Alive Unto Christ

Who We Believe We Are Directly Affects How We Act

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We live in a country glutted with biblical material, Christian books, radio and television, but many Christians are not moving on to spiritual maturity. Additionally, there is a degree of biblical illiteracy in America today. Although surveys indicate that a majority of households report having a Bible, not even 50 percent of those who own Bibles read them regularly. Only 1 percent of young Christians read Scriptures on a daily basis.

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Sadly, we have separated the ministries of discipleship and counseling in our churches. Christian discipleship too often has become an impersonal program, although good theological material is being used. Christian counseling has been intensely personal, but often lacks good theology. We’re told that Jesus is the Wonderful Counselor. It is important to note that brokenness is the key to effective ministry.

I’ve come to understand that if we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly. I believe that the greatest determinant of mental and spiritual health, as well as spiritual freedom, is a true understanding of God and a right relationship with Him. A good theology is an indispensable prerequisite to a good psychology. Knowing God is key to maturity and freedom. The mind must be transformed in order that we can live by faith and grow spiritually.

WHO ARE YOU?

When we Christians are asked to identify ourselves in relation to our faith, we usually talk about our doctrinal position (Protestant, evangelical, Calvinist, charismatic), our denominational preference (Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Independent) or our role in the church (Sunday school teacher, choir member, deacon, elder). Is who you are determined by what you do, or is what you do determined by who you are? If a meaningful life is the result of appearance, admiration, performance, accomplishments, status, or recognition, then spirituality would hold no inherent value. Rather, worth would be defined solely by the “stuff” we accumulate; the reputation we earn; the nature of our lifestyle; the circles we run in.

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The Book of Ecclesiastes describes the futility of humankind pursuing a meaningful life in a fallen world without God. Millions of people climb their individual ladder of success, only to discover when they reach the top that their ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Thankfully,  wholeness and meaning in life are not the products of what you have or don’t have; what you’ve done or haven’t done. You are already a whole person and possess a life of infinite meaning and purpose because of who you are—a child of God. The only identity equation that works in God’s kingdom is you plus Christ equals wholeness of meaning.

If our relationship with God is the key to wholeness, why do so many believers struggle with their identity, security, significance, sense of worth, and spiritual maturity? Ignorance is the primary reason. The prophet Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (4:6). For others, it is carnality, the lack of repentance, and little or no faith in God. Others are being deceived by the Father of Lies.

THE ONLY IDENTITY EQUATION THAT WORKS

Sadly, a great number of Christians are trapped in the same downward spiral. We fail, so we see ourselves as failures. This was my self-concept for well over forty years. Constant poor decisions, two failed marriages, and four decades of active addiction seemed to inject a false sense of meaning and identity into my life. We sin, so we see ourselves as sinners, which only leads to more sin. To understand the Gospel and who we are in Christ, we need to look at the creation account and the subsequent fall of humankind.

THE EFFECTS OF THE FALL

Unfortunately, the idyllic setting in the Garden of Eden was shattered. Genesis 3 tells the sad story of Adam and Eve’s lost relationship with God through sin. The effects of their fall were dramatic, immediate, and far reaching, infecting every subsequent member of the human race.  What happened to Adam and Eve spiritually because of the Fall? They died. Their union with God was severed, and they were separated from Him. Was this a physical death? Not immediately, although physical death would be a consequence of the Fall as well. They died spiritually; they were separated from God’s presence. They were physically cast out of the Garden of Eden and a cherubim waving a flaming sword was stationed at the entrance “to guard the way to the Tree of Life” (Genesis 3:24).

Lost Knowledge of God

What effect did the Fall produce in Adam’s mind? He lost his true perception of reality, and the idea of knowing God was no longer relational. Instead, it was about accumulating data about God. Adam and Eve tried to hide from God after their disobedience. Certainly, this reveals a faulty understanding of who God is. How can you hide from an omnipresent God? Their distorted perception of reality reflects Paul’s description of the futile thinking of those who don’t understand who God is. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts” (Ephesians 4:18, NIV). For me, I had become so lost that I didn’t even realize how lost I was.

ALL SINFUL BEHAVIOR IS A WRONG ATTEMPT AT MEETING BASIC NEEDS. THE ESSENCE OF SIN IS A MAN LIVING INDEPENDENTLY OF GOD, WHO HAS SAID THAT HE WILL MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS AS WE LIVE OUT LIFE IN CHRIST.

When they sinned and were banished from the Garden, Adam and Eve lost their relationship with and intimate knowledge of God, which was intrinsic to that relationship. In our unregenerate state, we may have known something about God, but we didn’t know God because we had no relationship with Him. “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

THE EXAMPLE OF CHRIST

Many Christians are not living free and productive lives because they don’t understand who they are and why they are here. Who they are is rooted in their identity and position in Christ. If they don’t see themselves the way God sees them, to that degree they suffer from a false identity and poor sense of worth. In other words, they don’t fully understand the Gospel and the dramatic change that occurred in them the moment they trusted in Christ. The redemptive plan of God began to unfold when Christ, the last Adam, appeared. The first thing we notice about the life of Christ is His complete dependence on God the Father. He said, “I can do nothing on My own initiative” (John 5:30). “I live because of the Father” (6:57).

Jesus Came to Give Us Life

Like the first Adam, Jesus was born both physically and spiritually alive. This was made evident by the fact that Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of God and was born of a virgin. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus was tempted in every way, but He never sinned. He never lost His spiritual life because of any sin He committed. He kept His spiritual life all the way to the cross. What Adam and Eve lost in the Fall was spiritual life, and Jesus came to give us life. Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

THE WHOLE GOSPEL

Many Christians are living under half a Gospel. They may have heard that Jesus is the Messiah who came to die for their sins, and if they pray to receive Christ, they will go to heaven when they die. They know their sins will be forgiven, but they don’t see the benefit of a personal relationship with Christ. Perhaps you’ve been plagued by this unfortunate short-sightedness, as I have. What’s wrong with thinking this is all there is to salvation? It is only half the Gospel. If you came across a dead man and you had the power to save him, what would you do? Give him life? If that is all you did, then he would die again. To save the dead person, you would have to cure the disease that caused him to die.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE CHRIST’S DIFFERENCE MAKES

Believers are alive in Christ. Being spiritually alive in Him is the overwhelming theme of the New Testament. In the Book of Ephesians alone we find 40 references to being “in Christ” and having Christ in us. For every biblical passage that teaches that Christ is in you, 10 teach that you are “in Christ.” This is the primary basis for Paul’s theology. “For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17, emphasis mine).

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Here’s the thing: We weren’t born in Christ at the time of our natural birth. We were born dead in our trespasses and sins (see Ephesians 2:1). Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Physical birth gains only physical life for us. Spiritual life, the eternal life Christ promises to those who come to Him, is gained only through spiritual birth (see 3:36). The moment you were born again your soul came into union with God in the same way Adam was in union with God before the Fall. You became spiritually alive, and your name was written in the Lamb’s book of life (see Revelation 21:27). Eternal life is not something you get when you die.

New Life Brings New Identity

Salvation is not a future benefit; rather, it is a present transformation. This is what a large number of born-again Christians do not seem to grasp. Transformation occurs at spiritual birth, not physical death. Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it is a matter of becoming someone new. Salvation is not just forgiveness of sins and a ticket to paradise. A Christian, in terms of his or her deepest identity, is a saint, a spiritually-born child of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light. What you receive as a Christian isn’t the point; it is who you are in Him. It is that identity that now makes you who you are. Moreover, it is not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it is who you are that determines what you do.

Understanding your identity in Christ is essential for living the Christian life. People cannot consistently behave in ways that are inconsistent with the way they perceive themselves. You don’t change yourself by your perception. You change your perception of yourself by believing the truth. If you perceive yourself wrongly, you will live wrongly because what you are believing is not true. If you think you are a no-good bum, you will probably live like a no-good bum. If, however, you see yourself as a child of God who is spiritually alive in Christ, you will begin to live accordingly. Of course, the major strategy of Satan is to distort the character of God and the truth of who we are. He can’t change God, and he can’t do anything to change our identity and position in Christ. If, however, he can get you to believe a lie, you will live as though your identity in Christ isn’t true.

CONCLUSION

One of the greatest ways to help yourself grow into maturity in Christ is to continually remind yourself who you are in Him. The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity. In practice, we should constantly be reminding ourselves who we are. We need to learn to talk to ourselves, and ask ourselves whether we truly understand the scope and meaning of our conversion and baptism. We have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection. We no longer have to be a slave to sin. We have a new Master.

How important is it to know who you are in Christ? Countless numbers of Christians struggle with their day-to-day behavior because they labor under a false perception of who they are. They consider themselves sinners who hope to make it into heaven by God’s grace, but they can’t seem to live above their sinful tendencies. What is the believer’s hope? That you are a child of God now, who is being conformed to the image of God. The person who has this hope “purifies himself” and begins to live according to who he or she really is. You must believe you are a child of God to live like a child of God. “God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)

 

A Study in Romans Chapter 8

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In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explains that we are saved by grace, and not by obeying the Law of Moses. In Romans 6, he dealt with the old objection that if we are under grace, then why should we bother to change our ways. If all our sins are forgiven, why worry about sin? We read in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may abound?  God forbid!” Grace is no excuse to sin. We died to sin when we were crucified with Christ.

In Chapter 7, Paul clarifies the relationship between the law and sin. He begins with the example that the law has authority over someone only so long as he lives. When we died to sin, we also died to the Law of Moses. In the eyes of the law, we are dead. We’ve been given a new life in Christ. Abundant and free. We are supposed to avoid sin, but sin is no longer defined by the law of Moses. Rather, it is defined by the character of Christ.

In the eighth chapter of Romans, Paul makes a declaration of freedom; spiritual freedom through the Holy Spirit. He also speaks of four freedoms we who are believers are to enjoy right now. Remember in our last lesson that Paul told us we are saved by grace.  We are not saved by obeying the written law. This, we discussed, does not of course give us permission to sin. Rather, we should serve God by being slaves to righteousness rather than being slaves to our flesh.

Chapters 6, 7 and 8 of Romans deal with sanctification. In Chapter 6, Paul shows us that we must not continue in sin, but live in holiness. The main theme of Chapter 6 is surrender. Just because we are under grace as born-again Christians, we cannot continue to sin so that grace may abound. Romans 6:1-2 says, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! Grace is no excuse to sin. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Remember, we died to sin when we were crucified with Christ. What had to be done was done. We are to walk in a new, resurrected life with Christ and not serve our flesh.

We are fleshly creatures, for sure. We have a body. We have a mind, will and a soul. We talked in the previous lesson about the struggle within us to live the Christian life. In Romans 7:24-25, Paul writes, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 8:1 speaks of the ultimate freedom. It says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  Paul goes on to say in verse 2 that the Law of the Spirit in Christ Jesus has made us free from the Law of Sin and Death.”

The condemnation spoken about in verse one refers to “guilt.”  It refers us back to Romans 6:3-5 concerning how we were baptized in to Jesus Christ. We were baptized into His death, and  we were buried with Him. Likewise, we were raised up in new life with Him by the glory of the Father. We walk in a newness of life. For if we were planted (that is, grafted in) together with Christ in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection. Our old man is crucified with Christ. The body of sin was destroyed that we might no longer have to serve sin.

The second verse of Chapter 8 deals with two competing laws. The Law of the Spirit of Christ Jesus and the Law of Sin and Death. These are the two most powerful Laws in the Universe; the Law of the Spirit of Christ Jesus alone is stronger than the Law of Sin and Death. This means that if the believer attempts to live for God by any manner other than Faith in Christ and the Cross, he is doomed to fail. In reviewing our prior lesson on Chapter 7, we recall talking about how it’s a struggle to live the Christian life. Romans 7:24 says, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Who will set me free?” Romans 7:25 says, “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

We again see the answer in Romans 8:2, which says, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” There are fifteen things which the law of Moses could not do that are worth mentioning here:  the law could not justify us; it could not free us from sin and death; it could not free us from condemnation; it could not redeem us; it could not give us an inheritance; it could not bring righteousness; it could not impart the Holy Spirit; it could not perform miracles; it could not free us from the curse; it could not impart faith; it could not impart grace; it could not make us perfect; it could not control sin in man; it could not keep man from sin; and it could not enable a man to obey.

Let’s look at those freedoms we mentioned earlier. First, there is freedom from judgment. Romans 8:1-4, in the Amplified Bible, tells us, “Therefore [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit].  Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice]. So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and in according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit.]

Second, there is freedom from defeat. Romans 8:5-17 talks about how those that are after the flesh mind (i.e., pay attention to) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, they mind the things of the Spirit. The phrase “after the flesh” literally means that which you set your affections on. Those who set their affections on the things of the flesh will naturally fulfill them.  Of course, verse 6 tells us that to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is peace and life. Minding the things of the flesh is against God in every way. Such a mind will not obey the law of God, nor can it do so because it submits itself to sin. As long as the sinful mind lives in rebellion it cannot please God. So verse 8 tells us they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

The good news: If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. Quicken here means to make alive. You might remember Romans 7 being filled with words like “I,” “my,” and “me.” Romans 8 is characterized by the word “Spirit” 17 times. Through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we have power to live a Christian life.

That kind of power is available to you when the Holy Spirit controls your mind. For the Apostle Paul, there are only two different mind sets, only two different thought patterns.  They are at odds with one another. Your mind is either controlled by the sinful nature or by the Spirit of Christ. There is no half-measure. In fact, Paul makes it very clear in verse 8 that if you have not the Spirit of Christ you are none of his. He means you’re not quite a Christian yet. When you trust Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance. (See Ephesians 1:13). The seal of the Holy Spirit is a metaphor for how God has given each believer the power of the Holy Spirit living inside enabling us to live differently than we did before.  We know the sinful nature is hostile to God. So if we have the Spirit of Christ in us, yet choose our fleshly behaviors, we grieve the Holy Spirit.

We get freedom from discouragement when we have the Spirit of Christ in us. Just as we get defeated when we feel like a failure, God knows we get discouraged when we don’t have Hope: when we don’t see purpose or meaning in our lives. What often opens the door to discouragement is pain and suffering. Paul says “look, I know you all are going to have pain and tough times, it’s part of life; part of living life as a believer in a hostile world. But it’s going to be worth it all when we see Jesus. Verse 12 tells us we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. We owe the flesh nothing. It has no more control of our lives. We must not live in the sins of the flesh or we shall die. But if we will put to death the practices of the flesh by the Spirit, we shall live. Let’s look at Galatians 5:16-18.  My study Bible has the subheading of “victory.” The verses say, “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law.” We are going to get into this more in depth in a few weeks when we shift our focus from Romans to Galatians and study the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

Despite our trials, our weakness and our sins, “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” God does not cause all things, but he allows them and works with them for his purpose. He has a plan for us, and we can be confident that he will complete his work in us. God planned in advance that we should become like his Son, Jesus Christ. So he called us through the Gospel, justified us through faith in his Son, and united us with him in his glory: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (See Romans 8:29-30)

The meaning of foreknowledge and predestination is vigorously debated, and this verse does not resolve the debate, for Paul is not focusing on these words here (nor does he elsewhere). Paul is not commenting, for example, on whether God allows people to reject the glory he has planned for them. Paul’s purpose here, as he nears the climax of his presentation of the Gospel, is to assure readers that they do not need to worry about their salvation. If they want it, they’ll get it. And for rhetorical effect, Paul speaks even of being glorified in the past tense. It is as good as done. Even though we have struggles in this life, we can count on glory in the next life.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all — how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (verses 31-32). If God went so far as to give us his Son even when we were sinners, we can be sure that He will give us everything else that we need to make it. We can be sure that He is not going to get angry at us and take away His offer.

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies” (v. 33). On the day of judgment, no one can accuse us, for God has declared us not guilty. No one can condemn us, for Christ our Savior is interceding for us: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (v. 34). We have not just a sacrifice for our sins, but also a living Savior who continues to help us in our journey toward glory. Paul’s rhetorical skill shines in the stirring climax of the chapter: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’” (verses 35-37, quoting Psalm 44:22) Can our troubles separate us from God? Even if we are killed for the faith, have we lost the battle?

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) I like the fact that the Apostle Paul did not say that we will become conquerors if we work at it; rather, he said we are more than conquerors right now. This simply means that the work has been done by Christ. The enemy is defeated. We died to sin when Christ died, and we are raised up in life with Him. If we start acting like it, seeing ourselves as more than conquerors, we will live a prosperous and victorious life. Start looking through the eyes of faith. See yourself prospering, and keep that image in your heart and mind.