God as the Life of the Body 711
advance further to do so in their mortal flesh. The distinction is far-
reaching. When Christians fall ill many are truly obedient and patient
and voice no complaint or anxiety. They sense the presence of the
Lord and exhibit His virtues in their countenance, speech, and act.
Through the Holy Spirit they genuinely manifest the life of Christ in
their bodies. Nevertheless, they do not appreciate the healing power
of the Lord Jesus nor have they heard that His life is also for their
lowly bodies. They fail to exercise faith for the healing of their
bodies as they previously did for the cleansing of their sins and the
quickening of their dead spirits. They are therefore powerless to
manifest the e of Jesus in their mortal flesh. They receive grace to
endure pain but do not receive healing. Verse 10 they have
experienced, yet verse 11 goes untried.
How does God heal us and strengthen us? By the life of Jesus.
This is most significant. When our mortal flesh is revitalized the
nature of our body is not changed to immortality—it remains the
same. The life which supplies the vitality to this body, however, is
changed. Whereas in days past we lived by the power of our natural
life, now we live by the energy of that supernatural life of Christ.
Because His resurrection power is sustaining our body, we are
empowered to perform our appointed tasks.
The Apostle did not suggest that once having lived by the Lord he
would never again be weak. Not at all, for whenever the power of
Christ did not cure him he would be as weak as ever. We can forfeit
the manifestation of the life of the Lord Jesus in our bodies through
neglect, independence, or sin. Sometimes we may be weakened
through the attack of the powers of darkness against whom we have
boldly advanced. Or we may suffer affliction for the sake of Christ’s
body if we are deeply involved with it. But only in the life of deeply
spiritual persons do both of these occur. In an case, we are certain
that, weak though we may yet be, God’s will is never for us to be
invalids unable to work for Him. The Apostle Paul was often weak,
but never did God’s work suffer because of his weakness. We