Let us consider how we can experience Christ as life in a practical way. It is not adequate to say that Christ changes our life or that He gives us a new life. In China many people’s lives are changed by the teachings of Confucius and Buddhism. Some Chinese people were gamblers, and others were drunkards or thieves, but one day their lives were changed by the teachings of Buddhism. They also claim to experience a new life. Therefore, we may have the terminology that Christ is our life without knowing the reality or the way to experience Him as life.
John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,” and 8:12 says that anyone who follows the Lord Jesus shall have the light of life. Then in John 6:35 the Lord said, “I am the bread of life.” Here, once again, life is mentioned, but this time it is mentioned in connection with the bread of life. In Romans 8:2 there are the Spirit of life and also the law of the Spirit of life. That same chapter says that the mind set on the spirit is life and peace (v. 6). Finally, in 1 John 1:1-6 there is the fellowship that comes from life. Therefore, in the above verses six things are mentioned in the Scriptures concerning life: the light of life, the bread of life, the Spirit of life, the law of life, the peace with life related to the mind set on the spirit, and the fellowship of life. In order to know how to experience Christ as life, we must understand these six things.
Christ is life to us, first of all, by being light to us. To experience Christ as life, we must experience Christ as light, because the life is the light of men (John 1:4). When we experience Christ as life, we will have light within us shining all the time. Christians experience Christ as life in light. This means that when we open ourselves to the Lord and give the Spirit of Christ, who is the Spirit of life, the ground to work within us, we first sense something shining as light within us. Prior to this there might have been something foggy, dark, and vague within us, but now there is light within us that shines and enlightens, even though this light may be only a small spark.
The experience of Christ as life is not always something extraordinary. In reality, if our experience of Christ as life is genuine, we do not experience a great Christ but a small Christ. Christ is indeed great; there is none greater than He. Nevertheless, when we experience Him in reality, we experience only a little of Christ. Our concept might be that we should encounter a Christ who is like the sun shining with glory in the heavens. Of course, some may experience Christ in this way. Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus did indeed meet Christ in a marvelous way. However, for most of us, our experience of Christ is normally in a small way; we experience just a little of Christ. Perhaps in the morning there is something very small within us, shining like a little star, giving us a little light, so that we see and sense something. This is very precious. Do not look down on this, but rather honor and respect it. Although there may be just a little light within us, that light is the life of Christ; it is Christ as life to us.
The difference between the Christians’ experience of Christ as life and the Buddhists’ experience in Buddhism is that Christians experience Christ as the inner light. With us Christians, there is not merely something teaching and instructing us outwardly; there is often something shining and enlightening us within.
As an illustration, let us consider the case of a young brother who is very proud before the older brothers and sisters. In accordance with the Scriptures, we might tell him, “Brother, you need to be humble. It is wrong to be merely twenty-five years old and yet be so proud. You need to be humble. Being proud will be a damage and a loss to you, but being humble will be a profit and a blessing.” This is teaching, outward instruction. He may even be convinced by this teaching and declare, “Oh, yes, I am wrong. From today I must try to be humble.” This is certainly not the proper practice of the Christian life. Those people in China who are taught by the teachings of Confucius, and those in India who live under Buddhism, do the same thing as this brother. In this example there is no difference between Christianity and Confucianism, Hinduism, or Buddhism. The proper practice of the Christian life would be for me to pray for the brother in this way: “Lord, reveal Yourself to this young brother and bring him into the light. Shine within him so that he may see You and have the light to realize that he is proud.” If I pray for him in this way, when I visit him, I will not say much about his pride. Instead, I will stay with him for a while and speak to him a little concerning Christ. After this, we may both pray. Although nothing may happen immediately, one morning, two or three days later, there may suddenly be something within him shining, causing him to realize that he is proud. He may have some light to see that he is proud and spontaneously may say, “Lord, forgive me. I am proud.” This would be sufficient to produce a change in his life.
One practice is by an outward teaching, and the other is by the inward enlightening. The outward teaching is the religious way, whereas the inward enlightening is the spiritual way, the divine way, the way by which we experience Christ. The little light sparkling, shining, and enlightening within the young brother is nothing other than Christ as life. By such an experience of Christ, this brother’s life is changed; that is, his life is transformed, and he becomes transparent, not through outward teachings but by the inward enlightening. In contrast, Buddhist teachings can only help us to restrict, control, and suppress ourselves in order to make us humble and thus have an outward change in our life. Christ changes our life not by outward teaching as in Buddhism but by inward enlightening. The inward enlightening is the light of life. I can testify that even though as a young man I was very proud, from the time that I became a Christian, the Lord has been transforming my life. This has not been by outward teaching, for the more people taught me, the worse I became. Teaching was not effective in producing a change in me, but the inward shining and enlightening has gradually transformed me. This shining is the light of life. The more we have this light, the more we experience Christ, for this light is Christ.
Seemingly, Christians are peculiar people. For example, in the morning I may be very unhappy with a certain brother. Nevertheless, something within me is shining. By the afternoon my anger is gone, and in the evening, when I meet this brother, I am quite pleasant. Little by little the shining illuminates. This is the light of life. Just a little of this kind of shining is the proper way to experience Christ as life.
Often people may tell you that one day they prayed, and something came upon them like lightning or like electricity, giving them a certain kind of feeling and experience. Although this may not be wrong, it is not the proper experience of Christ. Rather, the proper experience of Christ as life is that day by day, in a continual way, there is just a little light shining within us, which is the light of life working within us. By going along with this little shining, we will experience Christ more and more. The more we take care of this shining and go along with it, the more it will grow and deepen.
We need to be impressed that Christ is life, and this life is the light of men. If we follow the Lord Jesus, who is life, we will have the light of life. The light of life is the Lord Jesus Himself as light within us shining all the time, not in a bold way but in a gentle way, little by little. By taking care of this inward shining, we take Christ as our life. By paying attention and going along with this little shining, we live by Christ. Learn to experience Christ as life in this way. We should not expect to have some wonderful or extraordinary experience of Christ as life. Such an experience is not normal. The normal experience is that Christ is life within us as the light of life. If we take care of Him, go along with Him, and give Him a free course, He will shine within us. This will be an indication that we are taking Christ as life and living by Christ. We need to learn to experience Christ in this normal and quiet way, by taking care of the inner shining within us.