A Jab

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. Galations 2:20

These days there is a great deal of talk about vaccines. Many of us anxiously await the opportunity to receive an injection against COVID‑19, or as our friends in Britain say, “a jab.” While some of the Coronavirus vaccines use new technology, traditional vaccines protect us by delivering a small bit of the virus. That small bit of virus helps our body develop immunity against the illness.

A few years ago, I heard Rich Stearns suggest that this was how the gospel has worked in our culture. Many of us have been exposed to a small, weakened version of Christianity, making us all but immune to the real thing. We have been given a small Christian inoculation instead of the all‑encompassing experience of being crucified with Christ and living a life fully devoted to the restoration of all things.

Paul described what it meant to live your whole life in devotion to the gospel. For Paul, the gospel was not just a small part of his life or an hour on the Sabbath. It was his whole life. In fact, in his way of thinking, he was no longer really living his own life. Instead, he was living as Christ would live in his body. He was living a fully committed life in response to the sacrifice of Christ. Paul knew that following Jesus had transformed his life and could transform the world. This way of living led to the spread of the “virus” of Christianity throughout the Roman world.

What about us? Are we living that fully devoted, contagious life of faith, or are we settling for a small Christian inoculation? As we patiently wait for our jab, let’s live our life in Christ with urgency and passion.

Reflection

Do you view faith as a small part of your life or the focus of your life?
In what ways might Christ live through you in this day ahead?

Prayer

Lord, forgive us for how we have only given a small part of our life to You. Give us the grace to know that giving our life away to You isn’t a loss but is in fact great gain. In the days ahead, fill us with Your Spirit and use us to see what You see, to speak as You would speak, to act as You would act, and to live the abundant life that You have given us. Amen.