New wine in new bottles 3
His work. This is
the meaning of grace. We cannot produce the life of
Jesus – even if we try for a lifetime. But if we bear
in our body “the dying of Jesus” (the taking up of
the cross each day, the dying to our ego, our selfwill and our rights and reputation), God promises
to produce the new wine of the life of Jesus in us
(2 Corinthians 4:10).
We are to run this race looking unto Jesus,
comparing ourselves with Him alone, all the time.
Thus alone will there be a constant cry from our
hearts, “O wretched man that I am” – for we shall be
constantly aware of how unlike Jesus we are, even
when we have come to a life of victory over conscious
sin. “Those who compare themselves with other
believers are spiritual idiots” (2 Corinthians 10:12)
for that is the surest way to spiritual pride and a
hundred-and-one other evils. We can never be in
danger of spiritual pride as long as our eyes are
fixed on Jesus and we compare ourselves with Him
constantly. The Holy Spirit shows us the glory of
Jesus in the mirror of God’s word and then only can
He conform us to that likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Paul said that he had only one goal that he pressed
on towards – not the conversion of the lost, but “the
upward call of God (to become like) Christ Jesus”
(Philippians 3:13, 14). And then he said, “Let us who
are perfect (in our conscience, living in victory over
conscious sin) have this same attitude (of pressing
on towards total perfection, total likeness to Jesus)”
(Philippians 3:15). This is the mark of the spiritually
mature Christian.