Our Spiritual Inheritance In Christ Jesus

      I thought I would post this on our NLD Blog.  I had the wonderful opportunity to share this message with a women’s group in Douglasville on Valentine’s Day.  They were so warm and receptive and I appreciated the opportunity to share some time with them for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  Check out the five teaching points below entitled “Our Spiritual Inheritance In Christ Jesus”. 

1.        In Christ, you are spiritually one with Him –

I Corinthians 6:17 says, “But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.”  Not only did Christ die for you, but you died with Christ. 

“Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him…”  Romans 6:6; Cf. Gal. 2:20

In fact, you were also buried with Him, raised with Him, and have even ascended with Him.  Romans 6:4; Ephesians 2:5-6  This has radical implication for your spiritual life!

 2.       In Christ, you are free from the authority of sin –

The old man is now out of the picture:  “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.  For he who has died has been freed from sin”  Praise the Lord – We don’t have to sin anymore – there is complete freedom in Christ!  Romans 6:6 

What liberating truth.  John 8:32 “And you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free.” 

3.       In Christ, you are a partaker of His resurrection life –

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him…For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, he lives to God.  Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:8; 10-11.  Does a dead man talk?  Does a dead man interact with life and friends?  NO…HE’S DEAD!  We are to consider ourselves DEAD to sin!  This resurrection life is our resource for living victoriously Ephesians 1:16-21. 

4.       In Christ, you have a new identity –

Although you still have a relative identity based on your gender, race, personality, family status, etc., these are now secondary:  “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew, nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus “ Galatians 3:26-28.  Since your essential identity is based on spiritual rebirth, you are called a believer, a royal priesthood, a fellow citizen with the saints, a member of God’s house hold, an ambassador for Christ, and His workmanship!  I Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:9-10, 2 Cor. 5:20.  “How great a love that the Father has lavished on us that we should be called Children of God and that is what we are.”  I John 3:1.  When our mind is renewed with Truth this inspires us to dignified words and actions that adorn the doctrine of the grace of God.

 5.       In Christ, you have a new nature –

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT) “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons.  They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone.  A new life has begun!” As Paul testified, “For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man” Romans 7:22.  Living righteously corresponds with the real you. “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His (God’s) seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God” I John 3:9.  Since a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, sinful desires are attributed to the flesh.  This carnal aspect of the soul is in us, but it is not us.  Does this sound like theological hair-splitting?  Apparently not to the apostle Paul.  According to Romans 7:20, he specified: “Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” Romans 7:20.  Of course, this does not excuse our responsibility for our actions.  Yet, it is reassuring to know that your essential nature (spirit) is holy and completely on God’s side.  When the believer is born again, God’s DNA (so to speak) is placed into his human spirit.  To use Peter’s phrase, we have been made “partakers of the divine nature” 2 Peter 1:4.

Isn’t this great news that enables glorious living!!  It literally is a “NEW LIFE DESIGN”!!  Praise the Lord – He changes the way we think in order to change the way we feel in order to change the way we behave.

Dana