulated.
But information alone is not the same as communion.
A person can read about bread and still remain hungry. A person can study water and still remain thirsty. A person can analyse light and still walk in darkness.
In the same way, a person can gather religious knowledge and still not surrender to Christ.
Jesus is not merely a subject to be mastered. He is the Lord before whom we bow. He is the Saviour who rescues us. He is the Shepherd who leads us. He is the Vine in whom we must remain.
The goal of Christian study is not pride.
The goal is worship.
The goal is not cold knowledge.
The goal is love.
The goal is not religious performance.
The goal is life in Christ.
Jesus Is the Life of the Christian
John writes:
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
John 1:4, NKJV
Life is not merely something Jesus gives as a separate gift. Life is found in Him. He is the source, centre, and fullness of life. To come to Jesus is to come to the One in whom the Father’s life is revealed.
This means the Christian life cannot be lived apart from Him.
We cannot love rightly without Him.
We cannot forgive deeply without Him.
We cannot endure suffering faithfully without Him.
We cannot resist temptation without Him.
We cannot serve the Church humbly without Him.
We cannot carry mission truthfully without Him.
We cannot become holy by our own strength.
Jesus says plainly:
“For without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5, NKJV
That sentence is humbling. It breaks human pride. It breaks religious self-confidence. It breaks the illusion that we can build Christian life on personality, intelligence, organisation, tradition, emotion, or public success.
Without Christ, we can do nothing.
Not nothing impressive.
Nothing.
The branch must remain in the vine.
The Church Must Return to the Living Christ
This is not only true for individual believers. It is true for churches, ministries, denominations, movements, and Christian institutions.
A church can have buildings and still lose Christ.
A ministry can have influence and still lose Christ.
A tradition can preserve language and still lose Christ.
A movement can speak loudly and still lose Christ.
A leader can use the name of Jesus and still not submit to Jesus.
Every Christian community must ask this question:
Is Christ truly Lord here, or has something else quietly taken His place?
Has organisation taken His place?
Has reputation taken His place?
Has control taken His place?
Has money taken His place?
Has culture taken His place?
Has tradition taken His place?
Has a human leader taken His place?
Has fear taken His place?
This question is not asked to destroy the Church. It is asked because the Church belongs to Jesus. He is not an ornament attached to the Church. He is the Head of the Church.
Where Christ is truly Lord, truth cannot be sacrificed for reputation.
Where Christ is truly Lord, vulnerable people cannot be sacrificed for institutional survival.
Where Christ is truly Lord, leaders cannot replace the Shepherd.
Where Christ is truly Lord, tradition cannot overrule the Gospel.
Where Christ is truly Lord, holiness and mercy must walk together.
The Church does not need a smaller Jesus.
The Church needs to return to the real Jesus.
Living in Jesus Means Being Changed by Jesus
To live in Jesus is not merely to feel comfort. Comfort is part of His mercy, but Jesus does more than comfort us. He transforms us.
He forgives sin, but He also calls us out of sin.
He heals shame, but He also speaks truth.
He welcomes sinners, but He does not leave them unchanged.
He gives peace, but not false peace.
He gives joy, but not shallow entertainment.
He gives freedom, but not freedom from obedience.
The Jesus of the Gospels is full of grace and truth.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14, NKJV
Grace without truth becomes sentimental.
Truth without grace becomes harsh.
But in Jesus, grace and truth are perfectly united.
He is gentle with the wounded and severe toward hypocrisy. He touches lepers and overturns tables. He welcomes children and rebukes proud religion. He forgives sinners and warns against judgment. He eats with the rejected and calls disciples to take up the cross.
This is the living Christ.
Not a religious decoration.
Not a cultural symbol.
Not a private comfort object.
Lord.
Saviour.
King.
Shepherd.
Truth.
Life.
Living in Jesus in a Tired World
Many people today are tired.
Tired of noise.
Tired of politics.
Tired of religious fighting.
Tired of shallow spirituality.
Tired of fake confidence.
Tired of institutions that protect themselves.
Tired of wounds that no one sees.
Tired of carrying fear, grief, guilt, and loneliness.
To such people, Jesus still says:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28, NKJV
This invitation is not weak. It is not shallow. It is not sentimental. It comes from the Lord who carries the cross. It comes from the Son who knows sorrow. It comes from the Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.
The rest Jesus gives is not escape from discipleship. It is rest under His lordship. It is the peace of belonging to Him. It is the freedom of no longer pretending to save yourself.
Living in Jesus means bringing the whole self to Him:
the tired mind,
the wounded heart,
the guilty conscience,
the anxious body,
the hidden grief,
the broken memory,
the unfinished calling,
the weak faith,
the longing soul.
He does not reject the broken who come to Him.
A Prayer for the Reader
Lord Jesus Christ,
I do not want only to know about You.
I want to know You.
I do not want to admire You from a distance.
I want to follow You.
I do not want to use Your name while keeping my own throne.
I want You to be Lord.
Teach me to abide in You.
Teach me to receive Your mercy.
Teach me to walk in Your truth.
Teach me to love Your Church without worshipping any institution.
Teach me to serve Your mission without pride.
Teach me to carry the cross without losing hope.
Where I am tired, give me rest.
Where I am proud, humble me.
Where I am wounded, heal me.
Where I am confused, lead me.
Where I am cold, awaken love again.
Let my life be rooted in You.
For You are the Vine.
You are the Shepherd.
You are the Word made flesh.
You are the crucified and risen Lord.
You are my life.
Amen.
Dr Daniel J. Grace
Faith • Civilization • Theology
Research • Journalism • Truth
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