What Difference does Christ Make?

What Difference does Christ make?

The difference a thing makes is what creates it's speciality and the desire for it. When the difference isn't clear, any other thing can actually replace it without missing anything.
Inability to recognize the difference Christ makes in us as Christians affects our mentality about Christianity and our expectations as we come into Christ.

Definitely, having Christ in us as Lord with all the work He accomplished for us on the cross through His death and resurrection creates in a believer a new creature created in God's image and endued with God's life kind and nature. That's why believers are called God's children since everything procreates after its kind including God.

Thinking about God and His greatness we can say with apostle John that now we are called sons of God and the full manifestation of what that means is still beyond what we can see and only when we see Him face to face shall we fully manifest what that means...

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah speaking about things prepared for those that love God...

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 2
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We know it in prophecy that we are gods and all of us are the children of God and that different from regular humans.

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 82
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Notice that the gods referred to here are different from men or the princes mentioned. Jesus Christ Himself also referred to this prophecy in John 10

[My Offline Bible] John 10
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Apostle Paul also used that in judging the carnality of believers in His 1st letter to the Corinthians.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 3
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

So a carnal Christian is one who walks as men. But aren't we supposed to be men? Well, the new creation makes us more than men...

Jesus said he that's born of the Spirit is Spirit, following the law of procreation.

[My Offline Bible] John 3
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Being born of the flesh makes us men, being born of the Spirit makes us supernatural.

These are common knowledge actually but the application is what gets us into wrong pursuits and expectations..and eventually into trouble either as church or as individuals.

This is how Jesus puts being a child of God.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 5
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

To be the children of our Father, the mark is the kind of love we exhibit. It can't be adulterated. That ability to love those who don't love us, to do good to those who hate us and to wish well those who persecute and use us...

The difference between man and God is seen in selfishness, self seeking, self centeredness and greed. That's the difference Christ came to erase pushing us more to God's image away from the image of man.

We can cover up with religion and many other ordinances but there is nothing we do outside of this kind of love that can't be done without Christ.

When we see physical benefits as the main difference Christ makes, His relevance is lost as soon as you see people without Him enjoying those things even if not by the power of God. It maybe financial or material wealth, healing, longevity, peace of mind and so on...while we have all these and more in the grace of Christ, what's exclusive to the New Creature is that ability to love unconditionally inclusive of those who don't love us.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Every spiritual activity we engage in must be towards highlighting the difference Christ makes in our lives. Nobody competes with uniqueness, the difference Christ makes can't be copied without Him living within. We are gods and we must live the life of the children of God. God is love and we are children of love. We live out love with power and grace.

But when we walk in the adamic nature, with motives and missions like that of men, we should be careful not to 'die' as men.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 5
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

God's vision is to make men in His image, He sent His Son to us as example of what He wants in us and today we have a goal in allowing the new creation in us to manifest the very image of Christ and so be led as sons into glory...

We are gods, we shouldn't die as men! We must make the difference clear! Good Morning!

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 82
1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.