Being a follower of Jesus Christ is much more than calling ourselves “Christians”. It is a way of life that is demonstrated to the world around us on a daily basis. And that is only possible through the mystery of Christianity found in the transformation that takes place in us when we make the decision to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we become a “new creature” in Christ, it means our old-self – our sin-nature – has been replaced by the Holy Spirit that empowers us to rise above the temptations of our flesh, the world around us, and the lies and deception of satan! But as I have written in previous postings, this is the process we have to follow in order to live the abundant life promised to us by Jesus Christ. A life that is characterized by happiness, joy and freedom.
We know that all human beings inherited Adam and Eve’s sin nature. It was passed down to all future generations because of their disobedience to God’s directive. All that means is that man’s natural inclination is to live with the focus on himself rather than on God. The only way to remedy the loss of the spiritual connection that originally existed between God and Man, is for man to initiate the process. When we become willing to repent, meaning that in our hearts we are READY to turn from “our way” and move toward “God’s way”, He is there to welcome us with open arms.
James 4:10 reads, “When we humbly bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he will lift us up and give us honor.” As we develop our relationship with God, we quickly learn that his foremost will for our life is that we accept his gift of grace. That is the only way we can be freed from the yoke of our sin nature. 2 Corinthians states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ the new creation has come: the old has gone; the new is here.” Now we are capable of becoming the person God created us to be. Ephesians 2:10 reads, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. We are his masterpiece because we are in Christ.
As clearly stated in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (to be condemned because of our sins), but have eternal life.” That truth – that scriptural fact, is a gift from God. We did nothing to earn it, nor do we deserve it. But Jesus’ atonement for our sins on the cross is God’s ultimate show of his love for us, and when we accept His gift, it is our ultimate show of faith (belief, trust) in Him. Romans 5:8 tells us, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
That is the mystery revealed concerning our salvation. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have an exchange of spirit, or nature. Our old nature, sin nature, is replaced with the Holy Spirit. The nature of the Holy Spirit is not to sin, but to empower us to live a life that is pleasing to God; it is a life that reflects the teachings of Jesus. And what did Jesus teach? Love, tolerance, humility, forgiveness, and being of service to others. Sound impossible? The only reason it is not impossible is because we have the Holy Spirit in us to empower us to accomplish that purpose.
As Christians we have been set apart for God. Ephesians 1: 4 reads, “Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy (set aside: without sin) and without fault in his eyes.” Notice that God chose us because we chose to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is a result of us exercising our free will. There are no predestination overtones here. We are chosen only because we are in Christ. There is no other reason.
The Holy Spirit is the essence of Jesus Christ living in us. (Ref. “What is the Holy Spirit” Oct. 7, 2013: paragraph 5). God knows our human weakness. He knows that by our very nature we yield to the temptations of the world, the temptations of our flesh; and the lies and deceptions of satan. That is why His plan, even before he created the world, was to send “at just the right time” a savior to do for us what we were incapable of doing for ourselves. (Ref. Romans, 5:8)
Because we are in Christ, we inherit three gifts. (1.) We inherit forgiveness of our sin, which means “we can come boldly before God with no fear of condemnation”. (Romans 8:1). (2.) We are promised eternal life with God, Jesus and all other believers. These two gifts give us an incredible sense of peace about our eternal destiny.
But the next gift, (3.) is about how we are going to live our life here and now in this fallen world. The Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above the world around us and live a life that is pleasing to God. When we are faced with the temptations of the world; the temptations of the flesh; or the schemes of the Enemy, we can call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, strength, courage, patience, and perseverance…whatever it is we need to make decisions that are in line with His will for our life. As we continue to mature and live our life in a way that brings honor and glory to Him, the more we will experience joy, peace and serenity. This is the life Jesus was referencing when he stated in John 10:10: “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I came that they may have life to the fullest.” BUT THERE IS MORE!
We are also heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm and all the promises in the Bible…and there are many. Because we are in Christ, every time we set out to grow in our Christian walk, more truth is revealed. It is through this revelation that our faith grows and we become more comfortable and confident that our life is built on a solid foundation. It is on this solid rock of faith that we begin experiencing God’s blessings. He wants us to put our trust in Him. As stated in Malachi, 3:10, “…I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in. Try it! Let me prove it to you!”
My suggestion is that you go to the Bible and open it to Ephesians and read Chapter 1 (only 23 verses). Notice how many times the blessings come because we are in Christ. We are truly set aside to be God’s ambassadors to the world and to receive all the blessings he promised His children (us). When the reality of who we are in Christ sets in, we cannot help but be flooded with joy and hope!!
And who are we in Christ? We are forgiven; now we are acceptable to God. We are worthy to come before Him with no fear of condemnation. We are loved unconditionally with a love that is unending and unfailing. When God looks at us, he sees us covered with the blood of Jesus. We are now grafted into His family; now we are his Child. Regardless of what anyone else thinks of us, this is our new identity in Christ. Does anything else really matter????
Are you in Christ? Feel free to respond to this posting.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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