22. Jesus Lives inside of Me

The mystery of God is not the “Trinity,” how three equal and distinct beings can be one God. As Paul said, “There is one God, the Father.” The mystery of God, rather, is Symmorphy. How does God live inside of Jesus and Jesus inside of God?

Then, that mystery is extended out to include us. How does Jesus live inside of me even while I am living inside of Him? Then that same mystery increases. How does Jesus live inside of each one of us even while each one of us are living together inside of Jesus, yet no one ever gets confused?

A Great Mystery. As Paul said in Ephesians 5, “This is a great mystery, but I speak of Christ and the Church,” specifically that we share the same flesh together, that is, symmorphy. And in Colossians 1, he says, “The glory of this mystery among the ethnic peoples, which is Christ inside of you, the hope of glory.”

I simply used the word “secret” instead of mystery, the Greek, mysterios, and I used “Jesus” instead of “Christ.” – The Jesus Secret. Which, as we can now see, is symmorphy. Symmorphy is God’s way of entering into His creation.

Motive – Means – Opportunity. Let’s bring in two more lines regarding this mystery.

That their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together already inside of love, and into all the wealth of the full carrying of understanding into the acknowledgement, that is, the personal and stated knowledge of the mystery of God, which is Christ (Colossians 2:2). – Great is the mystery of godliness: “The One who was made visible inside of flesh…” (1 Timothy 3:16).

The motive – God seen and known. The means – Christ inside of you. The opportunity – the Church.

Through the Church. Finally, this line. – To cause all to see what is the stewardship of the mystery, having been kept secret from the ages inside of God, the One who created all. That mystery is that now, through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God might be known (Ephesians 3:9-10). Note that these lines are the beginning of Paul’s build-up to the largest statement in the universe. – That you might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Yet as clear as God’s motive, means, and opportunity are in Paul’s gospel, these things are unknown in Nicene Christianity. Why? Because of the aforementioned doctrine of “the Trinity.”

Tucked in – Yet Visible. Now, we have laid all this out in order to position this most extraordinary part of John 14:20 – And I inside of you. Jesus inside of us is God coming through.

These concentric circles continue to be an excellent way to consider symmorphy. God inside of Christ inside of us inside of Christ inside of God. – God coming through. Yet we are the visible ones.

Making the Bible Personal. The purpose of The Jesus Secret II, however, is not to present a theology, but to make the Bible utterly personal. The theology is important, for by it we know where to place any verse.

We know that Jesus never comes except to reveal the Father and to cause us to know Him. Nonetheless, our purpose on this Jesus Secret page is to make Jesus inside of us personal and real. You have seen, in our prayers at the end of each lesson, that I switch often between Jesus and Father. Make note of what it is we are praying, for each is filled with purpose.

Jesus in Us. There is an instinctive knowing of when we speak with Jesus and when we speak with Father through Jesus, and I think you will see the difference.

Now we will go back through John 14:1-20 and weave together those statements of faith that are Jesus in us, the Father coming through. We will also include us in Jesus, for the two sides of symmorphy cannot be separated. Notice that, although we include the thought here, asking “inside of Jesus’ name” will be defined on the page “I Bear Much Fruit.”

Enflowing Jesus in Us. The Way, the Truth, and the Life are inside of me; I am all that Jesus is. I know the Father; I see the Father. The one who sees me sees the Father. I know that Jesus is inside of the Father. I know that I am inside of Jesus. I know that Jesus is inside of me. I am inside of all that is Jesus. Jesus is inside of all that is me. I ask God inside of His name.

Jesus inside of me does all that I ask of Him; the Father is glorified in me. I love Jesus; I keep watch over the completion of His words. I ask the Father; He gives me the Spirit of Truth as my Helper-Advocate. The Spirit of Truth lives, dwells, and remains inside of me. I do greater works than Jesus did. The Father is known through me.

The Jesus Secret Page. The two larger boxes on the page, then, are first – “IN” All that I am, and then – All that Jesus Is “IN.” These will follow the same flow as the previous page, first that Jesus is inside of every particle of my humanity and second all that Jesus is and does is found inside of me.

Then, as I pondered what else should fit into this page, I came up with two smaller boxes.  The first will come right after the enflowing of word titled “The Way.” This box will emphasize the way of God through us. The second will be at the end, titled “The Rule.” Here we want to establish how John 14:20 RULES all our thinking.

The Way of Life. To a large extent, “The Way” and “The Rule” are going to be the same.
The key to enlarge the meaning of John 14:20 for us is purpose. God always acts with purpose, that is, to obtain for Himself something He highly values. – We are the same. We live inside of Jesus so that Jesus might connect us with the Father. Jesus lives inside of us so that Jesus might connect the Father with us. The thing we want most is to have God share our life with us. The thing God wants most is to have us share His life with Him. This Way of Life is found inside of Jesus.

The Way. Living inside of Jesus is my Way to connect with the Father sharing my life with me. Jesus living inside of me is the Father’s Way to connect with me sharing His life with Him, that God might enter creation through me. Life itself is my Way, moment by moment and step by step, not ‘to’ something, but rather life-unfolding, the living and dynamic expression of God-with-me unveiled new every morning forever.

Wow! For the first time, I think we are getting a handle on a specific definition of “LIFE.” John’s gospel is all about Life, but the Church has never really known what Life means.

Stopped in Our Tracks. Before continuing, however, we are stopped in our tracks by a real, personal, and majestic God. Who is this who is inside of us?

When Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled,” He was speaking to our normal reaction of fear and awe towards absolute majesty, the King of all creation, entering into us.

Jesus is our King, our Lord, and our Master, and we bow trembling before His mighty Word. Never do we treat Him as ideas for our mind, nor take Him for granted, nor imagine that everything is “cozy.” The only reason I am not terrified of God is that I fear Him.

Who Is This? Let’s list the seven things Jesus is from Symmorphy VI: Mankind, trembling in His presence, this one who has come into us to be our Life and our Friend.

1. The Person who is every Word God speaks, the all-speaking of God, now become flesh has entered into us.
2. The all-now Sustainer in power of everything that exists in creation has entered into us.
3. The shining forth of Glory and the Character and exact reproduction of God’s substance has entered into us.
4. The Mighty King, who is the becoming of all, the becoming of the entire cosmos, has entered into us.

Absolute Respect.
5. The actual and active Life Force of every human being has entered into us.
6. The Lamb seated at the right hand of Majesty who is the full cleansing away of all falling short has entered into us.
7. The highest and most exalted Meaning inside of God’s reality has entered into us.

Always we deal with this Jesus with absolute respect, face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart. Yet to our overwhelming astonishment and wonder, this Beyond-Mighty Being has entered into every part of our humanity calling us His own and making us part of Himself.

Majesty with Me. I have never before reckoned in this way with the Majesty of this Person who has entered into me that He might share me with me.

Yet here is the most incredible thing. This Jesus shares with me every particulate of my personality and construction, and the steps and doing of my life. The greatest healing I have ever known is the wondrous privilege to say, “Jesus shares Asperger’s with me.” The King of the Universe shares with me my tears and confusion, my loneliness and pain. The Sustainer of All shares my dreams and my joys with me.

The Meanings of “IN.” Without setting aside the Majesty in which we tremble, let’s return to a simplified list of the various nuances of meaning found in the word “in.” I suspect that the Greek word “en” would share the same list of meanings.

1. Jesus is entirely surrounded and bounded by me.
2. Jesus is part of me.
3. Jesus is inside of all that I am in person and action.
4. Jesus is inside of all that is my manner and measure.
5. Jesus, pertaining to me, is not found separate from ME.
6. Jesus is always entering into me as Spirit Word.
7. I have legal title to and in-office possession of all Jesus is.

Giving an Account. I have said that giving an account of our lives in the presence of God is the most important thing we do. What does that mean? Giving an account means placing the Lord Jesus IN every moment of our lives and, in doing so, making that moment to be IN Jesus in our knowing. This is the COMMAND of the gospel – Put the Lord Jesus Christ upon yourself.

This action of faith causes the entirety of your life to be one seamless whole, the revelation of Jesus Christ. Even that which you did that was wrong, the sin removed by the cross, then becomes part of what brought you here.

The Same – Except Kindness. I never become something different for Jesus to be in every part that is me. Neither do I become something different as I know that all that Jesus is, in Majesty and Glory, is inside of me.

The one thing that becomes different is in one aspect of outward appearance – the gentle kindness of Jesus. Even the resurrection of my body will do nothing more than increase the expression of that gentle kindness. Yes, the rough places even out inside, mostly because I no longer need to hide or pretend. Yes, a wholeness comes, but I remain the same person in all that I find myself to be.

Jesus Our All. As I am in Jesus, so Jesus connects me to God. As Jesus is in me, so He connects God to me. The connection is Covenant, but God with me is Kingdom. Kingdom is that which is unfolding, moment by moment, that which flows out, that which is made visible.

Consider again our list of seven mighty things Jesus is, a list that is just a sampling of many more wondrous realities that are this Person who has entered into us to be our life. All of these things are part of us, part of the fabric of our humanity, and all these things are flowing out from us. Yet none of it is up to us, for it is JESUS who is our all.

“IN” All that I Am (from Webster’s 1926): Jesus is in me, inside of me, inside every particle that I am, inside every aspect of the human me. Jesus is part of my physical body, for I share flesh with Him. Jesus is part of my spirit, for I am one Spirit with Him. Jesus shares my soul with me, His story is part of my story and my story is part of His. Jesus is inside of my influence and character, He is part of my entire scope. Jesus is measured to my full extent.

I acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ inside of me. I place Him upon every part of my daily life, for He shares all things with me. When I am in agony, I know that Jesus is in my agony for He is sharing His agony with me. When I rejoice, I know that Jesus is in my overflowing joy, for He shares His delight with me. When I am weak, Jesus is in my weakness, for there His strength is perfected. When I am strong, Jesus is in my strength, for He sustains all that I am. The Lord Jesus is all there is in all that is me.

All that Jesus Is “IN” (from Webster’s 1926): All that Jesus is lives inside of me, nothing is left out, no part of Him is “somewhere else.” This is the King of all creation inside of me, and I tremble in the presence of His majesty. Yet He calls me His friend, and He shares all with me. Every Word God speaks is in me; the Sustainer of all is my only life. The exact Reproduction of God’s substance, the Becoming of all, has entered into me and lives inside of all that I am. The Lamb seated at the right hand of Majesty, the full cleansing away of all falling short is in ME! The Name above all names, the highest meaning inside of God lives in me and is my life.

I never take Jesus for granted; I never deny His Person. Yet He walks in sweet fellowship with me, causing me to know Him as my every moment, and through Him, to know the Father utterly connected to me. The Love of Jesus beyond knowing is in me and with Him, all the fulness of God fills me full.

What Is the Rule? I have called this set of three verses, John 14:20, John 17:3, and Romans 13:14, to be the tenth “ruling” verse of the Bible, though in many ways it is equal to and corresponds directly with the first “ruling” verse, Romans 8:28-30. What, then, is the RULE that comes out from this set of three, and what are its parts? That is, how is our thinking COMMANDED in every direction we might think, by this absolute RULE of reality.

Age-unfolding Life is sharing life together with God in personal intimacy. A human sharing life with God is the entire goal and purpose of God and the gospel.

Jesus’ Part and Our Part. Then, we see that this central RULE has two other parts, both of which are found in John 17:3, but are fully amplified, the first in John 14:20 and the second in Romans 13:14. John 14:20 is Jesus’ part of this equation and Romans 13:14 is our part.

Consider John 14:20. What is there in this PLACE of LIFE that you or I could ever do or make happen? It is Jesus who causes “You in Me and I in you” to be real. Our response, then, putting Jesus upon all that we are, is nothing but pure and overwhelming JOY.

The Rule. Note that here we are concerned with just the first part of the Rule, that pertaining to John 14:20. Nonetheless, the Rule is not complete without the whole.

I never think anything concerning myself or concerning God separate from “I inside of Jesus and Jesus inside of me.” Here alone is all my salvation; here alone do I know God my Father. “I inside of Jesus” makes me part of God’s life; “Jesus inside of me” makes God part of my life. Knowing the Father means sharing life with God. “I in Jesus and Jesus in me” is that shared life, age-unfolding life, the purpose and goal of all that is God.

Concluding Thoughts. Even though the flow of the two “IN” boxes on this page is similar to the two on the previous page, I wanted this lesson to be different from the last. I believe that the Lord has made that to be.

When Majesty enters into us, we will twist to put on a show of “being different,” UNLESS we place this Jesus upon all that we our in our present humanity and, with Him, humble ourselves, that is, reveal God. The press to be “different” is the press to be fake. Yet as we rest utterly that Jesus is our present humanity, we also know the Majesty that has become us.

Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is titled “Father Makes His Home in Me.” This page covers John 14:21-31. To get the complete picture, however, I would suggest that you read John Chapters 14 & 15.

It is clear now that this next portion of John 14 is focused on the Father-part of the connection happening in verse 20 and, as such, is preparing us for John 17. “If anyone loves Me, he will keep, guard, and watch over My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and will make Our home in intimate closeness with him.”

Let’s Pray Together. “Jesus Lives inside of Me” is our authority inside the presence of God-with-us. We pray as the Voice of that very Majesty who has entered us.

“God, our Father, we know that Your great desire, the end goal of all Your doings inside creation is that all would know You, that You would become tangible to every created thing.

“Father, we know that You have sent Jesus into us to accomplish this very purpose through us, Your Body, Your Church. We know that our living inside of Jesus and Jesus inside of us places us into His name and places His authority into our mouth.

“And Father, we know that the Church of Christ, our brothers and sisters all across this earth, are Your opportunity to become visible inside Your creation, for the Church is Your very form. Therefore, Oh God, as the Voice of Jesus, Your Sent One inside of us, we speak the knowledge of God as You truly are into our fellow Christians everywhere.

“God, arise and let Your enemies be scattered. Let all that opposes Your knowing, all that speaks against the Lord Jesus, Your very Word, be silenced forever. Let all arrogance be felled and all contempt be gone. God, our Father, we know that Your LOVE is shed abroad in Your Church right now by the Devoted Spirit. Be that Love-made-visible in the midst of all in whom Jesus dwells.”