One of the most exciting revelations shown in the Bible, is who the
believer is "in Christ." For the most part, before the born again
experience, our minds were dominated by the world with all of its
negativity and carnality. For most in the church today, the world ruled
mind has prevented many to see what they have now become in Christ. This
also has kept many at the "cross" rather than experiencing the
resurrected new life "in Christ." The cross is the place of death,
whereas the resurrection is the place of new life.
We find in the Epistles, especially the Pauline Epistles, the phrases, "in Him" or "in Christ."
It is these two simple words that begin to reveal the facts of who the
believer truly is in the mind of our Heavenly Father. We were "in Him"
when Jesus was nailed to the cross, "I have been crucified with Christ." (Galatians 2:20) We were "in Him" when He died, "If we died with Christ." (Romans 6:8) We were in Him when He was made alive in hell, "made us alive together in Christ" (Ephesians 2:5) We were in Him when He conquered hell and death, "I have the keys of hell and death." (Revelation 1:18) We were in Him when He rose from the dead, "raised us up together." (Ephesians 2:6) We are in Him today in the heavenly places, "made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6)
When the Father looks upon the believer, He sees us in Christ.
The believers position in Christ guarantees true intimate fellowship
with the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3) It also means that Satan
cannot reach us or touch us because his authority over the believer has
been completely destroyed. (Colossians 2:15) Most important we must know
without doubt that the Father is expecting us to occupy our position in
Christ where there is no guilt, condemnation or inferiority (Romans
8:1); where we stand complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10); where His
fullness becomes ours, (John 1:16); where His grace and strength becomes
ours (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In the mind of the Father, there is no such thing as failure or defeat
for the believer (Romans 8:37) because as noted above, the believer is "in Christ."
All it take is simple faith on the part of the believer to release the
power of God to meet every need whether in spirit, soul or body.
Although these frail bodies of ours at one time had been stained with
sin and marred with sickness, we are now His dwelling place (1
Corinthians 3:16). Sin can no longer have dominion over us (Romans
6:14); and sickness and disease can no long touch us (1 Peter 2:24)
without our consent. The great Almighty Creator who spoke the worlds
into being dwells in our body. Can you see just how mighty that makes
us? This is all due to us being "in Christ." "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) PTL
Showing posts with label In Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In Christ. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2022
Christ In Me
Monday, June 17, 2019
Far Above
What a wonderful life that has been provided for humanity in the Father's brilliant plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Let us look at how it unfolds. "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:19-23)
"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10)
There is certainly a lot in these passages of scripture that we need to embrace as part of our inheritance in Christ. We see that, Christ was raised from the dead and the Father seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Notice that Christ is not seated above all principality and power and might and dominion, but seated FAR ABOVE all principality and power and might and dominion. Next, we see the Father made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Believers are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and as Christ is, believers are also far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
In other words, in our position in Christ, no demon, evil spirit nor the devil himself can deter us, unless we give them our consent. Our seating with Christ not only puts us far above all principality and power and might and dominion, but also means we reign with Christ from that position. The position of triumph! "For if one man’s offense meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live all their lives like kings!" (Romans 5:17 Phillips) Notice, our position in Christ is a position of authority, honor, and triumph, not failure, weakness and defeat. We are in Christ, period! It is not a question of education or ordination but merely a question of believers apprehending our true position in Christ.
God reveals these truths to be so, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8) God’s Word cannot fail any more than God Himself can fail. He and His Word are one. However, our faith in God’s Word will dictate our confession of it, and our confession of God’s Word is gauged by what we believe. I am not talking about the confession of sin, it is the confession of our position in Christ, of our legal rights, that is, what the Father has done for us in Christ, and what the Holy Spirit has done and is doing in us through the Word. May God help us by the power of the Holy Spirit to enter into the riches of our inheritance in Christ as we sit with Him far above everything that would attempt to lie and or deceive us of our place in Christ. So, stand fast on God's Word and confess our position in Christ. Grace and peace be with you...
"And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:1-10)
There is certainly a lot in these passages of scripture that we need to embrace as part of our inheritance in Christ. We see that, Christ was raised from the dead and the Father seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Notice that Christ is not seated above all principality and power and might and dominion, but seated FAR ABOVE all principality and power and might and dominion. Next, we see the Father made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Believers are seated with Christ in heavenly places, and as Christ is, believers are also far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
In other words, in our position in Christ, no demon, evil spirit nor the devil himself can deter us, unless we give them our consent. Our seating with Christ not only puts us far above all principality and power and might and dominion, but also means we reign with Christ from that position. The position of triumph! "For if one man’s offense meant that men should be slaves to death all their lives, it is a far greater thing that through another man, Jesus Christ, men by their acceptance of his more than sufficient grace and righteousness, should live all their lives like kings!" (Romans 5:17 Phillips) Notice, our position in Christ is a position of authority, honor, and triumph, not failure, weakness and defeat. We are in Christ, period! It is not a question of education or ordination but merely a question of believers apprehending our true position in Christ.
God reveals these truths to be so, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:89) "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8) God’s Word cannot fail any more than God Himself can fail. He and His Word are one. However, our faith in God’s Word will dictate our confession of it, and our confession of God’s Word is gauged by what we believe. I am not talking about the confession of sin, it is the confession of our position in Christ, of our legal rights, that is, what the Father has done for us in Christ, and what the Holy Spirit has done and is doing in us through the Word. May God help us by the power of the Holy Spirit to enter into the riches of our inheritance in Christ as we sit with Him far above everything that would attempt to lie and or deceive us of our place in Christ. So, stand fast on God's Word and confess our position in Christ. Grace and peace be with you...
Monday, September 15, 2014
No Longer I, But Christ
One of the most exciting revelations shown in the Bible, is who the believer is "in Christ." For the most part, before the born again experience, our minds were dominated by the world with all of its negativity and carnality. For most in the church today, the world ruled mind has prevented many to see what they have now become in Christ. This also has kept many at the "cross" rather than experiencing the resurrected new life "in Christ." The cross is the place of death, whereas the resurrection is the place of new life.
We find in the Epistles, especially the Pauline Epistles, the phrases, "in Him" or "in Christ." It is these two simple words that begin to reveal the facts of who the believer truly is in the mind of our Heavenly Father. We were "in Him" when Jesus was nailed to the cross, "I have been crucified with Christ." (Galatians 2:20) We were "in Him" when He died, "If we died with Christ." (Romans 6:8) We were in Him when He was made alive in hell, "made us alive together in Christ" (Ephesians 2:5) We were in Him when He conquered hell and death, "I have the keys of hell and death." (Revelation 1:18) We were in Him when He rose from the dead, "raised us up together." (Ephesians 2:6) We are in Him today in the heavenly places, "made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6)
When the Father looks upon the believer, He sees us in Christ. The believers position in Christ guarantees true intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3) It also means that Satan cannot reach us or touch us because his authority over the believer has been completely destroyed. (Colossians 2:15) Most important we must know without doubt that the Father is expecting us to occupy our position in Christ where there is no guilt, condemnation or inferiority (Romans 8:1); where we stand complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10); where His fullness becomes ours, (John 1:16); where His grace and strength becomes ours (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In the mind of the Father, there is no such thing as failure or defeat for the believer (Romans 8:37) because as noted above, the believer is "in Christ." All it take is simple faith on the part of the believer to release the power of God to meet every need whether in spirit, soul or body. Although these frail bodies of ours at one time had been stained with sin and marred with sickness, we are now His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 3:16). Sin can no longer have dominion over us (Romans 6:14); and sickness and disease can no long touch us (1 Peter 2:24) without our consent. The great Almighty Creator who spoke the worlds into being dwells in our body. Can you see just how mighty that makes us? This is all due to us being "in Christ." "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) PTL
We find in the Epistles, especially the Pauline Epistles, the phrases, "in Him" or "in Christ." It is these two simple words that begin to reveal the facts of who the believer truly is in the mind of our Heavenly Father. We were "in Him" when Jesus was nailed to the cross, "I have been crucified with Christ." (Galatians 2:20) We were "in Him" when He died, "If we died with Christ." (Romans 6:8) We were in Him when He was made alive in hell, "made us alive together in Christ" (Ephesians 2:5) We were in Him when He conquered hell and death, "I have the keys of hell and death." (Revelation 1:18) We were in Him when He rose from the dead, "raised us up together." (Ephesians 2:6) We are in Him today in the heavenly places, "made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:6)
When the Father looks upon the believer, He sees us in Christ. The believers position in Christ guarantees true intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son. (1 John 1:3) It also means that Satan cannot reach us or touch us because his authority over the believer has been completely destroyed. (Colossians 2:15) Most important we must know without doubt that the Father is expecting us to occupy our position in Christ where there is no guilt, condemnation or inferiority (Romans 8:1); where we stand complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10); where His fullness becomes ours, (John 1:16); where His grace and strength becomes ours (2 Corinthians 12:9)
In the mind of the Father, there is no such thing as failure or defeat for the believer (Romans 8:37) because as noted above, the believer is "in Christ." All it take is simple faith on the part of the believer to release the power of God to meet every need whether in spirit, soul or body. Although these frail bodies of ours at one time had been stained with sin and marred with sickness, we are now His dwelling place (1 Corinthians 3:16). Sin can no longer have dominion over us (Romans 6:14); and sickness and disease can no long touch us (1 Peter 2:24) without our consent. The great Almighty Creator who spoke the worlds into being dwells in our body. Can you see just how mighty that makes us? This is all due to us being "in Christ." "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) PTL
Monday, August 12, 2013
Wow, Look What Jesus Did For Me
Once you have been in the church enough years and are exposed to Christians from the many denominations that exist, you will find that not to many of them realize the oneness that we have with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For most, Jesus was beaten, condemned, crucified, died and raised from the dead and by confessing Him as Lord and accepting Him as Savior who paid for our sins one escapes judgment and will spend eternity in heaven. Although this is true, what most believers have missed is what happened in the spiritual realm. It was what Jesus did for humanity in the spiritual realm far surpasses what happened to Jesus in the natural. All the people who surrounded the cross could only see the physical man Jesus, hanging on the cross, beaten, bleeding and physically dying. In the same way, all the people who watch movies depicting the life and death of Jesus only see the same. However, man is a spirit with a soul in a body and in the spiritual realm God the Father, the angels and demons could see the real man hidden in His body. So let us look at what took place beyond the beating and crucifixion of His physical body.
"He has made Him who knew nothing of sin to be sin for us..." (2 Corinthians 5:21) But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed. We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet Adonai laid on him the guilt of all of us." (Isaiah 53:5-6) "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") (Galatians 3:13) On the cross not only did Jesus become sin, but He became a curse also. Is it any wonder that the Father had forsaken Him, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
As this awful drama continues we see that, "Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our diseases..." (Isaiah 53:4) Another translation says, "In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered..." Laid upon Jesus as He hung on the cross was the sin, diseases and sicknesses of the human race. Through the years the ignorance of some would blame the Jews or even the Romans (Gentiles) for what had happened to Jesus. But we see that, "it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief." (Isaiah 53:10) another version says, "it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; He has made Him sick." Finally, upon the cross Jesus' physical life was extinguished, "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit." (Matthew 27:50) Notice that He yielded up His spirit, not the Spirit. All of the sin, sickness, disease and pains were not place on His physical body, but upon His spirit. Once this happened He became mortal, that is, subject to death. Remember what Jesus said, "...I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again..." (John 10:17-18)
No one could take His life from Him, He could not be killed. This may be hard for some to believe, but even after He turned Himself over to be put to death, His body could not die until sin had been placed upon His spirit making Him mortal. In other words, Jesus had to die spiritually, as Adam did, before He could die physically, as Adam also did. Once He became one with fallen man in weakness, in sin, in disease and spiritual death, He physically died and His spirit went to hell for three days and three nights. (Matthew 12:40) Now let us look at what this all means for the believer. To do this we must look beyond the natural realm and think on terms of the spiritual realm.
The apostle Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ..." (Galatians 2:20) This means that Paul (all believers) were judged, condemned, stripped naked and nailed to the cross with Jesus, "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) Next, Paul also tells us, "do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death..." (Romans 6:3-4) When Jesus died and His spirit went to hell, we died and went to hell. "For my soul hath been full of evils, and my life hath come to Sheol. I have been reckoned with those going down [to] the pit, I have been as a man without strength. Among the dead -- free, As pierced ones lying in the grave, Whom Thou hast not remembered any more, Yea, they by Thy hand have been cut off. Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in depths." (Psalms 88:3-6)
Now look at the reality of what took place at the end of the three days and nights that Jesus spent in hell, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18) In the dark regions of hell Jesus was made alive by the Spirit. Concerning the believer Paul tells us, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..." (Ephesians 2:5) "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him" (Colossians 2:13) When Jesus was made alive we were made alive.
Next, we see another incredible truth concerning the believers identification with Christ, "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21) "and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) When Jesus was raised from the dead and sat down at the Fathers right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come, we too were raised from the dead and sit together with Christ.
For Christ to sit down at the Fathers right hand after being made sin and for the believer to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places could never happen for Christ or the believer if something miraculous did not happen first. "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:17-19) "God has fulfilled this for us their children, (the seed of Abraham) in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm, You are My Son, today I have begotten You. And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption..." (Acts 13:33-34) Jesus became mans substitute and was declared righteous because He had satisfied the claims of justice. He was made so righteous, that He could enter into the presences of the Father as though He had never been made sin. But it doesn't stop there.
"Therefore, having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) Because Jesus was made righteous, then all who confess Him as Lord and accept Him as Savior are automatically made the righteousness of God in Christ. We also become completely new, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) This all means that Satan and all of his forces of darkness no longer have dominion over the believer. The believer is a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and therefore sin, disease and sickness no longer belong to the New Created, Born Again believer. The Father has made us one with Christ. (John 15:5) Hallelujah!
So, if you have been told or are still being told things such as, you are still a sinner who was saved by grace; that you do not have the ability to please God; that you have a dual nature, one of sin and one righteousness; that God does not heal, deliver and make one whole today and or that being saved only means that you won't go to hell, then you are struggling with "The Doctrines of the Dark Ages" and do not live the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give. (John 10:10) Paul tells us, "And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17) and "It is for freedom that Christ set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not again be held under the yoke of slavery." (the fallen nature that you had before you were born again, Galatians 5:1) Also, "For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, (the fallen nature that you had before you were born again) which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt; That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed; (with God's Word) And that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature (the born again nature) which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the Truth (God's Word) (Ephesians 4:22-24)
It is OK to listen to what others say, but every Christian must do what they did in the City of Berea (located in southwestern Macedonia) where Paul and Silas preached the gospel, "...they welcomed the Message with great readiness, and daily examined the Scriptures to see if what was said was true." (Acts 17:11) May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion with the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
"He has made Him who knew nothing of sin to be sin for us..." (2 Corinthians 5:21) But he was wounded because of our crimes, crushed because of our sins; the disciplining that makes us whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed. We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way; yet Adonai laid on him the guilt of all of us." (Isaiah 53:5-6) "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") (Galatians 3:13) On the cross not only did Jesus become sin, but He became a curse also. Is it any wonder that the Father had forsaken Him, "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)
As this awful drama continues we see that, "Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our diseases..." (Isaiah 53:4) Another translation says, "In fact, it was our diseases he bore, our pains from which he suffered..." Laid upon Jesus as He hung on the cross was the sin, diseases and sicknesses of the human race. Through the years the ignorance of some would blame the Jews or even the Romans (Gentiles) for what had happened to Jesus. But we see that, "it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief." (Isaiah 53:10) another version says, "it pleased Jehovah to crush Him; He has made Him sick." Finally, upon the cross Jesus' physical life was extinguished, "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit." (Matthew 27:50) Notice that He yielded up His spirit, not the Spirit. All of the sin, sickness, disease and pains were not place on His physical body, but upon His spirit. Once this happened He became mortal, that is, subject to death. Remember what Jesus said, "...I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again..." (John 10:17-18)
No one could take His life from Him, He could not be killed. This may be hard for some to believe, but even after He turned Himself over to be put to death, His body could not die until sin had been placed upon His spirit making Him mortal. In other words, Jesus had to die spiritually, as Adam did, before He could die physically, as Adam also did. Once He became one with fallen man in weakness, in sin, in disease and spiritual death, He physically died and His spirit went to hell for three days and three nights. (Matthew 12:40) Now let us look at what this all means for the believer. To do this we must look beyond the natural realm and think on terms of the spiritual realm.
The apostle Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ..." (Galatians 2:20) This means that Paul (all believers) were judged, condemned, stripped naked and nailed to the cross with Jesus, "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) Next, Paul also tells us, "do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death..." (Romans 6:3-4) When Jesus died and His spirit went to hell, we died and went to hell. "For my soul hath been full of evils, and my life hath come to Sheol. I have been reckoned with those going down [to] the pit, I have been as a man without strength. Among the dead -- free, As pierced ones lying in the grave, Whom Thou hast not remembered any more, Yea, they by Thy hand have been cut off. Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in depths." (Psalms 88:3-6)
Now look at the reality of what took place at the end of the three days and nights that Jesus spent in hell, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18) In the dark regions of hell Jesus was made alive by the Spirit. Concerning the believer Paul tells us, "even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..." (Ephesians 2:5) "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him" (Colossians 2:13) When Jesus was made alive we were made alive.
Next, we see another incredible truth concerning the believers identification with Christ, "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21) "and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6) When Jesus was raised from the dead and sat down at the Fathers right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come, we too were raised from the dead and sit together with Christ.
For Christ to sit down at the Fathers right hand after being made sin and for the believer to be seated with Christ in the heavenly places could never happen for Christ or the believer if something miraculous did not happen first. "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:17-19) "God has fulfilled this for us their children, (the seed of Abraham) in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm, You are My Son, today I have begotten You. And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption..." (Acts 13:33-34) Jesus became mans substitute and was declared righteous because He had satisfied the claims of justice. He was made so righteous, that He could enter into the presences of the Father as though He had never been made sin. But it doesn't stop there.
"Therefore, having been justified (declared righteous) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) Because Jesus was made righteous, then all who confess Him as Lord and accept Him as Savior are automatically made the righteousness of God in Christ. We also become completely new, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) This all means that Satan and all of his forces of darkness no longer have dominion over the believer. The believer is a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and therefore sin, disease and sickness no longer belong to the New Created, Born Again believer. The Father has made us one with Christ. (John 15:5) Hallelujah!
So, if you have been told or are still being told things such as, you are still a sinner who was saved by grace; that you do not have the ability to please God; that you have a dual nature, one of sin and one righteousness; that God does not heal, deliver and make one whole today and or that being saved only means that you won't go to hell, then you are struggling with "The Doctrines of the Dark Ages" and do not live the abundant life that Jesus said He came to give. (John 10:10) Paul tells us, "And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17) and "It is for freedom that Christ set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not again be held under the yoke of slavery." (the fallen nature that you had before you were born again, Galatians 5:1) Also, "For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, (the fallen nature that you had before you were born again) which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt; That the very spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed; (with God's Word) And that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature (the born again nature) which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the Truth (God's Word) (Ephesians 4:22-24)
It is OK to listen to what others say, but every Christian must do what they did in the City of Berea (located in southwestern Macedonia) where Paul and Silas preached the gospel, "...they welcomed the Message with great readiness, and daily examined the Scriptures to see if what was said was true." (Acts 17:11) May the blessing of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion with the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
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