I believe the Lord’s purpose for this article isn’t information transfer – not even to teach us something new. I sense we are searching out what Christ has become for us to simply meditate on that reality and to reckon it so (Romans 6:11), in the hope of understanding, receiving, and experiencing the mystery of “Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).” As Oswald Chambers asks, “You may know all about the doctrine of sanctification,” Oswald Chambers asks, “but are you putting it to work in the practical issues of life?” The same question, he’d likely say, applies to wisdom, righteousness, and redemption.
So, let’s turn from our heads to our hearts, and see what faith and grace God has for us.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption – that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Here we have four graces – wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption – that the Messiah Jesus became for us. Most commentators generally note this to mean that Christ is everything the believer needs for salvation; that we do not look to ourselves, but to Him. The Spiritual Fathers and other Christian mystics would go further, arguing that this passage is another way of saying, “It is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me… (Galatians 2:20).”
There’s no questioning the truth of either position, but both seem too abstract to apply practically. What do these truths mean and imply for our daily lives? How do we experience the reality of the passage as our own? And, is it possible to use this passage to explain the mystery of “Christ in you” in simple, applicable terms?
Here’s something I’ve begun writing in my journal every day:
Jesus Christ has become for us the wisdom of God, righteousness before God, sanctification for usefulness by God, and redemption from and to God for our continuing salvation. We acquire and exercise these graces by faith and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. They are not produced, but are the character and expression of the life of Jesus Christ within us. Jesus is for us all that God offers and would have us be.
This helps me reckon the truth, but it’s still too abstract and mysterious to put into practice. Hoping others have wrestled this down to the practical, I started searching out the matter. Here are a couple of perspectives:
Augustine wrestled with this very verse in On the Trinity. He asks a pointed question: If Christ is called the wisdom of God, does that mean the Father has no wisdom apart from the Son? No, he answers – wisdom belongs to Father, Son, and Spirit alike. Christ is called our wisdom, specifically, because He took the form of a servant and was made in our likeness (Philippians 2:6-7), so that we might be conformed to His image and be made wise in Him. In his own words: “the Son was made for us by God wisdom and justice and sanctification.”
Accepting Augustine’s perspective on wisdom, one can easily understand the same for righteousness and sanctification. Redemption – the payment for someone’s release – seems more specific to Jesus than shared with the Father and Spirit alike. However, searching out the matter of redemption more fully reveals some profound: God the Father is the initiator, planner, and giver of the plan of redemption – choosing, calling, and sending the Son to accomplish salvation, while the Holy Spirit applies redemption by making the benefits of Christ’s finished work effective in the lives of believers, bringing new life, faith, and ongoing transformation.
Dallas Willard makes the same turn, from doctrine to disposition. These four graces, he insists, are not achievements we produce but a transformation that happens as “each essential dimension of the human being is transformed to Christlikeness under the direction of a regenerate will interacting with constant overtures of grace from God.” Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are not information to master – they’re a reality into which Christians are transformed.
I hope and pray this speaks to you, perhaps even a word for faith (Romans 10:17). Remember, we are not looking for more information, but opportunities to prayerfully consider what Christ has become for us. Here’s some questions that may help (suggestion: don’t just ask yourself, but the Holy Spirit and others):
- What does it mean to have these graces? What do they afford a Christian?
- Assuming we “grow into” each of these by faith and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit: How do we incorporate them into our lives? Is there anything we can do deliberately to acquire/receive a greater measure of them (e.g., a discipline)?
- Faith not being passive, how do we actively exercise these graces each day? What is our part in bringing them to bear in the world (i.e., practicing them)?
- How do we speak with God about them?
This seems like a good place to pause. I am still searching this out myself, through dialogue with others and further research. So far, the searching has been fruitful. It would help me and others if you would share your thoughts, anything you are hearing from the Lord, and whatever answers you want to give to the questions above. The Good Lord willing, we will follow this up with more practical advice for understanding, receiving, and experiencing God’s wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
In the meantime, God bless your searching and reckoning – that Jesus might be in you what He has become for us.
Have a strong day in the Lord,
Rob
#iamjustthepen
Chambers, O. (1992). My Utmost for His Highest. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House.
St. Augustine. (2014). On the Trinity, Book VII. Pickerington, OH; Beloved Publishing.
Willard, D. (2002). Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress.n