Christ Being Formed in Believers VS Believers Being Constituted with Christ

 

Christ Being Formed in Believers VS Believers Being Constituted with Christ

Gal 4:19 "My children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you"

Gal 2:20 "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me"

 

Aspect	Christ Being Formed in Believers	Believers Being Constituted with Christ
Meaning	Refers to Christ living in believers and gradually manifesting His image and nature in the believers' lives	Refers to the gradual filling, replacement, and reorganization of the believers' entire being with Christ's elements and life
Distinction	Emphasizes the expression and growth process of Christ's life, like a fetus forming in the mother's womb	Emphasizes the qualitative transformation process of the believers' life, where original components are replaced by Christ's elements
Examples	As Paul said: "I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you" (Gal 4:19)	As the scripture shows: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal 2:20)
Application	Displaying Christ's character and nature in daily life, allowing others to see Christ through the believer	Having every aspect of life, thoughts, emotions, and will occupied by Christ, becoming the expression of Christ
Relationship	Both are different aspects of the same life process: "being formed" emphasizes the process and manifestation, while "being constituted" emphasizes the transformation of inner elements; they complement each other and are both essential
Relevant Scripture Passages	2 Cor 3:18 "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, as from the Lord, who is the Spirit" Rom 8:29 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son"	Col 1:27 "God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" Col 3:4,10-11 "Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory" "and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew... but Christ is all, and in all"

 

Conclusion:

These two concepts actually describe different aspects of the same spiritual process: Christ being formed in us is the outward manifestation, while our being constituted with Christ is the inward substantial change. This is not merely Christ's elements existing in us, but Christ's elements being constituted into us, becoming part of our life. This is an organic process of transformation, through which Christ's being becomes our being, and His constitution becomes our constitution.

 

*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 18 God’s Grace and the All-Inclusive Spirit