Date: November 23rd 2008

A Video Recording of this Letter

The Exchange
by Daniel Yordy

I have sought to know the Lord Jesus all my adult life. Yet I have never really begun to know Him until now. Seeing Jesus as He is brings us into a rest so complete; He in us and we in Him. I would like to share in these short letters both my experience with the Lord Jesus Christ and the truth upon which that experience is found.

There is an extraordinary series of verses in the New Testament that I have never seen together before. It would have done me no good because I used to live separate from Jesus. Oh, I believed He was in me, yes, but somehow separate from me; and I was in Him, yes, but that was theology, not personal.

What is the difference? Theology says, "Yes, it's true." Faith says, "It's true in me."

Consider these verses (I paraphrase.)

"He shared in flesh and blood, that I might be released from the fear of death." Heb. 2:14-15

"He came in the likeness of sinful flesh, that righteousness might be fulfilled in me." Rom. 8:3-4.

"He became a curse for me, that I might receive the promise of the Spirit." Gal. 3:13-14.

"He became sin for me, that I might become the righteousness of God in Him." II Cor. 5:21.

There are others that are similar.

Theology says its true, but faith makes it personal. Theology gives a measure of salvation, but it is faith that brings us into the intimacy of rest in Jesus that we long for.

Here's what God is really saying, "Jesus became like you, so that you can become like Him."

Most Christians can accept that as an outward proposal, but is it also true inside of me? Does Jesus become me, so that I might become Him?

But I'm sinful!

Consider the last verse in the list. Jesus became my sin. If you see sin in me, you are seeing Jesus, dead upon the cross. Jesus became my sin. But Jesus never stays upon the cross. Just as surely as He became my sin, so also, He became my life.

"Christ, who is our life . . ." Col. 3:4

Jesus becomes me, living out His life in my humanity. All of my sin, all of my human nature, all of my "flesh," He took into Himself and "became" long ago. There is no other possibility.

I look at myself, my human self, and I see Jesus. There is nothing else there.

This is the tree of life.

Most Christians (and I, for all of my life until now) live in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The entire Old Covenant was spoken into the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was of God, yes, but not for life.

The tree of knowledge says this, "Here is me, there is God. God says, 'Obey.' I do the best I can to do what He says. I draw on His Spirit to obey, yes, but I never really will."

The tree of life says this, "He in me and I in Him. I am made perfect in oneness with Him."

And here is the funny thing. Those who try to obey God, even in the power of the Holy Spirit, never find what they seek, not really. In fact, that theology drives them further and further from the One they seek. But those who abandon all separation from Jesus, those who stop "obeying" and simply rest in the belief that "He works the wanting and the doing of His will in me," these, contrary to all human reason, become more and more and more like Him.

That is the power by which He subdues all things to Himself.

And they are not the least bit bothered when they see things inside themselves that "appear" human. Of course!

Jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh back then. Theology can accept that. But faith says that He comes in the likeness of sinful flesh right now in me.

The Word is made flesh. Jesus lives in me; I live in Him. Jesus has become me; I have become Him.

For thirty three years, I longed to know Him. I have seen great glory; I have known great pain. But I never could know Him so long as I believed that He was separate from me.

Now, no matter whether I feel horrible and yucky or filled with joy, it makes no difference. The only thing I see when I look at myself is Jesus. And when I look at Him, I see me.

And the sweetness and intimacy of love that my soul longed for through all those dark years is mine forever.

Jesus is my life.