20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Our relationship with God—the most important aspect of our lives—affects greatly what we hear when we pray and listen. The only message an unbeliever will ever hear from God is that he is a sinner who needs Jesus as his Savior. Until that person knows Christ as his personal Messiah, he will not hear God speak on any subject other than salvation.
In the life of a believer, that speaker/hearer relationship has two main features.
First, we are saved. When by faith we receive Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, the Bible says we are born again. God takes us from the kingdom of darkness and places us into the kingdom of light. We become children of God. Our salvation experience begins our relationship with him.
Jesus is now my personal, faithful and merciful high priest. He is my Father with whom I enjoy intimate communication.
I no longer have to stand on the perimeter, squinting into the distance for a glimpse of his presence. Jesus has paid the price of my relationship with God through his shed blood, so that now I am a full member of his own family, sitting daily before him, totally secure in my relationship with him.
Second, we are identified with him. Our salvation takes care of our eternal security, while our identification takes care of our daily walk of victory. By identification, I mean that Christ’s life is now mine and mine is his. “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”. What happened to Christ at Calvary also happened to me. Christ was crucified; I was crucified. Christ was buried; I was buried. Christ was raised; I was raised.
Through my identification with him, I come gladly and boldly, knowing that I am accepted, not by my behavior, but because of my belief in him and in what he has already accomplished. Thus I can approach him with confidence and great assurance.
