Exchanged Life
The exchanged life is a revolutionary principle of life where Christ lives in you, releasing divine action and good works.
Major Ian Thomas emphasizes that Christian living is not about methods or techniques, but rather about the revolutionary principle of an exchanged life, where 'not I, but Christ liveth in me' (Galatians 2:20). He warns against separating Christian behavior from the Gospel, asserting that true faith must manifest in good works, as faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Thomas highlights that the essence of the Gospel is Christ living in us now, not just a promise of heaven later. He encourages believers to present their bodies as living sacrifices, allowing the life of Christ to be displayed through them, which is the only way to gain God's approval. The sermon calls for a faith that breathes with divine action, rooted in dependence on Jesus.
Text
Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life. It is the principle of an exchanged life" not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20).
This is all part of our Gospel - it is not the Gospel plus! We must not get our terminology wrong. To divorce the behavior of the Christian from the Gospel is entirely false and is not true to the Word of God, yet all too often such is the characteristic of gospel preaching.
I would like to explore with you what is the true spiritual content of our Gospel not just heaven one day, but Christ right now! Christ in you, on the grounds of redemption this is the Gospel! To preach anything less than this must inevitably produce "Evan-jellyfish" folk with no spiritual vertebrae, whose faith docs not "behave!"
Do you remember what James says in his epistle? "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (chapter 2:26). The "spirit" there means breath, and a body without breath is dead. Stop breathing and folk will bury you! In other words, a living body breathes, and a living faith breathes, and a living faith breaths with divine action. A living faith breathes with the activity of Jesus Christ. That is why the Lord Jesus, in John 6:29, said, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent."
That is the work of God. It is your living faith in the adequacy of the One who is in you, which releases His divine action through you. It is the kind of activity that the Bible calls "good works," as opposed to "dead works."
"Good works" are those works that have their origin in Jesus Christ - - whose activity is released through your body, presented to Him as a living sacrifice by a faith that expresses total dependence, as opposed to the Adamic independence (Romans 12: 1,2).
It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God.
From: The Saving Life of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House. ©1961.
Sermon Outline
- The Exchanged Life
- The True Spiritual Content of the Gospel
- The Work of God
- Good Works vs. Dead Works
- Good works have their origin in Jesus Christ, clothed with you and displayed through you
- Dead works are those that have their origin in Adamic independence
Key Quotes
“Christian living is not a method or technique; it is an entirely different, revolutionary principle of life.” — Major Ian Thomas
“It is only the life of the Lord Jesus -- His activity, clothed with you and displayed through you, that ultimately will find the approval of God.” — Major Ian Thomas
“A living faith breathes with divine action, releasing Jesus Christ's activity through you.” — Major Ian Thomas
Application Points
- Recognize that Christian living is not a method or technique, but a revolutionary principle of life.
- Believe on Jesus Christ and allow His activity to be released through you.
- Understand that good works have their origin in Jesus Christ, and strive to live a life that reflects this.