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 Baptism
Baptism means identification or association
with something or someone. When we believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ we are baptized or identified with Him. The omnipotence
(almighty power) of the Holy Spirit puts us into union with
Christ, making us a part of the Royal Family of God! We are also
part of the body of Christ. What a great identity!
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 “The body is a
unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts
are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were
all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks
[Greeks meaning anyone who isn’t a Jew], slave or free – and we
were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
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 This
special and close union with Christ is called positional
sanctification. “What?” you say. Well, that means that God set us
apart for a special purpose. Each believer has a special goal in
the plan of God, in the body of Christ. We are all royal family of
God with the same mission, to glorify God.
Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor
Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 5:29-30 “After all, no one ever hated his own body, but
he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church - for we
are all members of His body.” |
| Newness of
Life in Christ
When we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we become a new person
In Christ! We still have our old sin nature (the old person), but
we can choose to live in the new person. When we do live in the
new person, we are thinking about Christ and living by His words,
Bible doctrine, our treasure chest.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new [spiritual] species. The old things have
lost their power; behold, new things have come.” |
We have the comfort of having the Lord Jesus Christ in us forever!
Christ dwells in us whether we succeed or fail. That should make
us relax and not feel discouraged! Also, if we keep our eyes on
the Light in us, on the King of Glory, we won’t have time to focus
on our old sin nature. We will take our eyes off of ourselves and
our OLD nature. We will put our eyes on the NEW nature in us, the
very nature of Jesus Christ, which is perfect and holy and beyond
being scolded. What a blessing! What a sight!
Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no
condemnation [guilt] for those who are in Christ Jesus, because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free
from the law of sin and death.” |
It is easy to get caught up in the daily activities and lose sight
of our #1 priority, the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to put
ourselves in a place where we can focus on TLJC. We need to let
God, in His almighty power, make our new man grow up and become a
mature believer. How exciting of an adventure is that??
2 Corinthians 2:18 “But we all, with
unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
being transformed into the same image [Jesus] from glory [Shekinah
Glory] to glory [momentum of the believer], just as from the Lord,
the Spirit [the Holy Spirit enables us to execute the protocol
plan of God].” |
In our newness of life in Christ, we are God’s children and His
heirs! Everything belongs to Christ, and because we are IN HIM we
share in everything that belongs to Him. Also, since we are in
this special family, God has a plan for our lives (personal sense
of destiny) that would blow us away if we could see it! I’m sure
glad that God is our Father!
Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit Himself
testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we
are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with
Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may
also share in His glory.” |
 It
doesn’t stop there! We have our very own priesthood. We are in the
priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ! Before the Church Age,
believers had to have a person (priest), chosen by God, offer
prayer and sacrifices to God for them. These rituals (ceremonies)
were to teach about the coming of Jesus. Since Jesus, our High
Priest, was sacrificed on the cross for all sins, we don’t have to
make anymore sacrifices to God. Jesus did it all! We each are now
our own priest. We can go to God in prayer all by ourselves! God’s
help is available to us twenty-four hours a day and He never runs
out of what we need! We don’t even have to pay for what He gives
us! It’s free! It’s all given by God in grace.
Hebrews 10:11-14 “Day after day every priest
stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he
offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But
when this priest [the Lord Jesus Christ] had offered for all time
one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.
Since that time He waits for His enemies to be made His footstool,
because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are
being made holy.” |
Satan doesn’t want us to know about our position in Christ. He
doesn’t want us to know about our newness of life in Christ. He
knows that if we don’t know about this position, then we will
struggle in our condition. It is “having faith” in the doctrines
of our position that gives us the momentum and the divine energy
to grow in our condition.
Galatians 2:16 “…know that a man is not
justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So
we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because
by observing the law no one will be justified.”
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God completely accepts us because of our position in Christ. If we
are not aware of this, we get caught up in the struggle, and I
mean struggle, to improve our condition in order to feel accepted
by God. Then we are working in our energy. It makes me exhausted
just thinking about it. Because of our position in Christ, we have
divine energy and divine acceptance! “If God is for us who can be
against us?” Let’s live in the NEWNESS OF LIFE IN CHRIST!
John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must
decrease.” |
We have been made royalty with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Shekinah
(invisible) Glory, the Lord Jesus Christ, is in us. This is a sign
to us of our position in Christ, our seat on the throne in heaven.
We are kings and queens! We share Christ’s throne in heaven! Let’s
focus on the power of the Shekinah Glory in us, and we will be
able to live in this newness of life that God has designed for
us!!!
Ephesians 2:6-7 “…and raised us up with
Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ
Jesus, in order that in the ages to come He might show the
surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus.” |
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Newness Of Life In Christ
www.gbible.org
References: Lessons of 3-16-05, 3-18-05, 4-29-05, 5-11-05, 5-20-05
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