Christ living in us vs Christ living through us vs us becoming Christ- Theological insight wanted
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Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Some folks in our area have fallen under the influence of some revivalistic mystics who seem to be orthodox on most points but I have a concern about this area: They seem to be teaching that rather than Christ living in the believer, He lives through the believer. This may seem like just a slight variation of words, but I fear it might have some serious implications. I fear that they are stating it in a way that suggests that if we let Christ live through us, then individuals actually become Christ in our past bodies and we are no longer our individual selves, but rather Christ here on earth.
Has anyone else run into this sort of teaching and is there a theological label for it so that I can look up a term and do more research about it?
Has anyone else run into this sort of teaching and is there a theological label for it so that I can look up a term and do more research about it?
The pagan mystics believe that “god” is in us and that we need to make contact with that god in order for us to become god. As Christians we understand that the true God does live in all true believers and indwells them at the point of conversion in the person of the Holy Spirit. My concern is that some mystical Christians seem to be indicating that by making the right kind of contact with God within us we die to self to such an extent that we are no longer ourselves, but God living through us. That sounds a lot like the “I will be like the most high” teaching of a false teacher back in Isaiah 14:14.
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