Eternal life. Man is the dust of the ground. He is animated by flesh-and-blood life—energy that comes from the burning of oxygen.

In Christ is Life! In fact, Jesus Himself is the Resurrection and the Life. Christ Himself is our Resurrection. He Himself is our Life.

The Old Testament views life principally as adamic life. Keeping the Law of Moses brought long (adamic) life, health, and prosperity to the righteous.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the New Testament is the emphasis on eternal, Divine Life rather than adamic life. From the beginning of His ministry the Lord Jesus preached that He Himself is eternal Life, the Bread of Life, the Life that is the Presence of God. This emphasis is not found in the Old Testament.

Paul pointed out that we must set righteousness and the resulting eternal life as our goals. Both righteousness and eternal life are Christ. To know Him, to be in union with Him, is to possess righteousness and eternal life—not a legally ascribed righteousness and the promise that we will be conscious for eternity, but a righteous nature that is in union with the Divine Life of the Godhead.

Mental confusion arises when we declare that Christ is our righteousness. Imputed righteousness has been stressed to the point that when the statement is made that Christ is our righteousness the hearer understands this to mean we have no righteousness of our own but are righteous because we are identified in God's sight with the righteous Christ.

The concept is that Christ tells the truth but we lie; Christ is pure morally but we fornicate; Christ is peaceful and patient while we are violent and impatient. However, because Christ is righteous in personality and behavior, we through identification with Him are righteous in personality and behavior.

Our lie is acceptable to God because Christ tells the truth. Our fornication is acceptable to God because Christ is morally pure. Our violence is righteousness in God's sight because Christ is peaceful. Our impatience is accepted of God because Christ is patient. This sometimes appears to be the viewpoint of current Christian theology.

Let us think about this for a moment. Is this what we truly believe? We know that Christ is our strength. Does this mean we continue in weakness but there is no problem because Christ is strong? Doesn't it mean rather that Christ gives us His strength so we actually are able to exert strength?

Christ is our resurrection and eternal life. Does this mean He has been raised and is filled with the Life of God while we continue in our adamic personality, but God considers us as resurrected and filled with His Life?

Are we to continue in our sinful, joyless, weak, violent state and then rejoice because Christ is holy, joyful, all-powerful, and the Prince of Peace? Or is it true that Christ imparts to us His purity, His strength, His joy, His peace until we are morally pure, strong, full of joy and eternal life?

Experienced Christians have learned that Christ indeed is our strength in that He imparts His strength to us when we need it. To those who have no might He increases strength. Isn't it the truth?

To be continued.