Life with God

By Tim Hunter

Recently, I’ve had a question on my mind. “If you had to summarize the whole Christian life in three words, what would you say?” However, this question drove me to think deeper about what the Christian experience is according to Scripture. So, upon thought, I would answer: “Life with God”. And I would like to tell you why. Perhaps the best way to show why I came to this conclusion would be to contrast it with two others: one false, and another that is true but often in our modern understanding misses the mark of the abundant life that Jesus truly bought for us on the cross. Often, people live their lives apart from God: this does not take much thinking to realize this would not be the summary of the Christian life. The second is, I think we often think of the Christian life as lived solely for God. While this is theologically true and accurate, I think we sell ourselves short when we cut our thinking short at that point. So, I would like to take a look at both of these approaches, and then hopefully point you to a more complete and beautiful understanding of the life the gospel provides us: life with God.

Life Apart from God
This is the state of man separated from God because of sin. This is the problem of man at its most basic: separation from God. It is into this that the life of Jesus came - he lived a life in total union with God. It is into this separation that the death of Jesus came - he bore our separation on the cross. It is into this void that the resurrection of Jesus came - He rose and proved Himself victorious over the cause of separation (sin) and the consequence of separation (death). Therefore, Jesus solves our ultimate problem - life lived, and ultimately eternity lived, apart from God. We must understand the tragedy of a life lived apart from God. He is the source of everything good - the author of life, love, and light. Jesus stands in the dark space of the apart life and joins the life-giving Father with death-infected mankind and offers to fix this problem. Ephesians 2:13 gloriously speaks of this, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Far-off to near. In light of the question we are considering we must realize that life lived apart from God does not have to be! And we must also realize that it is surely not the point of the Christian life. Now on to a more subtle issue with the way we think…

Life for God
I truly believe that most believers would think of their life as a Jesus follower could be summed up as “I’m doing it for God”. There is certainly much truth to this! (No need to send scripture references I acknowledge many verses use this language) However, the way I fear we often think when we think of life lived for God is that we are living in debt to God- almost as if we are repaying Him for His amazing grace with the life that we live in response. In a way, it’s like a kid who is playing baseball with the mindset of: “I can’t screw this up or my coach will be mad at me.”

Life With God
So, I want us to think of our problem before Christ and our life after Christ. Listen to the way that Scripture describes it: “ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” Did you catch it? The point of the Gospel is reconciliation! In layman’s terms, the point of the gospel is to bring you from a place apart from God to a life with God. So yes we live for God! We live for His glory, His kingdom! Yes and amen. However, let us not forget that the God that we live for has joined Himself to us. Again, listen to the beautiful language of scripture: “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (2 Corinthians 6:16) and “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you…” (Romans 8:11) Yes, our life is lived for God as a believer, but not just for God - because He is dwelling with us and enabling us to live the life we live. David Platt said it perfectly when he said, “You are not living in debt to Jesus, you are living in-dwelt by Jesus” So, it is into this that I invite you to live for God, with God.

Here’s the vision I get when I say “Life with God”: all of life lived consciously aware of the presence of God, all of life lived empowered by God, and all of life lived unto God. It is a kind of life lived in beautiful harmony with the creator of our souls - it’s the good life, the best life. It is a return to the garden - when God walked and talked with man in the cool of the garden. I truly believe that this is the vision Jesus had in mind when he gave his invitation, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take yoke upon you and learn from me, for I gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mathew 11:28-30) My friends, you don’t have to live your life apart from God - Jesus solved that. And yes live your life for God - but not out of mere obligation or duty. I invite you to step into the life that Jesus bought for you - life with God.