O N E .

I would like to begin by sharing the Scripture that stirred my spirit into writing this post: 

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ, and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.” (Philippians 3:8-9).

Selah. 

What really struck me is how Paul gives us a method for both gaining and becoming one with Christ: 1) counting everything else as garbage and 2) having faith. For the rest of this post, I would like to dissect these aspects that make up oneness with the Lord.

First of all, when was the last time you thought of your life as “garbage?” That almost sounds like the opposite of gratitude, which the Lord loves! However, Paul isn’t discounting the significance of gratitude here – he is discussing how oneness with Christ can only come with a diminishing value of earthly significance. If we truly “count it all as garbage,” we won’t identify with our earthly lives more than with Him. I am especially feeling this on my heart for those strongly identifying with their skin color – let us cease to preserve these vessels as though our identity lies with the outer covering. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Paul then offers us a prerequisite for having faith: “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law…” Faith is the seed through which we either flourish or wilt – we need to stop holding other believers (and ourselves) to a standard of righteousness through behavior, by which we all fall short (Romans 3:23). Christ in us bears His fruit, not the other way around. You will find a true child of Christ making disciples and standing on the Word regardless of shifting cultural messages as a result of faith. It is written in Hebrews 2:1, “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.” There is a steadfastness required of believers to cling to the Word “written on their hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3), as culture will continue to shout varying messages that sound sort of true, but are not the real truth.

What is one of these “sort of true” messages? That God is love – He is, but this love does not equate with acceptance. As a good friend of mine once said, Jesus was not this hippie walking around preaching love and tolerance – He flipped tables and condemned the Pharisees as a “brood of vipers” (Matthew 12:34). He called out deceit, lies, and half-truths that pulled people away from His heart. Church, we are called to do the same. We are called to defend who Jesus truly is and what His Word really says. This is what I was referring to in my last blog post (On “Truth”) when I said “what you fight for reveals where your heart lies.” If your message as a Christian sounds more like a cultural narrative, check your heart posture. Ask the Lord if you are truly vying for His Word, or if you are instead vying for a culturally tolerable message.

As we know, there is no place for lukewarmness in God’s presence (Revelation 3:16). Lukewarmness is cowardice – it is an unwillingness to truly embrace the new creation we have become in Christ due to a fear of man’s disapproval. If you do not acknowledge Christ on earth, He will not acknowledge you in heaven (Matthew 10:33). I am writing these things strongly not as a fear tactic or to stir up rage – I long to see the Church fully embrace all of who Jesus is without holding back; being one with Him! Oneness with Christ comes only with being set apart; we should not proudly walk and talk like worldly folks. If you’re never being challenged as a Christian, there is something wrong, as God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6). Now is the time for a heart check. Now is the time for boldness. Now is the time to embrace God by allowing Him to embrace all of you!

If you want to be one with Christ, there is nothing standing in your way except for fear.

Don’t let it stop God’s kingdom work in you.