How Rich is Your Christ?

The Old Testament land of Canaan is a type a Christ. Just as the land was good, even “exceedingly good,” Christ is the only good One in the universe (Matt. 19:17). Just as the good land was the goal of God’s people, Christ is the goal of New Testament believers (Phil. 3:8). And just as the good land was the place where the Jews lived, walked, and fulfilled God’s purpose, so Christ is to us (Col. 2:6).

The unfortunate thing for Christians like myself is that although Christ is exceedingly good, our experience of Him is usually quite poor. Many know Christ as their Passover Lamb, but few know Him as their life. Many know Christ as their Savior, but few know Him as their land. The goal of God’s calling, however, is not to simply save us from the coming wrath, rather it is to become everything to us.

What kind of Christ do you have, a lamb or a land?

Christ as the Lamb

As a 16 year old, I thoroughly explored the world to enjoy everything it could offer me. Satan had me in his grasp, guiding each and every one of my steps. But hallelujah the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to me!

Someone shared the gospel with me and in their speaking, faith was imparted into my being. I had an instant consciousness of the guilt and weight of my sins upon me, and I immediately felt as though that weight was lifted and put upon the Lord on the cross. The Spirit came into me and I knew the Lord Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God who took away my sins. This was the extent of my experience of Christ for the first year of my Christian life.

Christ as the Manna

After my salvation, the person who helped me received the Lord told me to read the Bible every morning. Not growing up in a Christian household, I read all the classic Sunday school Bible stories for the first time. I starkly remember first reading about David and Goliath thinking, “Wow! They should make a movie out of this! This story is awesome!” The first year of my Christian life was characterized by this type of discovery and familiarization with the stories of the Bible.

Something changed going into my senior year of high school. I began slowing down and considering verses in a more intimate way. I recall spending almost a month in 2 Corinthians 4, enjoying every verse and meditating over it for hours. The Bible changed for me that year, and I can truly testify and say it became to me the joy and gladness of my heart. I then first experienced Christ as the heavenly manna (Jn. 6:51).

Christ as the Land

When I came to college, I met Christian Students on Campus and my Christian life radically changed. Some brothers in Christ told me that I have a spirit in which dwells the Holy Spirit. With their help, I’ve been learning how to turn to my spirit and enjoy the indwelling Christ in many rich ways.

At 16, I applied the blood to my doorpost; at 17, I crossed the Red Sea and entered into the wilderness, enjoying the heavenly manna as my supply; at 18, I entered into the good land and discovered that Christ is inexhaustibly rich! While I’ve only experienced this to a small extent, I’ve gotten a taste of the unsearchable One and am inspired to search and seek for the rest of my life.

Back to the Question

“What kind of Christ do you have?”

The Bible tells us that Christ is unsearchably rich (Eph. 3:8). The Lord has a breadth, length, height and depth that require all the saints to apprehend (v.18). He desires to be our life and the very sphere that we walk in (Col. 3:4; 2:6).

We’ve been reading about how rich Christ is in His spaciousness, His ascendancy, and His unsearchable riches as the water, the food, and even the minerals. While my experience of Christ is still quite small, I’m encouraged by the experiences and testimonies found in this book. I have a wonderful Christ whose riches I have barely begun to enjoy.

May we all be like Paul and press on to gain more of Christ:

But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ. –Phil. 3:8

By: Reese Walling