[Editor’s Note: Read a shorter version of this post here]
“Now, I’m really living!” Have you ever said that? What made you think you were really living? For me, I often said it while traveling—to Egypt, to Spain, or to Mexico.
Jesus also had a sense of what “really living” is. He called it eternal life: “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). According to Jesus, real life is life in communion with the Father and the Son. From other passages, we know this life comes through the Holy Spirit as well.
This is the life we were created for but turned from in the fall. It is the life Jesus came to restore (John 3:16). We receive it by believing in Him. Once we do, we are to think of ourselves as really living but unto God: “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11).
A Life in Communion with the Triune God
This is life lived in communion with Jesus. John Mark Comer, in his book on discipleship, notes that following Jesus was fundamentally about being with Him.
Jesus said that communion would continue even after His ascension: “Abide in Me” (John 15). Comer paraphrases: “Make your home in my presence by the Spirit, and never leave” (37). He explains, “Goal #1 of apprenticeship to Jesus is to live in that moment-by-moment flow of love within the Trinity” (ibid.).
This is eternal life: living in communion with the Triune God. But how do we actually do this?
A Baseline for Communion with the Triune God
The key is to keep the Triune God at the forefront of our hearts and minds—to live in His presence. We cannot focus on many things at once, but when our minds wander, there is no better resting place than the Triune God.
One practice that has helped me is making the Apostle’s Creed part of my daily rhythm (see the appendix below to read the whole creed). It brings me back to the Triune God, summarizes the biblical faith, and connects me to the church through the ages. Continue reading “Living in Fellowship with the Triune God”
