“The whole Christian life depends on the clear consciousness of our position in Christ.”
That’s a quote from Andrew Murray. He emphasizes the daily renewal of our faith’s assurance that we are “in Christ.” At the prompting of his devotional book, Abiding In Christ, I have immersed myself for weeks in the following verse:
“Of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God— and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30 NKJ)
I have been contemplating the work of Christ behind His call to us and our response to it. From the initial call to our turning to it, to our believing and accepting of Christ’s work on the cross—all is accomplished by His power. It is in humility we see every part of it as “God’s almighty power doing its work of inspiring our will, taking possession of us, and carrying out its own purpose of love in planting us into Christ Jesus.” (Andrew Murray)
I love the thought of being planted into Christ Jesus—grafted-in to the vine that is Jesus Christ. Not only is it comforting to know that it is God who does the grafting, but also He who KEEPS it. He is as invested in the flourishing growth of us, the grafted-in branch, as He is in His Son, the Vine. The Father for-ordained Jesus Christ would be perfectly and thoroughly fit for the work He had to perform here on earth. That same Father has also chosen us and planted us in Christ as a branch, ensuring that as we yield to Him we will be fitted for our own calling in Christ Jesus, just as Jesus was.
Fully grasping this insight creates a place of restful action. Rather than creating a lazy attitude awaiting His work, this motivates me to continual prayer: “an unceasing waiting, moment by moment, on the God who has united me to Christ, to perfect His own divine work in me.” (Andrew Murray) It invites us to lean in, not to perform some frenetic activity or legalistic actions on a religious check-mark list.
Fully grasping this insight also brings humility. Humility also brings rest because it rescues us from expectations to be or do anything on our own. Knowing God is so invested in seeing us flourish, we see Him at work in our hearts and recognize that we can do nothing apart from our position in Christ. Everything we have comes from Him. Everything He gives (wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption, etc.) is imparted from Christ to us since we are IN CHRIST...that which He is, He imparts.
Fully grasping this insight also removes the need to elevate others. If we elevate one branch to the level of the Vine, we fall into idolatry. There is only one Vine and only one Vinedresser. If we appreciate the fruit or message of one of the branches, we glory in the work of the Vinedresser and the life of the Vine, not the branch.
This perspective lets branches be simply branches, complete with frailties that the Vinedresser removes. There is no Christian who flourishes without abiding in the Vine Himself. All wither and die on their own. If we see one withering, we know they have become disconnected and we should encourage them to reconnect and to remain connected.
When a branch fails to produce good fruit and experiences whatever pruning the Vinedresser provides, our own source of strength and life should be unaffected—though we ought to use it as a time to allow the Holy Spirit to search our own hearts to remove all that does not bring glory to God.
In recent weeks, several leaders in the church have been exposed to have succumbed to their human frailties, producing fruit that is sinful and rotten. It appears that—for many reasons—they disconnected (at least in part and at certain times) from their position in Christ.
I do not concern myself with their salvation or their pruning, but instead, use it to let my heart be searched and known. I do not condone the sin or cover it, I just don't have a part in pruning it. And, as always, I continue to judge anyone's fruit before consuming it: does it conform to the Bible? Bring glory to God? Reveal Christ and our place in Christ? Then it is beneficial, even if the other fruit of their life fails in another area. (Since we all sin and none of our fruit is perfect.)
Situations like these remind me to be fair to other branches. We, as a church, can do this by refusing to commoditize or commercialize someone's message and giftings from Christ. We can do this by adhering to disciplines such as radical accountability, fasting and prayer for each other, and refraining from gossip while ensuring they get help to fight their battles. We can also do this by praying for the families hurt by sin. We can also do this by refusing to put them on a pedestal and encouraging them to work out their sanctification, righteousness, and redemption in the hands of our loving Vinedresser who wields some rather sharp pruners when needed.
Grace prunes.
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Special thanks to one of my best friends, Christy Bryan, and my sister, Tamara Dixon, for their input into this blog post.
And, as always, since this post was inspired by Andrew Murray whom I greatly admire, if I've borrowed too liberally it's not intentional, I've just been immersed in his writings for so long.
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