We must believe to the extent that we become foolish. When we get on a bus, we should testify to people. Some will regard us as fools, but we must remember that Christ is the meaning of our human life and that we are the meaning of society. Without human beings, the universe has no meaning; without Christians, our communities have no meaning; and without Christ, Christians have no meaning. Hence, Christ is the meaning of the universe. The meaning of the universe lies in those Christians who have Christ operating in them.
BEING FILLED WITH CHRIST
Christ Being Revealed in Us
In Galatians 1:15-16 Paul said, “It pleased God…to reveal His Son in me.” Prior to his salvation Paul was zealous for religion, but he did not have Christ in him. Then one day he met God on the way to Damascus, and Christ came into him. Hence, in Galatians he testified that it pleased God to reveal His Son in him. We have Christ in us; therefore, we should rejoice and leap for joy. However, we should not merely have Christ within us but also let Christ fill us inwardly. Once we are filled with Christ, we will be beside ourselves whenever we speak of Him.
Christ Living in Us and Being Formed in Us
After Christ was revealed in him, Paul did not want to live himself. Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” Paul did not want to sin, but neither did he want the world, position, or money. He did not want religion or even his self, because he was crucified with [153] Christ, and it was no longer he who lived, but it was Christ who lived in him. Paul seemed to be saying, “Christ is not only my life; He is also my person. I am crucified and buried, and now it is He who lives in me.” In 4:19 Paul said that he travailed again in birth for the Galatians until Christ would be formed in them. In other words, Christ should not only be revealed in us but also be formed in us.
Walking according to the Spirit
How can Christ enter into us and be formed in us? In Galatians 5 Paul stresses the Holy Spirit. We may say that Paul turns to the Spirit. Verse 16 says, “Walk by the Spirit.” Then verse 25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” In these verses the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in chapter 5 is Christ in the previous chapters. First Corinthians 15:45 says, “The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.” Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the last Adam. He died and resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit. Hence, in 2 Corinthians 3:17 Paul says, “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Do you have freedom? The way we conduct ourselves says that we still do not have freedom. We still feel shy and self-conscious when we sing hymns in public. We are not thick-skinned and bold; instead, we are still afraid of many things. This shows that we are not free. We need to be freed. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Those who are truly free should be able to declare anywhere that Jesus is Lord. According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, when we are truly free, our face will be unveiled toward the Lord. An unveiled face means a face without any veils. Once our face is unveiled toward the Lord, we will behold His glory. As we behold His glory, we will also reflect His glory. Such beholding and reflecting will transform us into His image. If we are willing to let go of our face, be emboldened, and declare that Jesus is Lord, we will no longer have a long face. Not only so, our face will also be shining. We will be transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Being Conformed to the Image of God’s Son
When we are being transformed, the words in Genesis 1:26 and Romans 8:29 will be fulfilled. Genesis 1:26 says, “Let Us make man in Our image.” Romans 8:29 says, “Those whom He foreknew, He [154] also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son.” As long as we behold the Lord with an unveiled face, we will be transformed into His image. Christ is the Spirit. As we fellowship with Him and behold Him, we will be transformed into His image. We also will live out the meaning of human life in a real way and become the meaning of our society. In this way our society will be blessed by the Lord.