In Him

There is an issue that has damaged many people's lives in today's societies that deals with identity, it's called "identity thief." Identity thief is defined as "the fraudulent acquisition and use of a person's private identifying information, usually for financial gain." There is also another issue that deals with ones identity found within the world of psychology, called "identity crisis." This has been defined as "the failure to achieve ego identity during adolescence; a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person's sense of identity becomes insecure." Both of these identity issues are the result of a satanically influenced, fallen world.

In the Garden of Eden, God made man in His own image and likeness. (Genesis 1:26) However, when Adam sinned against God, he actually lost his identity. He had now taken on the identity of his new father, Satan. Jesus clear reveals this in one of His confrontations with the religious leaders during His ministry on earth as the Son of Man, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44) Adam as the representative of all humanity has caused the entire human race to take on this fallen satanic nature, identity. Jesus warns us today, "The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." (John 10:10) From the fall, man is now faced with a stolen identity which has led him into an identity crisis. Although man lost his identity, God has made a way for him to once again be identified with his Creator, God Himself, through faith in Jesus Christ.      

What fallen man does not comprehend and many believers have not found, is that the spirit is who we really are. The body is not the real person, it is merely the vehicle in which the spirit lives. The soul (mind, will and emotions) is also not the real person but simply the part of mankind that uses the five senses to accrue information to operate in the natural realm. Simply remove one of the five senses, and the mind loses its ability to learn and grow. If all five senses are removed, the mind is rendered completely useless. The Apostle Paul tells us, "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..." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) The Apostle Peter tells us, "...that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature..." (2 Peter 1:4) Man could not be a partaker of God's divine nature (God is Spirit, John 4:24), if man were not recreated. 

As a sinner, man is called "the old man" (Ephesians 4:22), who cannot approach God (Ephesians 2:12-13) except through Christ. However, when one comes to Christ, he/she receives a new identity. He become a new man. (Ephesians 4:24) God has recreated him. The old man has stopped being, and the new man has taken its place. The o1d man was born of the spiritually dead satanic nature. The new man is born of the very nature of God the Father. The believer no longer needs to identify with the old nature, because God has recreated a new one. The identity crisis is over. The stolen identity has been restored. Man in Christ is returned to his true identity, a partaker of the divine nature.

Think about this; the old creation had no standing with God. The new creation in Christ, can now stand in the Father's presence as though sin had never been. As Paul reveals, the new creation man has become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is why it is so imperative to develop the recreated human spirit, through the Word of God, (Romans 10:17), so the believer can know his identity in Christ. Paul tells us, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) Notice, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Paul no longer identifies himself with his old sinful nature, but identifies himself with his new recreated nature, that of Jesus Christ. 

Way to often from pulpits, believers hear how they are nothing more than sinners. This is the cause of many believers having an identity crisis. As we see in the scriptures above, the recreated person in Christ is just that, in Christ, not in the devil. "God has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Colossians 1:13) "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3) How can a person be delivered from darkness and be hidden in Christ if he or she were a sinner? "To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." (Psalm 92:15 - also see John 7:18) It is unrighteousness (sin) that keeps people from God. If believers were still sinners, then they would not be permitted in the presence of God. However, the writer of Hebrews says, "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 4:16)        

The fact is, Christ became as we were, so that we might become as He is. He died so that we could live. (John 10:10) He was made sin, to make us righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He became weak, to make us strong. (Philippians 4:13) He suffered shame, to give us glory. (John 17:17) He was condemned, so we could be justified. (Romans 5:1) He was made sick, so we could have health and healing. (1 Peter 2:24) He was forsaken by the Father and went to Hades, in order to take us to heaven. (Acts 2:27) In Christ the believer finds his/her new and true identity. So let us no longer be rob of who we truly are and know "...as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17) PTL!!!     

My New Identity

The Bible reveals that Jesus has offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of humanity (Revelation 1:5-6). He suffered and died as mans substitute (Acts 2:29-36), paid for man’s crimes by satisfying justice (Romans 3:21-26), was made alive and justified in spirit (1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Peter 3:18), raised from the dead (Acts 13:33-34) and has taken His blood to heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High making mans redemption both available and eternal (Hebrew 1:3, 9:11-12, 10:10-14).

Although redemption has been made available for all humanity through Jesus Christ, it only becomes a reality to those who confess the Lordship of Christ and receive Him as Savior. (Romans 10:9-10) With that said, I have found that there are few in the church today who really know, possesses and enjoy their God given rights and privileges that redemption has made possible. To fully understand and embrace what the Father has worked through Christ for believers takes revelation faith. In other words, we can read the Bible continuously, but until one "receives with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul," (James 1:21) it becomes a vague proposition at best. It becomes difficult to believe that we truly are what and who God says we are in Christ. God's Word must become a part of our very being in the same way that a child within the womb is a part of a woman's body.

The Holy Spirit speaking through the apostle Paul tells us, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Although our faith increases through God's Word, our faith is measured by our knowledge of our place and our rights as God’s children as well as our ability to stand in the presences of God without guilt, condemnation, shame or inferiority. When we truly know these things we will no longer deal with fear, doubt or unbelief and we will know that through faith in Christ we have as good a standing before the Father as Jesus had in His earth walk. This also means that the struggle of trying to acquire more faith is settled and we will live on this earth in the same manner that Jesus did. If we know who we are in Christ, then in a sense, there is no struggle for faith because we do not need faith for that which we know.

I have a covered patio that is attached to the rear of my house. A recent storm with damaging winds damaged a portion of the roof. I do not need faith to believe the patio is mine. I can see it and touch it. It is on my property and it is attached to my house. However, I may need to exercise faith for the finances to replace the roof  So you see, believers do not need to exercise faith for the things that they know to be true. How about if you went to a store and bought a television. You paid cash for it and have the receipt as proof of purchase. Who owns the television, you or the store? Of course you do. You paid the price required which met the conditions to make a legal business transaction thereby taking ownership of the television. Not only that, but because the television is yours, you can say or do whatever you want concerning the television. Now, what if the CEO of the company that manufactured the television came to your house and demand ownership of the TV. Who is the rightful owner? Of course you are. What if the CEO took you to court and his attorney pleaded a case of ownership to a judge. You hire an attorney and your attorney shows the judge the receipt, the proof of purchase. Who will the judge say is the owner of the television? Of course you are.

In the same manner the believer belongs to Christ! He owns us! We are His! (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) This also means that we are who and what He says we are! The following are a few things to meditate on concerning who and what we are in the mind of the God our Father...

• We have peace with God (Romans 5:1)
• We have God's wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30)
• We are one with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17)
• We are New Creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• We are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)
• We have been made alive in Christ and sit with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:4-10)
• We have God working in us to do His will (Philippians 2:13)
• We are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
• We are holy and blameless in His sight (Colossians 1:22)
• We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
• We enjoy rest in Christ (Hebrews 4:3)
• We are His own special people (1 Peter 2:9)
• We are partakers of exceeding great and precious promises and the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4)
• We have eternal life (1 John 2:25)
• We are kings and priests (Revelation 1:4-6)

Although these passages of scripture are but a few that reveal who and what we are in the mind of God, take some time and meditate on these until you receive a revelation of these facts.
"So Christ has made us free. Now make sure that you stay free" (Galatians 5:1)….  

Crucifixion Means Freedom

One of the big misunderstandings that many believers deal with in the Apostles Paul's epistles is fully understanding the difference between law and nature. We need to understand the difference between the two so that we can experience the freedom that comes through Christ. Nature is defined as the particular qualities, temperaments, affections, appetites, passions, or disposition of a person; that is, who a person is. Whereas law is defined in this sense as the controlling “influence” of sin; what a person does. When we look at Romans 7, Paul is not telling us the struggle that he has as a born again believer who has a new nature, (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Peter 1:4), but what the Jew under the law constantly dealt with. (Romans 7:1) They were not born again and still possessed the old fallen nature. Believers who still deal with ungodly or sinful habits simply need a revelation of who they are in Christ; who Christ is in them; and how the Father sees them. They need to stop identifying with the old nature and live by faith in their new nature and identity in Christ.

We will see this unfold even greater as we begin looking at the Apostle Paul’s revelation of identification. He tells us, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) Several times the Apostle Paul uses the preposition “with” in connection with the revelation given to him in his teaching of Christ substitutionary work. Here Paul tells us that “he was crucified with Christ.” This gives us the key that unlocks the teachings of the believers new identification. The question arises, "How is it possible that Paul was crucified with Christ, when Jesus is seen on the cross alone and that He died (depending on various historic records used) one to three years before Paul’s conversion? For some, this seems to cause a dilemma.

However, we must keep in mind that we are dealing with spiritual realities that can only be understood through faith. When Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ” it meant he had been judged, condemned, cast out, stripped naked, and nailed to the cross with Christ. Paul is not speaking theoretically, metaphorically nor is he presenting a fantasy, this is absolute truth; as real as the air we breathe. The very thought of crucifixion to a Jew, and especially to a Pharisee, brought a sense of shame and horror. When Saul of Tarsus confessed Jesus as Lord, he was instantly identified with Christ. Now, like most people when becoming born again, Paul may or may not have had a complete revelation of this at the moment of his conversion, nevertheless, he immediately became a crucified man, an outcast, not only to the Jews but to the entire world.

Paul also tells us, "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Galatians 6:14) The world had been stripped naked to Paul. There was no longer any delusion in regard to it. He remembered the stoning; the sleeplessness; the hunger and thirst; the cold and nakedness. He remembered that in every place he went, he faced the anger, bitterness, and jealousy of men. For most believers, there is a lack of truly seeing themselves crucified with Christ in reality. Paul saw his identification with Christ in His crucifixion. Christs' crucifixion did not merely mean His death. It means every person who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and takes Him as Savior is immediately in union with Him in His disgrace and suffering.

The Apostle Paul says, "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." (Romans 6:6) When a person receives and lives in the revelation of our crucifixion with Christ, verses of scripture such as this become liberating. The Holy Spirit through Paul concerning our identification with Christ tells us, that our old man, the hidden man of the heart, our spirit, the real man who was filled with spiritual death, the satanic nature, was nailed to the cross with Christ. The reality of the meritorious work of Christ reveals that Christ went to the cross, not for Himself, not as a martyr but as a Substitute. When Christ was nailed to the cross, we were nailed to the cross with Him. Although the objective behind crucifying Jesus, in the mind of the hateful, anger mob, was to get rid of Him, in the mind of God it meant Jesus’ identification with humanity in its sin and suffering, as well as humanities identification with Him in His crucifixion.

The moment that Jesus was nailed to the cross, justice began to do its awful work behind the scenes.
Keeping in mind that the people who surrounded the cross were not born again, they could only see the physical man, Jesus, nailed to the cross. However, God could see His spirit. Angels could see His spirit. Demons could see His spirit, that is, the real man, hidden in His body. Here is the good news to end any dilemma that you may have concerning who you are in Christ; Who Christ is in you and how the Father truly sees you. "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Again, "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."" (Romans 6:4-6) PTL 

Finally, the Apostle Paul shows us the freedom that every believer can walk in if he/she will apply faith to God's Word. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who  do not walk according to the flesh, (law) but according to the Spirit. (new nature) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) Never again confess that you are a sinner saved by grace, but that you were a sinner saved by grace and now you are the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all...