Grace is "Christ Being Our Everything VS Christ Doing Everything for Us"

 

Grace is "Christ Being Our Everything VS Christ Doing Everything for Us"

John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth."

John 1:16-17 "From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Romans 8:34 "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."

 

Comparison Items	Christ Being Our Everything	Christ Doing Everything for Us
Types	- Manna as food for Israel - Good land as Israel's inheritance - Temple as dwelling place for worship	- Bronze serpent for sin removal - Passover lamb for atonement - High priest for intercession
Significance	- Christ Himself becomes our life and everything - Christ as our practical enjoyment and experience - Christ as our inner essence and content	- Christ completing redemptive work for us - Christ accomplishing all our needs - Christ working for us externally
Distinctions	- Focuses on life indwelling and union - Emphasizes subjective experience and enjoyment - Stresses Christ as our life supply	- Focuses on work completion and effectiveness - Emphasizes objective achievements - Stresses Christ's service for us
Examples	- Christ is our life (Col. 3:4) - Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30) - Christ is our peace (Eph. 2:14)	- Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8) - Christ intercedes for us (Heb. 7:25) - Christ accomplished salvation for us (Heb. 2:10)
Applications	- Drawing upon Christ as life supply - Experiencing Christ as answer to all problems - Enjoying Christ as all-inclusive supply	- Trusting in Christ's completed work - Relying on Christ's present intercession - Receiving all Christ has accomplished for us
Relationship Between Both	1. Complementary: Christ's work for us enables Him to be our everything 2. Sequential: Christ first completes work for us, then becomes our everything 3. Internal-external cooperation: External work for internal enjoyment 4. Purposeful relationship: Christ's work for us aims at being our everything
Related Scriptures	- John 1:14,16-17 Grace came through Christ - Gal. 2:20 Christ lives in me - Col. 2:6-7 Walk in Christ - Phil. 1:21 To live is Christ	- 2 Cor. 5:21 Christ became sin for us - Heb. 9:24 Christ appears for us - Rom. 8:34 Christ intercedes for us - 1 Cor. 15:3 Christ died for our sins

 

These two aspects present a complete picture of God's grace: Christ being our everything emphasizes the indwelling of life and subjective experience, while Christ doing everything for us emphasizes redemptive work and objective accomplishment. These two aspects are complementary and inseparable, together constituting the believer's complete experience of grace.

 

*Please refer to the 2024 International Thanksgiving Conference

Message Five: Grace in Peter's Epistles - Living the Christian and Church Life under God's Government for God's Economy