I Am Identified With Christ

Identity theft is defined as the fraudulent acquisition and use of a person's private identifying information, usually for financial gain. Although this definition describes what is taking place in our world today, identity theft has actually been taking place since the fall of man. Jesus tells us, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) From the Garden of Eden the thief has been stealing from humanity all the God has freely given him.

For centuries, man has been working hard to regain his standing before God. The religions of the world as well as the so called Christian cults, such as Russellism and Mormonism have worked to no avail to correct what Adam's act of disobedience had brought upon humanity. Naturally, it begins and ends with the person of the God man, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This also includes the various sects of Catholicism and the many denominations within Protestantism. Although Catholicism and Protestantism have a similar fundamental belief of the incarnate birth of Christ as well as His vicarious death, resurrection, ascension and glorification, the majority still present a beggarly redemption in Christ.

For the most part, the church in all of it divisions has been very strong in teaching man his need of righteousness, but has also taught his weakness and inability to please God. It preaches the denunciation of sins, against unbelief, world conformity, and lack of faith, but has been sadly lacking in presenting the truth of what and who believers are in Christ. It has lacked in teaching how righteousness and faith are available to all who put their faith in Christ. This type of teaching puts redemption off until after death and therefore raises many questions.

• Is it after death and in heaven when we will find rest?
• Is it after death and in heaven when we will have victory?
• Is it after death and in heaven when we become overcomers?
• Is it after death and in heaven when we will have peace with God?
• Is it after death and in heaven when we will have no more failings?
• Is it after death and in heaven when we are complete? 
• Is all we have to look forward to on this side of heaven, failure, misery, disappointment and weakness?

Unfortunately, today, most have never come to understand the distinction between saint and sinner. Many have come to believe that as long as a believer lives on the earth in these bodies, he will always be a hopeless sinner that does not have the ability to please God. They acknowledge the fact that God has provided a "new birth" but that His new birth only provides eternal life and forgiveness. But is this a Biblical perspective of redemption? Will relief only come when we pass from this life to the next? Scripture is very clear that we live in His presence now and if God cannot present us before His presence now, in this life, then what the Bible teaches concerning redemption is all future and physical death is where one finally experiences redemption. However, if it requires death to cleanse us from sin and make the believer free, then we are left in quite a dilemma, because death is of the Devil. (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 1:18)

This would indicate that God in His plan of redemption was unable to give us victory, but that He needed the devil to complete His redemptive work. This sounds far-fetched, but when you think about how redemption is presented in most of Christendom today this would be the conclusion. The truth is, God Himself is now our very righteousness, and that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21) We also are partakers of God's very nature. (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Peter 1:4) Therefore, the believer does have rest (Hebrews 4:3); victory (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14); is an overcomer (Romans 8:37); has peace with God (Romans 5:1); is no longer a failure (Philippians 4:13); and is complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10); which means that believers no longer have to live this life in failure, misery, disappointment and weakness. PTL

The fact is "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ..." (2 Corinthians 5:17) A person cannot be in Christ and have the devil's nature in him at the same time. He is either in the family of God or in the family of Satan. There is no dual nature. It's one or the other, "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest..." (1 John 3:10) There can be no real development of faith, no strong, victorious Christian life with this mixed conception of the believer in Christ. We are either new creations or we are not. We have either passed from death into life or not. (John 5:24)

When Paul says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you..." (Romans 6:14) he means exactly what he says. If you live a life of weakness and defeat, it is because you do not know what and who you are in Christ and how the Father see you, which, I believe is the greatest need of the church at this hour. Look at this incredible truth, "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." (Colossians 1:21-22) Does this sound like failure, misery, disappointment and weakness? Absolutely not! This is a present reality. Believers stand before God complete in Christ.

If God was unable to take the sin nature out of us when we are born again, if the blood of Jesus was not sufficient to wipe it out, then preaching from the Bible gives no hope in this life and God's Word is reduced to nothing more than philosophy, which enlightens, but does not bring life. Also, keep in mind that unrighteousness prevents one from coming into the presence of God, yet God's Word tells us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:12)

Remember, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Jesus came to bring, not only the after life (eternal life) but life now to those who can believe. It has been the devil who has and is constantly working at stealing the believers identity in Christ and leaving him with a sin consciousness, that is, the feeling of guilt, condemnation and inferiority before God. But thanks be to God who has justified us freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus and Who is the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:24, 26) PTL