“Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:10
It is no secret that as Christians we must represent the Christ whose name we bear. Just like the last name that you bear, it represents the family that you have come from. We are taught when we are young that what we do speaks volumes about how we were raised and the family who raised us.
Understand this: Christians are not carrying Jesus as though He cannot stand on His own. Christians carry Jesus every day in the vessel of their physical bodies, preaching and teaching the gospel message of Salvation in Christ Jesus. We are the vessels that bear the name of Christ. We are washed in His blood and have the keys to grace for everyone.
The question we must ask ourselves is, how am I carrying Him? Am I doing Christ justice by the way I am behaving and acting and/or sharing the gospel? Do people look at me and say, “he must be a Christian” because of my actions and how I live my life? Do I bring reproach to His name for things that I am involved with or things that I am doing? Like the example of the apostles, we must carry the name of Christ like a proud badge of honor, upholding the truth of the gospel even until death, never wavering the truth and power of His glorious name.
“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” 2 Corinthians 4:7-9
Christians hold a treasure that is worth more than silver and gold. The treasure is Salvation and Jesus Christ, knowing that even if we die in this body, in the next life we will be a part of the resurrection and will have life again.
Christians have never been promised an easy life. In the current dispensation of time which we live in, most Christians are not persecuted like those in the 1st century. However, we are persecuted nonetheless in various ways. People are questioning our Christianity, attempting to persuade us away from our faith, and persuading us to agree with lifestyles that are not befitting. Even so, we stand firm and hold on to the faith. The reason is simple: we love Jesus. We understand the precious gift that God has given us in Jesus Christ for the treasure that it is.
Indeed, the Christian ideology has come under fire by Atheist and other groups. The countless barrage of pressure that is put on Christians and the Christian faith from the media and anti-Christian groups is horrendous. We feel the pressure, yet we stand for Christ. Think about it for a moment. Christ could not be destroyed even though they beat His body lifeless. He endured the cross and that torture to sacrifice Himself for all those who would believe in His name. Why would we ever give up our treasure or lose our faith because of persecution and/or the challenging of our ideology? If Christ suffered for our sake, so must we suffer for His and the message of the gospel.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Indeed, we carry Christ with us. We gave up our life and took on His in baptism for the remission of our sins. The new life which we now live as Christians is a treasure beyond measure. We are earthly vessels walking around with a message of Christ and grace. How selfish of us if we hold that message and that treasure, never telling anyone about the Christ who saved us.
“For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:11-12
It is my observation that what we must understand is, Christ matters more than anything on this earth. We must self-examine and cast away our selfishness and vanity to give Christ our upmost attention. Even if death were to come by the preaching of the gospel, death would be working because you now have life from hearing the truth and obeying it. That is the life of a Christian: to preach and teach the gospel, to share the treasure, to unlock the grace, to show the mercy, to give the hope, and to take part in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So how will you carry Him? The answer is easy. How are you carrying your cross daily? Do you look in the mirror and see a Christian who is worthy to carry Christ and His message to the world? We must grow in faith, in knowledge, and in the love of God. Only when someone reaches that love will they truly carry the treasure and Jesus to the world.
If you’re not carrying Christ the way you should, then start today.