Living In Him

 Acts 17:22-28; John 14:15-21

In Acts17 Paul is addressing an audience by an altar inscribed “To an Unknown god.” Paul rectifies this by telling them of the true God not made by hands who you don’t need to worship in shrines made by humans. He gives a spiel about the one true God, our creator, life giver, and Lord of all nations who is near us and available for those who search for God. Paul then delivers a powerful statement quoting an unknown source, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Many interpret this as God giving us life since we are God’s offspring – yet I see a spiritual life given to us through the Spirit of God that lives within us.

The Holy Spirit is the one Jesus promised in our John passage. The Spirit of truth, and our advocate will be us, abiding within us. Jesus didn’t leave them orphaned but gave them and gives us one part of the Trinity. Because Christ will be resurrected and will live, we will also live. Jesus says he is in my Father and you – us – in him. Christ is in us through the Holy Spirit.

This puts a whole new emphasis on how in Christ we live, move, and have our being. This is how the new Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit can by their living and their doing grow to match the image of God we were created in but have marred due to sin. But through Christ’s death on the cross we can become children of God. With the Holy Spirit within us we can keep the commandments and our lives and deeds can help bring the kingdom of God.

Let us acknowledge this advocate, comforter, and helper within and allow this Holy Spirit to live fully in us and in the way we will live in Him.

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