When I was duped in the Lordship salvation camp several years ago, the idiom was something to the effect that Christ is not about fire insurance but about savoring Christ more and more; by which the idiom meant believing in Christ alone entails more than being saved from the wrath to come. However much this idiom is spoken by people it is a confused idiom. It confuses the Law and Gospel. It mingles the Christ for us with the Christ in us. The Christ for us made himself a curse that we might be the righteousness of God by imputation (Galatians 3:13), the Christ for us died to deliver us from the curse (Galatians 1:4), and so was made sin for us (2 Cor 5:15);
However, the christ in us who walks in our midst (2 Cor 6:16), who reveals his son in us (Galatians 1:16) - imperfectly, who lives in us (Galatians 2:20), who helps us in our weaknesses- Romans 8:26, dwelling richly in us and not by measure - 1 John 4:12, works in us to will and do Phil 2:13.
However we need first the Christ who laid down his life for us (1 John 3:16) before we can get the Christ who works in us.
The one Christ for us died for our sins so that by faith passively we are justified and declared righteous, the Christ in us is to show our thankfulness and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
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