Christosis: Participation in Christ and Imitation of ChristНамуна

Christosis: Jesus became like us, so that we could be with Him and become like Him.

We have a straightforward idea in today’s devotional:

We need the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is preparing His disciples for the journey, for what life will be like when He leaves. And Jesus promises them a gift… the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will equip them for the trip, like an even better version of Google Maps or Waze. The Spirit of God will guide Jesus’ followers when He is gone. And for Jesus, the Holy Spirit is not an optional concept for this journey. The Holy Spirit is necessary.

The Holy Spirit will provide reassurance to Jesus' followers as they endure a loss of status.

In verses 1–4 of John 16, the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, but the necessity for His reassurance is implied based on the context. In these verses, Jesus describes a type of suffering His followers will experience—and this suffering would have been deeply connected to a loss of status in their world:

1 “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. 2 For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. 3 This is because they have never known the Father or me. 4 Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.” - John 16:1-4 (NLT)

Leading up to this point, Jesus addresses opposition that His followers will experience from “the world,” or the Roman world. This type of opposition was to be expected, as Rome was a corrupt force. Now Jesus is warning against oppression from their people—from within Judaism. This kind of oppression ends up being documented throughout the New Testament:

1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
— Acts 9:1-2 (NLT)

And check this out:

1 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter.
— Acts 12:1-3a (NLT)

We should not be surprised that much of ancient Judaism reacted this way to those who followed Jesus. We need to take a moment to understand their mindset. Consider this insight from Marianne Meye Thompson:

“It will be no surprise if those who follow Jesus, a man deemed guilty of blasphemy and hence worthy of death, are deemed guilty of the same charges.”
— Marianne Meye Thompson

In Jewish people's minds, they were protecting their God, their people, and their way of life from corruption. Yet, this led to loss of status, rejection, and isolation for God’s people.

What are we to do when the way of Jesus leads to a loss of status?
Or isolation?
Or rejection?
Maybe targeted? Or left out?
(This stuff doesn’t stop with grade school.)

Maybe you have experienced this before—because of your affiliation with Jesus, perhaps you feel like you’re no longer a part of your group. How can you find a way forward?

This points us to the Holy Spirit. The way of Jesus is not always going to be popular in this world. Jesus calls it the “narrow way” in His Sermon on the Mount. But Jesus does not leave us alone. For His revolution to move forward, He sends His Spirit!

The Holy Spirit is God with us.

Jesus brings up a question for His followers. Maybe they had this question and forgot, but either way... Jesus has already answered some questions, and now He’s like, “You didn’t ask the most important question!”

5 But now I’m going to the one who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I’ve said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 However, it’s the truth that I’m telling you: it’s better for you that I should go away. If I don’t go away, you see, the helper won’t come to you. But if I go away, I will send him to you. - John 16:5–8

Jesus is saying, “Nobody asked where I’m going? I keep telling you I’m going away, and you haven’t asked where! Guys, are you even paying attention?”

Jesus brings this question up because He wants them to know something: it is better for them—it is better for us—that He goes away.

But why?
How?

Because if He goes away, He will send His Spirit. And it is His Spirit that will dwell in us, therefore shaping us into who we are to become.

Instead of just “look at Jesus,” we can now, by His Spirit, become who He created us to become.

The Holy Spirit guides us away from sin.

Jesus outlines three ways the Spirit guides us away from sin:

8 “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong on three counts: sin, justice and judgment. 9 In relation to sin—because they don’t believe in me. 10 In relation to justice—because I’m going to the Father, and you won’t see me anymore. 11 In relation to judgment—because the ruler of this world is judged.” - John 16:9-11

• First error – refusal to believe/rejection (16:9) – Pride – “I don’t need Jesus.”
• Second error – The world thinks Jesus was unrighteous. Jesus, by the cross, is the means of righteousness. Jesus sets the world to rights - no other person or system can do that.
• Third error – Judgment. Worldly thinking believes we can judge Jesus, when it is the cross of Jesus that judges sinful humanity.

The Holy Spirit guides us into the way of Jesus.

12 “There are many things I still have to say to you,” Jesus continued, “but you’re not yet strong enough to take them. 13 When the spirit of truth comes, though, he will guide you in all the truth. He won’t speak on his own account, you see, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will announce to you what’s to come. 14 He will glorify me, because he will take what belongs to me and will announce it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine. That’s why I said that he would take what is mine and announce it to you.”
— John 16:12-15

There is a relationship we see throughout the Scriptures:

• The Father sends the Son.
• The Son is pointing to the Father.
• The Spirit testifies to the Son.

The Trinity is a loving relationship testifying to one another, and that is what Jesus helps us to see here.

Christosis is not just about what to run from (vv. 8–11). It also includes what (and who) to run to… Jesus (vv. 12–15).

Back to the Holy Spirit talk for just a moment:

We NEED the Holy Spirit.

It’s not enough for us to just say some stuff about Jesus. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts to make us like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit points us to the words of Jesus, the truth of Jesus, the life of Jesus—and empowers us to live that life.

And in this reality, the entire story comes together. Jesus said His followers would be kicked out of the synagogues. The synagogues were the places where people encountered God. But Paul says this:

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, - 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NLT)

The Spirit makes our body a temple/synagogue. You are now where God’s presence resides. And His Spirit is setting you free to be like Jesus!

The Spirit works in concert with Jesus to shape us to be like Jesus.

The Spirit is Jesus still speaking today, in us and through us as the Church. God has not stopped talking.

I will say it again:

WE NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT!

So you might be asking…

How can I have the Holy Spirit?

Once again, we don’t need to overcomplicate this. In Jesus’ farewell message, He is clear that following Him and believing in Him is what opens the door to life in the Spirit.

Paul says it this way:

And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit. - Ephesians 1:13

Believing in Jesus, following Jesus, and obeying Jesus opens us up to receive the Spirit.