Having a proper Christian mindset includes living by the glorious truth of Christ’s loving me and giving Himself for me:
Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
As important as believing that Christ loved me and gave Himself for me as an individual Christian is, having a proper Christian mindset requires that I also give full importance to a closely related truth:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Paul teaches in this verse that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it.
As an individual Christian, I am part of the Church, but I am not the totality of the Church. Ephesians 5:25, therefore, teaches me that Christ loved an entity that includes me but is far bigger than I am. It teaches me that Christ died for something that is far bigger than I am as an individual Christian.
Because Christ loves the Church and because He gave Himself for it, I must always be mindful to treat those who are His Church in light of these glorious realities.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
