More Than Adding or Submitting: Jesus Gives Us His Life

 Two days ago, the pastor at my church shared a statement about the role that Jesus is supposed to play in our lives.

"Some of us want to add Jesus to our lives. We see people saying things like: 'Oh, let's bring our kids to the local church. We want them to learn good moral values on how to live.'"

"But Jesus is not someone you add to your life. You need to surrender your life to Him. You need to submit your life to Him!"

But even here, this is wrong, too.

Jesus said to the Israelites of His day, and this promise resonates with all of us:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

Jesus didn't just come to make our lives better, or show us how to live.

He came to give us life! 

We therefore have to accept the corrollary before this, that we don't have life on our own:

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5:14)

and

"1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." (Ephesians 2:1-3)

We were dead, and Jesus brings us to life!

We do not submit our lives to Jesus, we submit so that Jesus can give us His life!

"Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." (John 14:19)

The Gospel is about so much more than adding something to our lives, or submitting our lives to Jesus: He is our Life! (Colossians 3:4)