What Jesus Says About the Exchanged
Life
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live... 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.
Galatians 2:20
Mark Twain, in his imaginative novel, "The Prince and the Pauper," tells the story of two boys of the same age and identical in appearance — one a prince and heir to the royal throne, the other an unfortunate and abused pauper.
By a coincidence, they are brought together and decide to change places with each other, the prince putting on the rags of the pauper and the pauper donning the royal garb of the prince. The story continues by telling the adventures and experiences of each boy as he lives an exchanged life — each taking the place of the other.
This is an imaginative tale, but it serves as a springboard to a solid and substantial fact far more radical and revolutionary in its ramifications than the story of the Prince and the Pauper. This fact is the exchanged life we can have in Jesus Christ, who will take our place in the world and let us take His.
Page 165
In this drama of life, the contrasts are even more extreme than in Mark Twain's story. The Prince before whom we stand is the Son of God, the Lord of Glory. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom. His character is one of perfection, holiness, and love. We stand before Him less than paupers, for we are destitute and impoverished in spirit, transgressors of the law of His Kingdom, and rebels against His rule. Yet, He will exchange places with us.
The glad note of the gospel message in its essence is simply that God, in Christ, has taken our place, entered into all our suffering and sorrow, born with our willfulness and waywardness, and died our death for us. He bore all the consequences of our sin before the holiness of God. Then, having taken our place among men, He offers us His place before the Father — imputing to us His righteousness, sharing with us His life, lifting us to His eternal throne and the Father's infinite love.
Who can fully grasp the exultant witness of the Apostle Paul? "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me..." (Gal. 2:20). To the Apostle, this was the most glorious manifestation of God's grace in his experience. He had fought the cause of Christ. He had persecuted followers of the Way and had resisted the light. He had hated Jesus. Then, the living Lord appeared to him on the Damascus Road. He fell prostrate in the dust expecting the wrath of judgment, but instead he learned that this same Jesus had forgiven him and established him before God in the position of a son. Paul could express his wonder in no other way, "...who loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). I bring myself to Christ, my sinful self, my weakness, my failure, my unworthiness. I come as I am. He takes me and gives me Himself, all that He is and all that He has.
Page 166
This amazing offer of an exchanged life involves more than the forgiveness of the past or the promise of the future. It also involves the present. It is not too difficult to trust the past to Christ or to rely on Him for eternal life in the future. But the present, with its discouragements and defeats, may prove more difficult. Yet the exchange which is offered us is a present exchange. These words of the text are in the present tense and one may paraphrase them: "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" (Gal. 2:20). This is a contemporary thing.
Surely it is reasonable that God should offer His provision for today as well as for yesterday and tomorrow. In Jesus Christ, He not only saves us from the sins that are past, but from the sins that are present, not only from the circumstances which shall be with us tomorrow, but from the circumstances which confront us today. Dr. Thomas Chalmers, the Scottish preacher and theologian of the last century, writes, "The cross of Christ by the same mighty and decisive stroke whereby it moves the curse of sin away from us, surely moves the power of it from over us." Or this word of Scripture, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32). God's love is of such a nature that He did not stop until He gave Himself to die our death. Will He, then, not help us to live His life? Christ offers to exchange lives with us today, to take our worry and weakness and give us His peace and power. He asks, "Would you not like to exchange places with Me? I will take you in your brokenness and defeat and move in to live My life through you." We turn to look at Him in wonder. "Lord, is this really possible? How may it be done?" He
Page 167
seems to come closer. "You know that you cannot live the Christian life by yourself, '...Without me, ye can do nothing' " (John 15:5). Have you not found how helpless you are to be truly humble, loving, and spiritual? Even the full measure of your desire, determination, and self-discipline is not enough. He must live His life in you. It takes a little time for a Christian to learn that without Christ He can do nothing, yet it is a most important lesson to learn. Until we see our helplessness, there is little Christ can do to live His life in us, but when at last we face our inability and give Christ freedom to operate in us, He will exchange places with us.
An exchange always involves a movement in two directions. I give something and I receive something. In this case, I give myself to God and I receive from God the Spirit of Christ to live in me. The first step we might call surrender, commitment of life, or abandonment to God. The second step we might call appropriation, dependence, or trust in God.
First then, in an exchanged life we must give ourselves wholly and without reservation to God. Consider the way a potter shapes clay into a vessel. The part of the clay is simply to be pliable in the hands of the potter while his skillful fingers shape the clay into his design. The lump of clay cannot shape itself. It may lie in a clay-pit for a thousand years, but it will never be anything but a shapeless mass. In the hands of the potter, it soon becomes an object of utility and beauty.
As Christians, we are simply to place our lives in the hands of the Divine Potter and let Him mold us according to His pattern and purpose. There is only one question to be raised here. Do we really desire to be shaped in Christ's likeness? Do we really want His kind of life? If we do, let us put ourselves
Page 168
wholly in God's hands and authorize Him to shape us according to His plan and purpose.
To change the figure, an automobile should have only one driver. This is the only safe way to drive. If we want God to take our lives out on the highway of His will, then we must slip from behind the wheel and say, "Lord, take over." One reason our consecration has been so fruitless is that we have kept certain areas under our own control. We have kept a hand on the wheel — or at least a finger — and He does not have full liberty to direct and guide. Do you really want Christ to drive? Very well, turn the controls over to Him in an act of intelligent consecration. Take your hands completely off the wheel. Then relax, trust Him, respond to His direction. Don't be a back-seat driver. He is quite competent.
A Christian was seeking to explain the simplicity of a surrendered life to his friend, a physician in charge of a hospital. "Doctor," he said, "suppose a young man should say to you, 'I would like to have you cure my illness.' As you began to talk with him, you found that he was unwilling to tell you all the symptoms of his illness. Moreover, he refused to take the remedy that you offered but said, 'Very frankly, doctor, I will follow your advice in matters of which I approve, but in other matters I will make my own decisions.' Now what would you do with a case like that?" The doctor, somewhat bemused, said, "I would have nothing to do with a man like that. I could only help a patient who would put his whole case in my hands without reserve and who would implicitly follow my instructions." His friend answered, "That is what I mean by surrender. Will you put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ? Will you trust the Great Physician and follow His instructions?" The wise doctor said, "I will."
Page 169
Does the thought of giving yourself to another bring fear to your heart? To whom are you giving your life? To God — to His Son, Jesus Christ! Are you taking such a big risk? Remember, He loves you and will continue to love you. His plan for your life is a perfect plan. He is the only One wise enough, good enough, and strong enough to give joy and victory. Why are you afraid to trust Jesus? But you say, "I have done that again and again and nothing ever happens. I have knelt by my bed more than once and said, 'Lord, take my life.' I really meant it, but I did not receive deliverance."
In order to bestow a gift upon another, it is necessary to believe that the person to whom it is given will take possession of it. In other words, giving our lives away to God involves an act of faith as well as dedication.
Let us imagine that you desire to give away some property. This may be highly imaginative, but at least we may use it for the sake of illustration. It is not possible to wrap up a house and lot and place them in the arms of a friend. You must make that transfer of property by an act of faith. A title deed is made out describing the property, designating the name of the friend, and affixed with your signature. Your friend takes the title deed, places it in his pocket and gratefully walks away. Suppose that next day, you wonder, "Did I really give that property away? Does my friend know that it is now his?" So, you make out another title deed, rush to your friend and exclaim, "I want to give this property to you." "But," his friend says, "you gave it to me yesterday." "Yes, I know," you answer, "but I'm not sure if you really know that you have it. Here it is again." If this is repeated, your friend will question either your sanity or the genuineness of the gift. Yet here we are,
Page 170
giving our lives to Jesus Christ over and over again and never having assurance that we truly belong to Him.
This offer of my life is concluded by the acceptance of a fact — that my life now belongs to Christ. I rise from the transaction and view myself from a new aspect. I am no longer my own. I belong to God. I am His man, His woman. My time is no longer mine. I am His to use. I go to the office or the shop. It is not my business. It is not my shop. It is not my home. It is His. I now pray, "Lord, order this business as you desire. My talents and abilities are yours, to be used for your glory." I look at my family and friends. They are now God's too, held in a sacred trust for His love and purpose. I no longer own any property, nor do I have a bank account in my name alone. My substance is His. This is the foundation of Christian stewardship.
To give one tenth, the tithe of our income, to the church is more than generosity. It is a matter of integrity. All that we have belongs to God, and, as Christians, all that we have should be dedicated to Christ. Tithing does not mean that I give one tenth to God and keep nine tenths. Not at all. I give God one tenth for the work of His Kingdom, indicating that I recognize His ownership of the whole. This is simply the interest on His capital investment. The matter of stewardship of money is basic to spiritual success. If we are not trustworthy in small things, God cannot trust us with larger things. But once the transaction has been made, let us orient ourselves to the fact and know that it has been accepted. I am henceforth no longer my own. As the Apostle Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ..." and I myself am no longer living. Giving yourself away, then, is the first step.
The second step in the exchanged life is acceptance, my ap-
Page 171
propriation of Jesus Christ for every need. The movement of the exchange is in two directions. I give myself away and believe He takes me. Then I receive from Him what He offers me of Himself. "...the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God..." (Gal. 2:20). This word may be translated either "I am living in the Son of God" or "I am living by the faithfulness of the Son of God." I prefer the latter translation. It is not the quantity of faith that counts, but its object, not the strength of one's faith, but the certainty of God's faithfulness. I cannot live by my own fickle feeling, but I can live by His faithfulness, trusting Him to live His life in me.
Recently I had an appointment to meet some friends at a football game. I was unavoidably delayed. As I was rushing up the hill to the stadium, I heard the roar of the crowd, announcing the kick-off. Someone touched my elbow as I pushed toward the ticket window. I turned and saw a man with a ticket in his hand. He smiled and said, "Would you like a ticket to the game?" I hesitated, wondering if he was trying to "scalp" the ticket or perhaps to sell it at a discount. He saw my hesitation and volunteered, "Go ahead. I want to give it to you. I can't make the game myself, and it will feel good to know that you are enjoying it for me." I'm afraid I stood wide-eyed in amazement. Something like this doesn't happen very often. I was aware of a shadow of disappointment on the man's face. He was hoping to see a response of real pleasure and gratitude. Instead, he was looking at a strange, immobile person who was unwilling to take the ticket from him. When I recognized the genuineness of his offer, I clasped his hand and said warmly, "Thanks a lot. This is wonderful!" And we
Page 172
both went on our way rejoicing. I had to accept that ticket by faith in another.
Jesus Christ offers to live His life in you, but He cannot do it until you trust Him enough to give Him the chance. He will exchange lives with you, but He must have your acceptance.
The same is true with love. In order to be received, love must be believed. You may be loved lavishly by another, but that love will not be yours until you believe that it is yours and receive it. Suppose a suitor proposes, saying, "Darling, I love you with all my heart." The girl queries, "Do you really love me?" "Yes" he avows, "I truly love you." "Truly, do you love me?" she keeps on asking, but what more can he do? To be known, love must be trusted and received.
God loves you. Jesus Christ loves you. He gave Himself for you. God loves every creature in His universe, but His love cannot be known until His creature — man, for whom He gave Himself — believes and receives the gift of His love. When this truth is accepted and appropriated, the exchanged life begins.
