IN CHRIST - Our Only True Life

The world turns on the axis of power, wealth, and reputation. From the moment we draw breath, we are taught to chase these illusions like dogs chasing their own tails. Our metrics for success are shaped by gold-plated idols, applauded by those who themselves wander blindfolded along the broad path of destruction. But there is a narrow road, hidden in plain sight, carved out not by kings and conquerors but by the outstretched arms of a crucified King.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus Christ, the King of all creation, came to this earth owning nothing but the seamless tunic on His back. He hung out in a womb for nine months and became a baby totally dependent upon a 13 year old mom. In His recorded Ministry He borrowed donkeys, used borrowed boats, dined in borrowed homes, and was even buried in a borrowed tomb. The King of Glory descended into the poverty of mankind to rewrite the story of what it means to live. Not just to exist, but to truly live—IN CHRIST. Jesus said, “FOLLOW ME!” Very few even know to follow.

“Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’” Matthew 8:20

The life Jesus offers is not based on what we possess or what we achieve. It is a life founded in the reality of our death IN CHRIST to receive the Father’s absolute goodness and Grace. A life made available to us through the perfect, finished work of Christ on the cross. A life where His strength is made perfect in our weakness, where His righteousness covers our sin, and where His Spirit transforms us from within. And in response, how many seek to build their own empires?

“He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5

IN CHRIST, we are called to throw off this world’s judgment and standards. Jesus never sought power through earthly systems. He did not build a kingdom of gold or command armies. Instead, He walked as the ultimate servant, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. He wore RIGHTEOUSNESS as His garment and love as His weapon. He destroyed death by embracing it and conquered sin by bearing it on His shoulders.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:5-8

What Jesus offers us is not a sanitized, comfortable version of faith. It’s not about attending services or collecting Bible knowledge to build our own platforms of importance. His invitation is to die to ourselves so that His life can live through us. It’s a call to live IN CHRIST, to be fully consumed by His presence, His power, and His peace.

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24

This is the scandal of the Gospel - That the King of Kings chose the path of humility, surrender, and sacrifice to become a truth-telling foot-washer and He said, “Follow Me!”. Jesus invites us to follow Him by first laying down our own ambitions, dreams, and standards. To truly live IN CHRIST means letting go of the illusion of control and stepping into the freedom of His grace.

“For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9

The power of being IN CHRIST is the power of resurrection leading to transformation. It is to be filled with His Spirit, to walk in His light, to love with His love. It is to be set free from the slavery of self and the world’s standards and to walk boldly in the assurance that His righteousness has made us clean. We go through all of this so that we can love our enemies, LIKE JESUS DID AND DOES!

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20

It is the life where we no longer judge ourselves by the standards of this world but receive the standard of Jesus Christ. His standard becomes our standard. His life becomes our life. His victory becomes our victory. His righteousness becomes our righteousness. All this we get by BELIEVING and RECEIVING His Goodness by Grace.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18

The way forward is simple but not easy. It begins with absolute humility and surrender, but not yours, His. We must be transformed into His image, or we can’t do anything. We must be totally and completely dependent on God’s Grace.

"Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13

God’s Grace thrives through intimacy with the One who made us, saved us, and calls us His own. As we live IN CHRIST, we receive all that Jesus came to give us. Not just salvation from sin but transformation into His very image. This is the life we are called to. A life that begins and ends in Jesus Christ. The only true life.

Saving of the Soul

Here is the truth, raw and radiant: Jesus—the King who owned nothing but a seamless tunic, who borrowed donkeys, tombs, and some bread—came to rewrite the story of what it means to LIVE IN CHRIST. He walked among us not as a conqueror of empires but as a servant of the broken, a friend to the forgotten, a Lamb who let His blood become the ink of our redemption.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant… He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” Philippians 2:5-8

King Jesus was despised, rejected, crucified as a failure—yet in that surrender, He shattered death’s grip and rewired eternity. His Kingdom isn’t built on wealth, reputation, or power, but on piercings and scars.

“The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” Matthew 8:20

On love that dies to live, and on Grace that gives everything and demands NOTHING to receive it. This is the scandal: the most successful and the most capable Human to ever life in existence chose poverty, shame, and a cross to prove that true power is found in humility, surrender, obedience, and love.

“He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5

Yet here we are—His bride, the church—often parading a cheap counterfeit of His glory. We’ve built our own kingdoms, baptized our greed, and called it “blessing.” We’ve traded the cross for comfort, the Word for wealth, and the pursuit of holiness for the idol of respectability.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” Matthew 28:18

We judge, we hoard, we perform—all while clinging to the very systems Jesus died to destroy. We are modern Pharisees, whitewashed tombs full of dead men’s bones, mistaking moralism for Messiah, charity for Christlikeness.

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich” 2 Corinthians 8:9

We’ve reduced the Lion of Judah to a lapdog who exists to endorse our dreams, protect our portfolios, and condemn those we fear. This is not discipleship. This is treason.

“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions” Luke 14:33

But listen—the King still speaks. His call is not to condemnation, but to coronation. “Come out of Babylon,” He whispers. “Leave your self-made thrones. Repent—not in shame, but in wild hope.”

“But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction” 1 Timothy 6:9-10

His blood still flows. His grave is still empty. His invitation is urgent: “Own nothing. Borrow everything. Follow Me.” To the carnal Christian clinging to reputation, He says: “I traded heaven’s applause for your heart—will you trade your pride for My peace?”

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” Matthew 23:27-28

To the weary performer, He roars: “Stop building your empire. Mine is unshakable.” This is the gospel: you don’t have to fix yourself, fund yourself, or defend yourself. You only have to die. To collapse into His grace.

“Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” Revelation 3:17

To let His fire burn away the dross of self until all that remains is a heart that beats “Yes, King.” The road is narrow, the cross is heavy—but His yoke is easy. Rise now. Walk away from the mirage. The real Kingdom, the true Feast, the unending Life awaits. He awaits.

Portrait of the Modern "Carnal Christian" - A Tragic Parody of Faith

He sits in a polished pew, Bible app open on his iPhone, leather-bound journal filled with sermon notes that never pierce his soul. She posts #Blessed captions over latte art, her Instagram feed a curated gallery of mission trips, worship concerts, and verses about abundance—all framed by designer sunglasses and a luxury SUV.

They are the “successful” Christians: respected, charitable, well-dressed. Their faith is a hybrid of American Dream ethics and cherry-picked Scripture. They love the idea of Jesus—but not the Jesus who demands their death.

The Deep Dive - Anatomy of a Self-Made Saint

The Altar of Self

Self-Seeker - Faith is a transaction. Prayers are wish lists—bless my business, heal my body, protect my kids—as if God exists to endorse their ambitions. Jesus is a divine concierge, not a Lord.

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." Matthew 6:7-8

Self-Promoting - Ministry is a résumé-builder. They serve on church boards, lead small groups, and donate just enough to be seen. Their generosity is a tax write-off and a social flex.

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” Matthew 6:2

Self-Preserving - Safety is sacred. They avoid the messy, the broken, the “sinful”—no time for addicts, immigrants, or political enemies. “Wisdom” means guarding their comfort

“And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” Luke 10:31-32

The Prosperity Gospel of Reputation

Image Over Integrity - They preach holiness but worship respectability. Purity culture, political tribalism, and “biblical values” are tools to shame others, not sanctify themselves

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” Matthew 23:27-28

Wealth as Righteousness - Tithing is a slot machine—“sow your seed!” (Malachi 3:10, twisted). Poverty is seen as a curse, not a context for God’s grace (James 2:1-5). Their faith is a hedge fund, not a cross.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the L ord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows." Malachi 3:10

Judgment as Armor - They weaponize “discernment” to condemn those who threaten their worldview—LGBTQ+ individuals, liberals, the poor. Their love is conditional, their mercy selective, instead of loving their enemies.

“And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!” I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.’” Luke 18:9-14

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