Two Critical Perspectives
Our perspectives shape the way that we think about the Christian life. We may not readily verbalize these perspectives, but they will greatly influence the growth of our relationship with Christ. They also affect what we pass on to those we seek to disciple.
Consider two critical perspectives for a believer: I have Christ, and Christ has me. Both are Biblical—they frame how we view our relationship with Christ. If we major on one and minimize the other, we will miss out on the things that God has intended for us.
“I HAVE CHRIST”
When we put our faith in Christ and began to experience His presence, we became aware that our lives would never be the same again. It sunk in that “I have Christ” – this Jesus who died for me, loves me, answers prayer, strengthens me, guides and convicts me. We received so much when we got Jesus. We saw it in verses like:
Ephesians 1:3 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, (NASB)
2 Peter 1:2-3 – Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (NASB)
Ephesians 2:4-7 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NASB)
At the moment of salvation, the blessings of heaven became ours, including love, redemption, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. God granted to us everything that we need to live holy lives as we follow Jesus. He made us alive in Christ so that He could shower His super abundant grace upon us for ages to come! We have Christ, and because of it we have been blessed beyond comprehension.
Each of us could fill several pages with our personal account of all that God has done, from His saving love to access to His throne to His fatherly discipline. It doesn’t take long to see life through the perspective “I have Christ.” We praise God for it, we count on it, we claim it through difficult circumstances and we tell our friends about it.
The perspective “I have Christ” should give us security, hope and gratitude. It should also activate a second perspective in how we view our relationship with God.
“CHRIST HAS ME”
You may think, “Of course Christ has me. When I put my trust in Christ, I gave my life to Him.” We have to look at the implications of belonging to Christ. There is something that God wants from us.
Consider these passages:
Colossians 1:13-14 – For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (NASB)
1 Peter 2:9 – But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (NASB)
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (NASB)
The general sense we can have of salvation is often limited to genuine repentance, accepting Christ and a new set of beliefs. But it is far more than that—we were plucked from Satan’s domain and transferred to Christ’s kingdom. New address, new allegiance, new identity, new purpose. Christ has me.
We became part of a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession. The wording that Peter uses means a purchased possession, for God Himself. God not only changed things in us, He intended to do His work through us. We not only joined the family, we joined the family business. He even gave us priestly duties.
If my perspective is limited to “I have Christ,” I end up living for me. I may revel in all that He does for me and miss what He desires to do through me. The perspective “Christ has me” includes my role as a servant in His kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 merges the two perspectives. The love of Christ refers to the unconditional love that Christ has for us. It is the basis of His unfathomable grace toward us. Paul takes it a step further, concluding that Christ’s love for us should prompt us to live for Him, not ourselves—Christ has me.
The “Christ has me” perspective echoes through the Scriptures: Luke 9:57-62; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 2:11.
THE IMPORTANCE OF “CHRIST HAS ME”
Our perspective affects how we view God, life and circumstances. For instance, each of the two perspectives has a different affect on our prayer life and Bible study. How would you answer the following questions?
What do you pray about when your primary perspective is “I have Christ?”
What do you pray about when your primary perspective is “Christ has me?”
Which perspective dominates your prayer time when you are in the midst of difficulty?
What do you look for in the Scriptures when your dominant perspective is “I have Christ?
What do you look for in the Scriptures when your dominant perspective is “Christ has me?”
When we keep “Christ has me” firmly connected to “I have Christ,” we see more clearly that much of what God does for us is meant to equip us to serve Him. All that Christ has done for us was meant to enrich both our lives and the lives of those around us.
Minimizing the “Christ has me” perspective is to our detriment. Without it, we will get stuck on getting rather than giving in this life. We will miss discovering God’s purpose for our life, which usually involves representing Him in some way, place or time on earth.
MAINTAIN BOTH PERSPECTIVES
How do we keep the two perspectives in balance? It begins with Jesus’ word to His disciples—
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal. “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. John 12:24-26 (NASB)
Jesus says real life begins by dying to self, by setting aside my demands, my wants and my preferences. Dying to self is choosing to make His purpose and plans the priority of my life. After all, Christ has me.