The
above verse is one of the most misunderstood passages in New Testament scripture because many
read this text and think that Paul is saying that he lives by faith in Jesus (as some translations infer). This inference is by his own effort of trusting in
and putting his faith in the promises of God.
The Greek primary preposition used here for the English
word "by" is "en" which in context gives us a clue to what the
writer's intent is. "En" is a primary preposition denoting a (fixed) position (in place, time or state), and (by implication) instrumentality (medially or constructively), i.e., a relation of rest.
With this basic
understanding of the Greek preposition "en," we can see that Paul was referring to Christ
as something fixed or settled for Him.
Again, looking at the context, Paul is
saying He is crucified with Christ, and it is Christ that is resurrected and
living inside of him. Paul is making a bold statement here that it is not his
faith in Christ that is at work here, but rather because Christ is alive within
him, it is "…by the faith of the Son of God" that is at work inside
of him. That frees Paul from the burden of having to produce his own trust and
faith; he merely taps into the faith that is already alive and working in him
through Christ, Paul is resting in that faith.
It changes the whole perspective of the passage, for it
is Christ Jesus that gives us His faith in the first place. When we come to
Him, we (like Paul) learn to rest in the faith and strength of
Jesus as He is fully formed in us.
"My little children, for whom I am again in
the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you"
Galatians 4:19
(NRSV)
Paul was consistently praying for the gatherings in
Galatia, Ephesus, and Corinth and repeatedly speaking to them about how Christ
is being formed in them.
"We are his servants because the same God who said
that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we
bring to light the knowledge about God's glory which shines from Christ's face.
Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them.
This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn't
come from us."
2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (GW)
I do enjoy reading how Paul expresses his passion for the
gatherings that he has founded. His focus in verse after verse is emphasizing
that it is Christ residing in them, which is to accomplish what He desires to
do both in them and through them as they allow the Holy Spirit to direct them and have His way.
"and I pray that Christ will make his home in your
hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in
love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to
understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love." Ephesians 3:17-18
(GNT)
We can move so far beyond these early believers as we
receive Paul's message for ourselves, as it motivates us to move forward in
Christ Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to complete His work within us to
conform us and make us more like Jesus. This is accomplished on a foundation in agape love.
"I tell you the
truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they
will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father.
Whatever you ask for in My name, I will do it so that the Father will get glory
from the Son. Let Me say it again: if you ask for anything in My name, I will
do it."
John 14:12-14 (VOICE)
There is so much more in Christ than what we presently
know; I believe that is why Paul called this a race. There are always
milestones in a race, like reaching specific landmarks or markers. But like a
race, we are never to rest on our laurels, the race continues on and so should
we.
There are more significant victories to be had, milestones in our lives
that will define us and complete the formation of Christ within us.
"But to those whom he has made holy his coming will
mean splendor unimaginable. It will be a breath-taking wonder to all who
believe—including you, for you have believed the message that we have given
you."
2 Thessalonians 1:10
(Phillips)
Christ Jesus is doing all the heavy lifting; as we are
resting in His faith to get us to the finish line.
Be Blessed;
Stephen Barnett
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