New Identity In Christ

Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 1) Questions Answered The issue of identity is inescapable and central to our lives. "Who am I?" we all ask. "Where did I come from? Where am I going?" Every person wrestles with these questions, and the answers we adopt determine the direction of our lives. Today, this search for identity falls under the concept of "self-image". Every person has a "self-image" of himself. It could be a healthy, positive image, or it could be a poor, negative one. Regardless, a person's self-image determines his self-worth in this life, whether he/she is a success or failure. Self-image is what affects, for better or worse, a persons attitude and behavior toward others and life's circumstances. With all that is at stake, it is easy to see why people are in search of a good self-image. However, there is much debate concerning how to develop a good self-image. Many psychologists, counselors, and even some church leaders believe that to develop a good self-image a person needs to start loving himself more. As we will see, this philosophy is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days men will be lovers of themselves. According to this verse, our problem is that we love ourselves too much. So it would appear that we cannot develop a good self-image based on learning to love ourselves more. As a matter of fact, we do not need to develop a good self-image at all. We need to develop a realistic view of ourselves, what is called a "proper self-image". We need to learn who we are from God's perspective. Romans 12:3 says: "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." This passage is very revealing in a couple of different areas. Paul warns us of a couple of different things that can be detrimental to our ability to live the "Newness Of Life" of which the bible so frequently speaks. He warns us against arrogance, pride and vanity. As you'll find, there is nothing about these things God finds appealing... As a matter of fact, God specifically says He "hates" them! Paul also reveals the motivation for his warning, and I believe from examining

everything Paul ever said, I think this motivation was the same motivation that gave him the drive, will power and great desire/love that was necessary for him to complete all the God-given tasks in his life... It was revealed in the very first part of this passage: It was the "Motivation of Grace" that gave Paul his desire, stamina and the ability to be totally content with his life despite the many hardships he encountered. And there were many hardships in Paul’s life. Pride is what caused Satan to be cast from heaven. Pride is what caused Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And pride is what motivates us to think too highly of ourselves. How should we think of ourselves to counteract this attitude of pride? We can look at who we really are and have the guts to recognize what we see. Truth is, we are a being that is "spiritually dead" without Christ in our hearts, and nothing we could ever do would produce nothing more than a stench in God's nostrils... For ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God... That's the plain Truth. There is nothing within us in the flesh only that could ever be considered "good"... No matter how pretty, no matter how smart, no matter how educated, no matter how gifted in any area, no matter WHAT! When we think of ourselves with "sober judgment" (the ability to see the reality of who we are), we are thinking in accordance to what? God's Word, of course. You have to look no further than the scripture above to confirm that.” Sober judgment", in comparison to the "modern-day philosophy" that says we should love ourselves more, we find a clear contradiction. Scripture is Truth, so, the "modern-day philosophy" loses out as a clever, but false teaching that does nothing more than lead an individual down a path of failure, as someday, the individual will find there nothing to sustain true "happiness" in false assumptions of their identity.

Godlessness in the Last Days 2 Timothy 3:1-5 "1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." In this passage, Paul plainly states the various conditions of man in the last days. I think we can all agree that none of these characteristics could be deemed as

things we should have in our own lives. Right? So, is the problem that we hate ourselves or that we love ourselves too much? It would seem, by the scripture above that we tend to love ourselves too much. In light of these verses, will "loving ourselves" more enable us to develop a "proper self-image"? Absolutely not! So how do we develop a "proper" self-image? That's coming next in "How To Develop A Proper Self-Image".

Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 2) Questions Answered How To Develop A "Proper" Self-Image To develop a "proper" self-image, we must first decide to whom we are going to listen. Are we going to listen to Satan and the world? Or are we going to listen to God and His Word? As we have already seen, Satan and "the world" are in direct opposition to God and His Word concerning how we should think about ourselves. Unfortunately, we live in the world and are constantly bombarded by the almost endless philosophies of the world. So let's examine some of the ways the "world" tells us to determine our self-image and then compare them with what God has to say. #1 – Appearance How we look is one gauge we use to determine our self-image. Most commonly, if you notice yourself and those around you, if we think of ourselves as very pretty or handsome, we tend to have an "acceptable" self-image because of...what? Many people will "accept" us into their social circles because physical beauty is a desirable trait among people. Many people even worship physical beauty... Yes. Even today. If we think of ourselves as physically "ugly", our self-image could suffer greatly. We will probably tend to consider ourselves as "undesirable"..."unwanted"... Mostly we will be shown by the world that we are not "acceptable" to it, and thus, we'll tend to think quite a bit "less" of ourselves as the result of this "shunning". If we are physically pretty or handsome, what will happen to our self-image as we grow older and our looks change, or if we are in some kind of accident that alters our appearance in some fashion? Generally, we'll tend to think "less" of ourselves because the world around us will make clear that we are not who we once were, physically. The world will treat us with less popularity... less respect (which it never really had for us)... in general, the world will not "accept" us as it once did. Our "self-image" will suffer greatly as we will feel of less worth, we'll feel "diminished" in some capacity, and some will even feel "worthless". As you can see, a "culture" can greatly affect the way we see ourselves.

Usually, Mom and Dad start by saying such things as, “You are such a beautiful little girl," or "You are such a fine-looking young man." Friends, and even complete strangers can "echo" these same sentiments... In today's time, it's not uncommon for a young man to walk up to a lady and say, "Babe... You are so hot!", indicating that upon physical appearance alone, he has found someone "desirable"... And more times than not, the young lady will feel "special" in that she was able to gain his immediate acceptance... What a total, simple-minded fallacy of the enemy! From the illustrations above, it may be easy to develop a "good" self-image, but we must realize that the opinions of Mom, Dad, friends and even strangers can change in time. Even after we have personally decided we are handsome or pretty, our very own opinion could, and will, one day change. It is inevitable. So, could we ever develop a "secure" self-image or identity based on our "appearance"? I submit to you, absolutely not. Psalms 139:13-14 "13 For you created my in most being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." According to these verses, God made you and me the way we are. Since God made us who we are, it does not make sense to build a self-image based on what others say/think about us that are of the world. It really does not even matter what we say about ourselves if we do not know the "Real Truth" about who God says we are. Another thing many of us use to determine our identity is "what we do". In other words, our "abilities": I'm a businessman, a housewife, or an athlete, for example. Self-image based on what we do, however, is dependent on how well we perform: If I was a businessman, and my business did very well, I could smile and feel confident in that I am an "accomplishment" when in the midst of friends, or even alone with myself. But, if my business was a failure, my "identity" would be somewhat different. I may lack self worth, feel inadequate, embarrassed... I would feel like a failure in many ways... And my "circle of friends" would probably reflect that in the area of "acceptance"... To people tend to remain your friend even when you have been "less than satisfactory" in areas of your life? The answer to this can be very revealing when determining friends.

What if I were a Dad and my kids turned out to be pillars of the community... Leaders in every respect... What would people think of me? What if I were a Dad and my kids turned out to be "drug-addicts"? What would people think of me then? See what I mean? The very thing that determines whether we are successes or failures are the people around us! Our abilities to perform any certain function/task always changes over a period of time. For example, is a 45 year old athlete able to perform the way they did at age 25? Of course not. So, concerning the people around us, we can pretty much figure that their "opinions" of us will constantly "change" with relation to how we "perform, or "measure up" in their eyes. When we look at ourselves, do we ever "compare" ourselves to others? Most people do. When we do that, we usually don't have to look very hard to find someone that is "better" at doing a specific task than we are. When we compare ourselves to them, our self-image always suffers. Most times we don't "measure up" to another's standards. But, on the other hand, sometimes we feel we are "THE BEST" at what we do, and being "THE BEST" has certain extra rights and privileges... Right? 2 Corinthians 10:12 "12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise" According to this verse, it is not wise at all to compare our own self to others. If we do compare ourselves to others, there are only two conclusions we can come to understand: We are either "BETTER" than those with which we compare, or we are "WORSE" than those with which we compare ourselves. So, knowing this, it definitely does not make sense to build your self-image on your abilities as a person. There are many other ways we try to determine our self-image based on the philosophies of the world (for example, family relationships, friends, denominational affiliation). Basically, however, all these standards gauge selfimage by: ~What others think about you; ~What you think others think about you; ~What you think about yourself.

And this brings us to the problem of listening to the world's opinions in regard to who we are. The world's opinions are constantly changing from moment to moment. It is impossible to find any stability or security in what the world says concerning our identity. If we have a poor self-image based on the opinions of the world, we will experience defeatism and be null and void of the knowledge of The Truth about who we are, and we will be rendered "ineffective", pertaining to the plan God already has for our lives. 1 John 2:16-17 says, "16For everything in the world‚ the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does‚ comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." Mentioned above in scripture, some of the things of this world are: ~~Man having cravings for sin; ~~His eyes are lustful; Man brags about what he has, and what he has done. It is also pointing out that these things are NOT from our Father, God. So guess who fathers such things as these? That's right. The enemy ; Satan. As mentioned in the scripture above, this world and it's desires will pass away... cease to exist. So, can a person ever have a secure identity if he/she is dependent on the things of this world to determine who he/she is? No...no... No. We can only determine from the scripture above that it is more important to see ourselves from God's Perspective, rather than the world's false assumption of who we are. We do not need a self-image based on the ever-changing opinions of the world. We need a proper self-image, an identity based on Truth from God's Perspective. Since God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves, it makes perfect sense to begin listening to what God says about us. You are not who you are because of your own or others' opinions. You are who you are because of what God says about you! When we begin listening to

God, we can rest assured that what He says will not be like the everchanging opinions of the world: "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of The Lord stands forever" (1 Peter 1:24-25).

Who We Are "In Christ" Our New Identity (Part 3) Questions Answered A person has no identity apart from a relationship with someone or something else. That is why we latch on to practically anything in our desperate need to discover who we are. We determine our identity through our appearance, occupation, abilities, family relationships, friends, denominational affiliation -The list is absolutely endless. Identity, however, is a "spiritual" need. Who we truly are is determined by our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the only way you will find out who you really are - through the One who created you! When we are identified with Him, we have an identity that cannot be shaken or taken away. It's an identity that is more wonderful than we could ever imagine. Unfortunately, the tragedy of "Modern-Day Christianity" is our utter ignorance of who we are in Christ! As a result, many Christians struggle, wondering if God really loves them, if God ever did love them, or if God "still" loves them. The believers identity in Christ is not a side issue; it is central to experiencing the "Real" Christian life! 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, "22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive." From God's point of view, there are only two kinds of people in this world. Their identities are determined by whom they are identified with. According to the verse above, we are either identified with Adam, which is "spiritually dead" in relation to our relationship with God and lost in our sin, or we are identified with Christ, which makes us "born-again" unto God spiritually, with the "old self" dead and gone... To be "in Adam" or "in Christ" may be strange language to us. Biblically, to be "in" someone means that person is our family head. As such, he has left us his name, his nature, an inheritance, and a destiny.

The "destiny" for those that are "in Adam", is unbelief and ultimately, separation from God. The destiny for those that are "in Christ", is one of belief in God, and total and eternal acceptance by God, that we may have eternal life. "Eternal life" is our inheritance from God! Magnificent, isn't it?! Let's face it. Eternal means eternal. If we could lose our relationship with God once He has accepted and forgiven us, God's Word could not have said "eternal" could it? If we had a relationship with God for let's say 10 years, then we think we can "lose" that acceptance, then we've had life for 10 years... There wasn't anything eternal about it, was it?...To think that anyone can "lose" their salvation, is to be ignorant of the "Whole Truth" that God has given us. There is a great deal of what God is trying to tell us that has either been mis-understood, or not realized at all by the born-again believer. The Word of God does say "eternal", doesn't it? That's what it says, and that's what I'm going to believe.

Every human being is born into the world "in Adam". That means we are born with the same nature, inheritance, and destiny that Adam possessed after his fall. Let's take a closer look at the inheritance left to us by Adam.

Romans 5:19 says, "19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." As revealed above, through the disobedience of one man, we were made sinners through our sinful nature. The one man was Adam. Therefore, our identity in Adam is a "sinner", when we are born into this world, depicting the inevitable sinner we will become because of our nature... Romans 5:12 - "12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" Sin entered the world through *one man. This one man was Adam. Death entered the world through sin. As a result of this, *death came to all men. God wasn't speaking of physical death to our bodies. He didn't address that until

later. God was speaking of *"spiritual death"! This death was brought upon us because of "sin". Therefore, the *"inheritance" we have been given in Adam, is a sinful nature and spiritual death because of sin. Ephesians 2:1-3 says, "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by *nature objects of wrath." In this scripture, our condition before we knew Christ was that we are "dead in our transgressions and sins". We "follow" the ways of this world and the ruler of the "kingdom of the air" (Satan). Satan is the "spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (the sinner). The sinner will seek to gratify the cravings of the sinful nature (within all of us before Christ) and following it's (sinful nature) desires and thoughts. By our very nature in Adam we are nothing more than "objects of God's WRATH"... Not a very pretty picture is it? So. What type of *nature did Adam pass on to us as our family head? A *sinful nature, we are objects of wrath and we are doomed to a lifestyle of sin... Still want to be "In Adam"? As we've seen thus far, all of us are *born into the world as unavoidable sinners. We were born totally controlled by our flesh. As a result, we were by nature, objects of wrath. This is the identity Adam passed on to us -- an identity we received through birth. For this identity to change requires a "new birth". John 3:3-6 states:”3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth; no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” As revealed in these scriptures, for a person to see and enter the Kingdom of God

we must be "born again". John describes being born of water as "flesh gives birth to flesh". But the kind of birth Jesus refers to when He says, "You must be born again", is a new "spiritual" birth. Physically, we are born "in Adam" and he (Adam) is our family head. When we are "born again" of the "Spirit" of God, our family head changes. God is then our family head through being "born again" spiritually unto God. Thus we have a "new identity". This new identity is from God Himself. When Nicodemus heard Jesus say you must be born again, Nicodemus asked, How can this be?" If you think about it, probably every one of us would have asked the same thing. So, how can you be born again? Jesus gives the answer in the famous passage of John 3:16. 16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This is absolutely astounding in that God did not "have" to do any of this for us! As revealed in this scripture, God's sole motivation to give His one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins was His Love for us! If we were to be saved, Jesus was the only sacrifice in all of earth and Heaven that was good enough to pay the price. None other would do. What must we do, according to this scripture, to receive eternal life? Simple. The answer is so simple, it confounds the wise. We simply need to know we need a Savior, turn to Jesus and "BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST"! Now. To be 'born again", what need we do according to this scripture? Yep. You got it... "Turn to Jesus as our Lord (repent)", and "BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST" (have faith in Him only and His complete work on the cross and resurrection)! John 1:12-13 – “12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God! 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” This scripture is also phenomenal when realizing who we are "in Christ". It plainly says when we receive Jesus Christ we get the right to become "children of

God"! We receive Christ through believing faith. As a child of God, whom are we born to? God! John distinctly contrasts being born of natural descent and being born of God. I think he does this because he wants us to clearly see the difference and realize what has happened to us! So. If we believe in Jesus Christ and are "born again", what is your new identity? Simply, we are a "Child of God"... Romans 8:15-17 -- 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now 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. Focusing on this scripture, when we are born again of the Spirit of God, we received a "Spirit of sonship"! Paul starkly contrasts this to a "spirit of fear". Evidently, Paul knew that many were and would in the future mis-interpret their relationship with God as one as was under the Old Covenant. But Paul is trying to reveal something new to us! In Ephesians 2:3, we learned that "in Adam" we were all, by nature, objects of wrath, and our natural response to God is one of "fear". But in Proverb’s, we are told that the fear of God is the "BEGINNING" of understanding. It said nothing of it (fear) being the end result... Quite the contrary... The Word tells us that "perfect love drives out fear". In light of these things, we can conclude that it is very important for us to understand that when we are born again, we DO NOT receive a spirit that makes us a slave to fear! Because we have received the Spirit of sonship, we should be crying out, "ABBA, FATHER!" The Spirit of God should testify to our human spirits that WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!!! Because we are children of God, we have become HEIRS! Heirs to God! All that God has is now ours! Because we are children of God, we are "CO-HEIRS" with CHRIST! Good God, Almighty! Co-Heirs with CHRIST!

"We have received an inheritance! An eternal, glorious, unspeakable, Spiritual inheritance! ... From none other than God, Himself!" In summary of this part, a person's identity is determined by the one he is identified with. From God's vantage point, a person is either identified with *Adam or with Jesus Christ. If you are identified with *Adam, you are a sinner and your identity is eternal separation from God -- death. If you are identified with Jesus Christ, you are a child of God and your destiny is eternal life.

Your identity can change through "new birth". If you are still "*in Adam", are you willing to receive Jesus Christ by believing in His name and experiencing "new birth" in Christ? You can do so by simply asking Jesus to come into your heart.

If you wish to do so right now, here is a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus? I need You. I recognize that I was born into this world a slave to my sinful nature, spiritually separated from You since my first decision and I am in need of "life in Christ". Thank You for dying for the forgiveness of my sins and then for being raised from the dead so You could come and give me life! I now receive You into my heart! Take control of my life and teach me about Your Love and the inheritance I now have as a child of God! Thank You, God, for coming into my heart and for giving me eternal life... In Your Name Jesus I pray only, as You are the only source of anything which I seek! Amen... If you prayed to receive Christ, you are now a child of God. You have a new identity, a new nature, and a new destiny. Throughout the rest of this particular series of study, we'll take a closer look at just what it means to be a "child of God" and the eternal inheritance we have as His Children... Glory To God Only... Amen & Amen...

*denotes: "The sinful nature" referred to herein, is that which was passed to us by Adam:

"Specifically, what is this 'sinful nature'? The sinful nature is the knowledge of good and evil, coupled with our natural "desire" to do evil." If you'll remember, Adam and Eve were not created with this knowledge of good and evil, and was strictly forbidden to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for God knew it would corrupt their hearts, and all of us to come in the future. It is this "knowledge" that Adam passes to each and every one of us. With man being what he is, this knowledge of good and evil is also a guarantee that when we are old enough to make our decision between good and evil, we will most certainly choose evil. This is what is referred to as being "born INTO sin"... It is important to notice that although we are "born into sin", in our infantile state, we are not yet actual sinners, as we have not yet sinned. If it were otherwise, every infant death would demand eternal damnation to hell, and that's not "justice"... My God is "just"... And I think His Word reveals this very thing when examined close enough. Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 4) "We Are A New Creation In Christ!" Questions Answered When you become a child of God, the Bible says you have become a brand new creation -- like a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. In nature, the caterpillar weaves a cocoon around itself, and in the cocoon the marvelous process of metamorphosis takes place. When this process is complete, a beautiful butterfly emerges. This butterfly is a new creature; It will never be a caterpillar again. In the same way, we have become new creatures in Christ; we will never be old sinners again. And as new creatures in Christ, we must learn to see ourselves as God sees us. Key verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Here it is, as plain as day. If we are in Christ, we have become a "new" creation. The old person we used to be is... GONE! Once you have become a "new" creation "IN CHRIST", you can never become the old person again! Why? Because God did the changing... And what God does CANNOT be undone by man... Nor does God say He will ever "take it back". As a matter of fact, quite to the contrary. God says in His Word (which HE exalts higher than Himself) that His gifts are "IRREVOCABLE!" Glory to His wonderful name! "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus" - Ephesians 1:1 In this letter to the Ephesians Paul addressed the believers there as "saints". Paul DID NOT think of the the believers in Ephesus as "old sinners saved by Grace". According to this verse and many others, our identity is a "saint"! A couple of questions for you: Does God see us as "old sinners saved by Grace"? Or as "Saints"? How do "you" see yourself? "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia" - 2 Corinthians 1:1 Corinth was a city in the Roman province of Achaia. If you'll notice, Paul addressed the believers in Corinth as "the church of God" and "saints". That

might be a bit surprising to you if you knew the background of this particular band of brothers. The Corinthians were guilty of sexual sins, getting drunk at the Lord's Supper, and pride. Yet, with all this going on, God, through Paul, called the Corinthian believers "Saints". Remarkable, huh? Evidently, their behavior alone did not change their identity from God's vantage point. Something we all need to be honest with ourselves about is, it is possible for us as born again children of God, and "saints", to commit sins. Also something to realize is the fact that when we do sin, it does not change our "identity" in Christ Sin stunts our spiritual growth - Sure, but it does not change our identity. Fact is, we are saints in the eyes of God, because we have been saved by Grace, through faith in Christ Jesus. When you sin as a child of God, "you" are the one doing the sinning. God recognizes our sin, but He sees us as children that need to grow... But our MAJOR problem is "how we see ourselves"! Do we recognize we are children of God that need to grow? Or do we think that our relationship with God is so conditional that the first sin destroys everything God did for us? Interesting question, huh? Is there a difference between the way God sees us and how we see ourselves? If there is... somebody is wrong... And it's not God. So, are we "willing" to see ourselves as a "saint"? You may be reluctant - Quite understandably given what is being taught in many places today. But we should really learn that we are saints... Not because we have done anything to "earn" that status, but because it is the "gift" from God! As Christians we sometimes get the idea that our behavior is all that is truly important to God, or all that He is concerned with. Behavior, however, is simply the result of a belief system. There is an old adage I am told that says, "Actions follow attitude." That is why God is so persistent in teaching us who we are. Once we know and truly believe we are children of God, saints by calling, our actions will follow suit. As we will see in the following verses, knowing who we are is our true "MOTIVATION" for living GODLY lives! "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" ~~ Ephesians 4:1

According to this verse, Paul urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. If we do not know or understand the calling we have received, it's impossible to live a life worthy of that calling! Isn't it? "To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" - Romans 1:7 According to this verse, we are called to be what? Saints. What kind of life are we to live? The life of a saint! "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord! Live as children of light!" ~~ Ephesians 5:8 (Glory To God! Amen!) This verse says we once WERE darkness! It also says we ARE NOW light! So! We should LIVE as CHILDREN OF LIGHT! Amen! And we should live as children of light so we can truly shine in the darkness! So we can rightly show others the Truth of God! A good paraphrase of this verse is, "You once were a caterpillar, but now you are a butterfly. Fly like a butterfly!" It just makes sense for a butterfly to fly. In the same way, as children of God, saints by calling, it just makes sense for us to live in accordance with who we are! When we do sin, however, God reasons with us based on our true identity! It's as if He holds a mirror over us and says, "Look up here. What do you see?" "A butterfly, Lord." "Since you are a butterfly, why are you crawling around with the caterpillars?" "I don't know, Lord. It doesn't make sense does it?" "No, it doesn't. Why don't you get up and fly like a butterfly?" The butterfly can fly because through the process of metamorphosis, God equipped the butterfly with wings. It wouldn't make any sense to tell the butterfly to fly if it didn't have wings. In the same way, it would be foolish to tell us to live a life worthy of our calling if we had not been given the Holy Spirit to enable us to do so. We have been made into a new creation, but what is it that makes us new?

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory!" (Colossians 1:27) The mystery that Paul referred to in this verse that was revealed to the Gentiles was the fact that Christ is now in us as born again believers. So the thing that makes us "new creatures" is "Christ in us!" Realizing this, we can know full well that "Christ in us" is our ONLY hope for living out and experiencing our calling as "children of God!" Just as a butterfly is dependent on its wings to enable it to fly, we can be dependent on "Christ in us" to live the Christian life! "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" ~~ Galatians 2:20 Important stuff in this scripture... The only reason Paul says, "I no longer live", is because we have been crucified with Christ (notice the past tense). Although our old selves have been crucified, we can now rejoice in the fact that Christ, through the Holy Spirit DOES now live in us (note: this was given us by God). If we will saturate our own hearts with this knowledge and Truth, there will be nothing left for us to do but to live our lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave Himself for us! Amen & Amen! We truly are a new creature in Christ! Through spiritual birth GOD has transformed us into saints! Sometimes we might act like "old sinners saved by Grace", but that is NOT our identity! If you find yourself crawling around with the caterpillars, you need to realize that you are a butterfly! Get up and fly! God has something much better for you than crawling around with the caterpillars. It is called the "Abundant Life"! With Christ living in you, you can experience everything God created you to be as a new creature in Christ! Oh, I would give any earthly thing I have if only those that read this would fully understand what I'm saying! Can you understand? Have you got it? Has it began to dawn on you yet? Please seek the Holy Spirit on behalf of what I am saying. If I had one thing to ask of God, it would be that all who read this understand... Understand the "Truth" that will leave your shackles of mis-understanding forever laying on the prison floor! It will TRULY change your life!"

Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 5) Not Guilty? Questions Answered Having a proper understanding of our identity in Christ greatly depends on how we view God's forgiveness toward us. If we see ourselves as unforgiven or not worthy of forgiveness, in my opinion, it perverts our understanding of God's love. In a world where forgiveness has to be earned or paid for, complete and unconditional forgiveness is sometimes difficult to understand, especially by those of us that have been taught otherwise. However, the scriptures will tell us that this is the way God has forgiven us. Please listen to what will be said here very closely, and make your mind up for yourself concerning God's forgiveness. Please know, that without Truthfully understanding God's forgiveness, we'll never really understand one of the most important things about our God, and our relationship with Him. This holds true no matter what your view. When Christ died on the cross, His last words were, "It is finished." In other words, "The payment for sin has been satisfied." Please make no mistake here. When Christ came to us here on this earth, He was on a multi-task mission. One part was to purge Heaven of Satan’s sin (another whole topic in itself), and the other was to save US! One of the things He came to do for us was to adequately deal with our sin. Sin exists for us in three time frames... past, present and future. If Christ had failed to deal with any one of these, it would be impossible for Him to "save" us from anything! Right? But He was successful in all phases of His mission, both upon this earth and in heaven. THIS is the freedom we have as children of God. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, God is "no longer counting men's sins against them." "All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." Acts 10:43 This scripture reveals that all the prophets testified about Jesus. It also says that the way we receive forgiveness of our sins is to "believe" in Jesus. In light of this

verse, the prophets in the Old Testament were expecting the Messiah to bring us to a place of forgiveness. Jesus fulfilled that expectation in all ways. According to this verse, when we put our faith in Christ, what do we receive? Our forgiveness. After this, there is no need to seek and re-seek that which has already been given you! Thus, a huge part of our "new" identity in Christ is that we are a "forgiven" person. But let's not stop here. "I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." - Acts 26:17-18 Glory To God! Let's take a minute and see what was said here! Paul makes it clear that his mission is to "open their eyes". He says that before coming to Christ we are under Satan’s power. Upon putting our faith in "Christ Alone", we WILL receive forgiveness of sins, removing us from the power of Satan! We are also "sanctified" (found not guilty!) because of and through our faith in "Christ Alone!" If we are forgiven and sanctified (found not guilty) when we put our faith in “Christ, their is no need to be sanctified (found not guilty!) and forgiven at any subsequent time after our salvation! Glory To God! When we become children of God, we receive Forgiveness and Eternal Life as part of our Godly Inheritance! Thank You, God, for what you have done for us! Amen! "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!" - Colossians 1: 13, 14 What has God rescued us from? The dominion of darkness! If it were not a done deal, this scripture would have read, "In Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, if you constantly ask for it!" Sound a little funny to you? Me too! Plainly, "In Christ", we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins! We were redeemed at the point of having faith (believing in and accepting) Christ. We were forgiven at the same time. According to this verse, our forgiveness and redemption are already ours. We DO NOT need to ask for them on a daily basis. In light of all the previous scriptures mentioned in this particular blog, it is quite clear that our forgiveness was complete on the day we put our faith in Christ. Are

we willing to rest in the fact that we are totally forgiven and that there is nothing we can do to "add" to His forgiveness? It's a very important question. The conclusion you have may completely transform your relationship with God. Give it some deep thought! 'Then He adds, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer ANY sacrifice for sin'Hebrews 10:17, 18 As plain as this scripture is, many do not have the courage to look into the Truth because of "previous mis-understanding through teaching". God WILL NOT remember our sins any longer. He won't remember them because they have been forgiven! If God has forgiven our sins and remembers them no more, how then, should "we" look at our sins? As forgiven and forgotten. This understanding does something for the believer that nothing but the Truth can... It sets you FREE! You are now FREE to fully realize your "FREEDOM" from sin and REST in the TOTAL ASSURANCE in your FUTURE! Realizing this, is there anything to be "fearful" of in your relationship with God? NO! NO! NO! And what does scripture say about this other than "PERFECT LOVE DRIVES AWAY FEAR!" GLORY! "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is NOT made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us." - 1 John 4:18, 19 According to this verse, anyone who remains "fearful" in their relationship with God has an underlying problem. Most of these problems are the direct result of mis-understanding God's intentions and works toward you. Instead of the love of God being the most abundant and prevalent thing in our hearts and minds toward God and others, we are "fearful". Fearful of God's judgment... We wonder at what times He may look at us in "acceptance" and when He looks upon us with "rejection". We know we are less than perfect... But if we think God's acceptance of us hinges on our "performance" or our ability to beg, we'll miss the greater part of how He really feels about us and what He, in His all-knowing deity, has really done for us to insure our eternal well-being. There is something that "drives out fear": Love. This whole scenario can be best explained by examining the parallels in the traditional Jewish Wedding. When Christ calls us "His Bride", He is speaking in terms that everyone back then would

have understood. The Jews are God's chosen people. By examining this traditional ceremony, we can more fully understand what God is saying to us. There are a few things that are revealed through this custom, some of them quite astonishing and new to our understanding. It is a topic in itself and one I hope to blog in the future, but the point I wish to immediately focus on here, is that Christ FIRST chose US to be His bride. We, then, make a decision to accept His marriage by being "born again". Thus, we love Him because He "first loved us!" Glory To His Name! As a born again child of God, we now await to drink from the "fourth cup"... the cup of "consummation" which now awaits us in Heaven, to be shared between us... and Christ... GLORY! So, with this "Bride and Groom" theme that is most dominant in scripture and the "love - fear" Truth that is brought forth in the scripture above, we can discern a few different things: • • • • •

If we are "fearful" in our relationship with God, we are not "perfect in love". We cannot be fearful and loving at the same time Should any bride "fear" the Groom? No! We love God ONLY because He first loved us. Correctly understanding or mis-understanding God's love and forgiveness affects "every" circumstance and action governing our lives as Christians. • If you can fully realize you are forgiven, it will take away your fear of God's judgment, assure you of your eternal acceptance, and set you free to live the life God intends for you in total peace, joy, love and certain confidence that God has dealt with your sin -- "Once And For All!" "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold "unswervingly" to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful" - (Hebrews 10: 19-23) Wow! Jesus opened the way for us to the Most Holy Place by His life's blood sacrifice for our sin. The "Most Holy Place" is the very Throne Room of God! Jesus is our "Great Priest!" Knowing that you are forgiven should give you "full confidence" to approach God! The ONLY thing that cleanses us from a guilty conscience is "being sprinkled" by the blood of Jesus! We can now draw near

unto God faith a sincere heart and an attitude of "full assurance" that we have been sanctified (found not guilty) and eternally accepted by God as a child of God! In verse 23, it's important to note that "Jesus" is the One that is faithful... NOT us! So, then, it is very important for us to realize that we are totally forgiven! If He had left any part of our salvation up to us, rest assured, we would have screwed it up... It's inevitable! "In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" - (Ephesians 3:12) Starting to dawn on you yet? The ONLY way we can approach God in freedom and confidence is in Jesus and our faith in Him (which includes what He has done for us). To approach God in freedom and confidence means you must "KNOW" you have been accepted by God, "once and for all"! That freedom is ours to be had! We have seen that our relationship with God should be greatly affected by the forgiveness Christ has provided. Is there any reason why you are not experiencing freedom and confidence in your relationship with God? If so, are you willing to let go of it and by faith accept the fact that as a child of God you are totally forgiven? Our understanding of God's forgiveness has a lot to do with how we treat other people, also. If we have never experienced God's love and forgiveness for ourselves, it would be very hard to be a loving and forgiving person toward others. Make sense to you? "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God FORGAVE you..." -- (Ephesians 4:32) As you can well see, the way you view God's forgiveness toward you will surely determine how you apply the wisdom of the above scripture to your life. This scripture points out that we are to forgive others as Christ "forgave" (notice the past tense that is very specific in this scripture) us. God forgave us because of His kindness and compassion toward us. If God has forgiven us totally and unconditionally, we SHOULD forgive others in the same way... But do we? How often do we require that the other person "ask" our forgiveness before we "try" to forgive them? How often do we put forth our best effort to forgive and seek forgiveness just because we think it a "command" that our very salvation hinges on? And even when we "try" to do these things, how often are we really

successful? If we see ourselves as unforgiven, or conditionally forgiven, being constantly in danger of punishment, just like sinners who have never been saved, how will we treat others? I don't need to answer that one for you... But if we see ourselves as totally forgiven, how then would you treat others? You could easily learn that it is within you to have forgiven most trespasses before they even occur... Making the process an already done deal... Drastic difference isn't it? "Therfore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience! Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord "forgave" you." -- (Colossians 3:12 & 13) This is very revealing wisdom in that it describes God's chosen people as people clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... A people that bear with one another and a people that forgives all grievances between themselves... Forgiving each other in the same manner as God forgave them... Oh. And this is done in the "heart" of His people. It's not referring to "lip service" here. Does this accurately describe us? If not, we've missed something very important in our understanding of God. A forgiving spirit is totally natural for God's people. This is because it is the personality of Christ in the believer. Christ forgave us of "all" our sins. So, we are to forgive ALL grievances we have against others... ALL... "Once and for all"... This means those of the past, those of the present, and yes, those of the future. Your reward will be "YOUR" freedom! Forgiveness is at the very root of our identity in Christ. His unconditional love for us that He demonstrated by dying for us on the cross is what gives us the power to draw near unto God... And to love others ~~

In Christ, We Are Totally Righteous! Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 6) Questions Answered Not only do we receive forgiveness through our faith in Christ, we also receive "righteousness" -- the righteousness of "Christ". Through faith in Christ, we "exchange" our unrighteousness for "His" perfect righteousness. Resting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ frees us from the impossible task of trying to keep ourselves "clean" before God. How many of us understand this? How many of us have been taught by various religions influenced by Catholicism that we must "perform" to maintain our very salvation? Let's take a look at a few scriptures that will hopefully clarify a few things in our own minds: Romans 3:21-22 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; As always, scripture is what so many would consider painfully clear in what it says concerning out righteousness. It says plainly that righteousness is from God. Not in what you do, what I do, or what anyone else does. Our righteousness is from God! This scripture also reveals that we cannot become righteous by observing the Law. Scripture says our righteousness from God is "apart from the Law". So, if our righteousness does not come from the Law, where does it come from? Kind of easy to figure when looking at the above scripture: Our righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL that believe! Notice belief is different than faith... All the demon believe, but they lack faith. They believe in Jesus, and had faith in Satan... See the difference? Our righteousness come from Christ when we both believe and have faith in Christ... Amen... 2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Christ did not have any sin within Him but God made Christ to be sin on our behalf. In taking that sin of ours, Christ took it "all". Not one sin was left behind for us to scuffle with. What do you truly think would happen to the world if Christ had left one sin for us to conquer on our own? Well, I don't think He would have had too much trouble building the new city... There wouldn't be anyone to occupy the place (heaven). It's important to take note of in our hearts and minds, that because of that special exchange Jesus made on our behalf, and ONLY because of that loving and painful exchange did "we" benefit from obtaining the very "righteousness of God" - "IN CHRIST"! It is only "IN CHRIST" this is obtained! So... If we have actually become the righteousness of God by being born again, how righteous are we? We are FULLY, 100%, without lacking anything, with nothing to add, we are FULLY and TOTALLY Righteous, In Christ! Nothing left to even improve upon concerning your righteousness that Jesus has provided you and I.! Romans 4:5 "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness..." Here is some simple facts that "religion" tends to disagree with in one form or many others: God justifies the wicked. Man is not justified by any aspect of his works. He is justified by trusting in God. "Faith is credited as righteousness to those who believe in Christ." No person can gain righteousness through their good works. Not Pope John, Mother Teresa, Mother Mary, nor Matt nor anyone else. It is "God's" Righteousness of which we are given! Romans 5:17 "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." What a wonderful scripture... As a result of one mans sin, "death" had reign over us. Everyone was affected by this sin of one man. NO ONE was excluded from the dreaded judgment as a result of the sinful nature (our guarantee that we WILL

sin). This is the most dreadful news to mankind... As there was but one verdict on the day of judgment... "Guilty!" But the next part demonstrates the saving power of a loving, mighty and Graceful God: If we receive His Grace (Jesus Christ), one of God's gifts to us is "His" righteousness! This righteousness "reigns in life"! That means we are now free to live with the knowledge that we have an eternal acceptance that cannot be challenged by anything on this earth or beyond... We are "free"... Set apart from the wages of sin and death, because no longer are we identified as "sinners"... We are now identified as sons and daughters of God... Saints forevermore! Glory to God! Our mind have a hard time wrapping around that little tid-but of Truth doesn't it? Philippians 3:8-9 "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith..." As Paul was all too famous for, he weighs in on the subjects of righteousness by faith in Christ as opposed to righteousness by the Law in the above scripture. Paul says that righteousness that comes from obeying the Law as "rubbish" (trash). Not that obeying God's Law is a bad thing... Not at all! But "our ability" to achieve righteousness through perfect obedience? It's not even a remote possibility. No human on earth, except Jesus Christ, was or ever will be able to obtain righteousness through perfect obedience. NONE! It makes no matter how "good" we think we are... On our own, the best we will ever do is be a stench in God's nostrils... The only righteousness Paul found valuable was "the righteousness that comes 'from God' on the basis of faith"! Who's righteousness would you rather have? Be honest... Look deep within yourself. Is there ANY given time when you think you could measure up on your own? I'm talking right now, even if you've been a Christian for 40 years... If you started right now, could you perfectly adhere to the perfect Law of God?

For years, I was asked if I "had sin in my life that I sought to justify" through my understanding of God's Grace. You see, there are people I know right now that actually think this whole concept of God's Grace is to accommodate a sinful lifestyle (license to sin). And for quite a while I denied having sin in my life. My answer would always be, "No." What an incredible lie. The facts of the matter is, no matter how hard I try, and whether you want to admit it or not, no matter how hard "you" try, we will NEVER stand perfect before the Law of God! Therefore, yes. I do have sin in my life. I have re-occurring sin in my life... And so do you... Each and EVERY ONE of you... THAT, coupled with the Truth God is trying to communicate to us, is the reasons why we need to correctly discern this matter of God's Grace... It will be the ONLY thing that frees your spirit and allow you to live joyfully in God's Service, both in this physical life, and our spiritual lives to come!

"Yes. I do have sin in my life. I have reoccurring sin in my life... And so do you... Each and EVERY ONE of you... THAT, coupled with the Truth God is trying to communicate to us, is the reasons why we need to correctly discern this matter of God's Grace... It will be the ONLY thing that frees your spirit and allow you to live joyfully in God's Service, both in this physical life, and our spiritual lives to come!" As revealed in the scripture above, the only way to receive the righteousness of God is by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary, for you and for me. A most important question we can now ask ourselves in the light of the combined Truths of the Gospels is, "Are we willing to give up our feeble efforts and 'rest' in His free gift of righteousness today?" IF you are standing 100% in the righteousness of "Jesus Christ", you are 100% acceptable to God! Ephesians 1:6 "...to the praise of the glory of His Grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." This scripture reveals that God's acceptance of us is NOT something we can establish on our own, but rather it is Jesus Christ that has provided our acceptance. When we realize we are truly only accepted and made righteous through God, we should be able to relate to Him freely, willingly and with assurance that His acceptance of us cannot be threatened.

"A most important question we can now ask ourselves in the light of the combined Truths of the Gospels is, "Are we willing to give up our feeble efforts and 'rest' in His free gift of righteousness today?" IF you are standing 100% in the righteousness of "Jesus Christ", you are 100% acceptable to God!" It is important to understand that the righteousness of God is not just another gift He gives us. Righteousness is given in the form of a person - Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One"! Glory to God! Can I get an amen up in here?!?! Romans 1:16-17 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." Why is Paul not ashamed of the Gospel? Because it is the power of God! The Gospel reveals the righteousness of God from faith... to FAITH! You receive the righteousness of God... BY FAITH! Those that have received the righteousness of God are now to live... BY FAITH! Are we now resting in the righteousness we have received from God, as a child of God... BY FAITH? Scripture is as clear as the noon day sun after a good rain, that NO ONE will ever be declared righteous in God's sight through obedience to the Law of God. So, God, in His Grace and Mercy, did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He imputed to us His righteousness by coming to live in us! "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (1Corinthians 1:30). As a result? We stand in His presence totally and eternally loved and accepted. Praise the Name of The Lord, Jesus Christ!

In Christ, you are REDEEMED! Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 7) Questions Answered As children have walked out the door for an evening of fun, parents have been known to say, "Remember who you belong to." Perhaps the parents were hoping that the knowledge of who you were and to whom you belonged would influence your decision-making process, should you be tempted with the ways of this awful world. I think too, that through our identity in Christ, God reminds us "who we belong to". As children of God, we have been redeemed. Now I don't know about you, but my understanding of exactly what it means to be redeemed used to be somewhat fuzzy. To "redeem" someone literally means to "buy back", then to "set free". There is a famous story of how a man once saw a slave on the open market. The bids were quite high for this particular slave because he was very physically fit, able to do the work of two men supposedly. But also, this man's wife and child were for sale as slaves. During the slave trade, families were frequently split up at auctions, as it was rare the whole family would be purchased by the same owner... However, in this particular case, this man out-bid all others at this particular auction and gained the deed to the slave. This particular man also out bid the crowd on the slave’s wife and child. For all practical purposes, he had deed to a male slave, the slave's wife, and the slave's child. Upon completing payment, the slave owner stood with deeds of parchment in hand, and his slaves before him. As the owner looked into the eyes of this family, he then took ink in hand and did what he had intended to do all along... He signed the "deeds" of ownership, accompanied by a signed statement that the persons in these deeds were now "set free" by the owner. You see, if a slave owner wished it so, he could set his slaves free... totally free... and this action was irrevocable . No one else was allowed to legally enslave these people again once the owner had set them free. The owner of the slaves then handed his signed and sealed documents of freedom to each of the three in the family. Looking into the eyes of the male slave, he simply said, "You are now free." ...

Try if you can, to imagine a man who's entire family was caught up in a society that endorsed human slavery... and try to imagine what happened within the heart of the "used-to-be-slave" when suddenly and quite unexpectedly he realized he AND his family were free... What do you think the ex-slave felt toward the man that had just paid quite a high price for his entire family, then without any personal benefit from them what-so-ever, he just "gave them away" to freedom? This is a true story. And the man that purchased the slaves was quite a famous man... that ended up having quite the key role in freeing ALL slaves in the United States of America... His name was Abraham Lincoln. The Incomparable Christ "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13-14 What a powerful, loving statement in the Word of God! We have been "rescued" from the dominion of darkness by Christ, Himself! We have now been transferred out of darkness, INTO the KINGDOM of God's Son, Jesus Christ! In THIS Kingdom, we have redemption, which is the forgiveness of sins! According to this scripture? We ALREADY have redemption! We have been "bought back"! It's DONE! We are FREE from DARKNESS! How does that make you feel? Toward the One who "bought you back" from darkness, then "set you free"? "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons." - Galatians 4:4-5 Here we are told that God sent His Son Jesus into the world to redeem (buy back) those that were under the Law (you and I). Jesus did this for us so that we would receive "full rights" as children of God. Why is it important that we fully understand this? The list is almost endless, but to start, it is so we can rest assured of just who we are in Christ that we may have the peace of heart, boldness in spirit to deal with the flesh that resides within us all, and perseverance to endure this spiteful world. We are supposed to understand that we are now free to "live by the spirit" (which has eternal life by the power of

Christ), despite this flesh that will one day die and pass away. But, even though it will remain with us for a little while (our flesh), it is, can, and will be dominated by the Holy Spirit that now resides in us as born again Christians! Will we ever be "perfect" in this flesh? Probably not... But there will most definitely be "major changes" and it (our flesh) will be more and more subdued as we "mature" in the power of the "Spirit of God"! Glory! How absolutely INCREDIBLE! "The Robe and The Ring" "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'" "But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate." - Luke 15:17-24 In the story of the prodigal son, the son took his inheritance and squandered the wealth on the ways of this world. After he squandered the money, he came to a place to where he found himself eating with the pigs. In reference to the verses above, what can we conclude in how the son felt about his relationship with his father? Well? Scripture plainly says his thoughts were that he had so greatly sinned against heaven and in the sight of his father, that he thought himself no longer worthy to be called his son... And you know what? He was right. He wasn't "worthy" enough! Now the son simply desired to be as one of his father’s servants.

But? As was the case, the father had something totally different in his heart. In the heart of the father was celebration because a son that had been lost was now found. Did the father feel as if the son was no longer "worthy" to be his son? The fact that the best robe and the ring was fetched for the son, was symbolic of all rights of son-ship being restored to the son... You see, it wasn't up to the son, but the father as to whether or not the son would remain his son! With all that is within me, I must conclude that our heavenly Father feels the same way about us IF our heart was ever given to Him in earnest. Even though we may, for this reason or that, go off and sin and/or to do our own things, from God's vantage point, does this make us slaves again, or are we still His sons/daughters? Scripture tells us that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God! How extraordinary! When you sin (notice I said, 'when'), do you sometimes feel exactly the way the prodigal son did -- that you are no longer worthy to be called God's son/daughter? If you're anything the way I was, you may fall prey to that selfcondemnation, not fully realizing that it is up to GOD to determine such a thing... And that He has told us what His determination is already concerning His children! God redeemed us so we would have full rights as His sons and daughters. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance for us to fully understand that we HAVE BEEN redeemed! As I have said many times, in many different places, for twelve years in my walk with God, I had mis-understood my salvation. I had adopted the attitude that, "If I make it to heaven God? That will be fantastic! But if I don't, I'm going to do for You what I can anyway." That was the best I could do. You see, I had thought myself no more than a "hired man". But God? He finally showed me that He stood before me with the best robe! He stood before me with the ring! Undeservedly, I accepted the robe and the ring that only HE could offer me... I have never gotten over that, and I'm quite sure I never will... That totally overwhelms me in my flesh every time I dwell and meditate on it... What a loving God we serve! Where are you in your understanding? Do you think yourself a "hired man/woman" of God? Or are you ready to wear "The Robe and the Ring?"

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." - Romans 6:1518 There is constant criticism concerning the teaching of Grace and our truthful identity in Christ is that it gives a "license to sin". As a fellow I know would say, "We don't need a license to sin. We did that just fine without one." But? I do suppose it is a valid question. I remember asking it myself before I understood God's Grace. And so it must have been even in Paul's time. You see, the Jews, steeped in the Law of God asked the same questions. Paul's reply was clear and very concise: "By no means!" To further elaborate , Paul used the idea of slavery so everyone could visualize in their minds what should be going on in the heart of the recipient of God's Grace. In this explanation, Paul makes some interesting points concerning "slavery". First, you "offer" yourself to someone to "obey" him as if a slave. In this particular case, we have two clear choices as to who will enslave us, which would be slavery to sin which would ultimately lead to death, or slavery to "obedience" (unto Jesus Christ, of which Jesus only had two commandments) which leads to righteousness (the righteousness that can only be seen through the blood of Jesus and enabled by our acceptance of the Life Jesus demonstrated for us through His Resurrection). We all know that when we were lost, we were definitely "slaves to sin". No rocket science there is there my friends? But by "obeying the gospels", what have we willingly become slaves to? That's right... The "Righteousness" (Jesus Christ) mentioned above. We can also thank God for The Holy Spirit, for without Him, subduing the flesh would be a total impossibility and neither could our minds be "renewed". What Paul describes here and in many other places in the New Testament is "freedom". This freedom, as has been described elsewhere is a total freedom. But, as is always the "context" of the Gospel (Good News), anytime freedom is

mentioned describing the born again believer in Christ, it is ALWAYS A REFERENCE TO FREEDOM FROM SIN! Some of us have been blessed with the understanding that spiritually we have been freed from sin entirely, and this was what Jesus dealt with over 2000 years ago to "prepare" us for salvation. Jesus has already paid the price for every sin in all the world, in all time frames, forever! IT (dealing with sin) Is Finished! But in the here and now? In this flesh? Evidence of this is a gradual physical process of which the physical manifestations become more and more evident as our minds and hearts grow in the "renewal" process... Our flesh is actually becoming more and more "subdued" by the Holy Spirit as we choose to be more and more "obedient" to the will of God in our character. Since we have been "set free" (freedom) from the law of "sin and death" it wouldn't make a bit of sense to return to a lifestyle of sin would it? Truly, when we really realize the Truth about our redemption in Christ, we can then realize that by faith we simply do not have to participate in sin any longer the way we did before. Before we were born again, we had no real choice according to our nature... Now? It's quite different, praise God! We are literally free in our spirit NOT to sin! So? Spiritually, freedom from sin is a matter of history for the born again. Physically? It is an ongoing process made possible only through our willingness to obey God, and that is only possible through the ministry of the Holy Spirit within us all... Physical obedience to the ministry of the Holy Spirit promotes what is described as "living by the Spirit"! Amen! "Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 In the previous segment we discussed Paul's address to what was going on in the Corinthian church at the time, which namely was an "abuse of God's Grace". The Corinthian church mis-understood their new-found "freedom" in Christ. Their flesh grabbed hold of the idea that "Now we can do as we please without fear of judgment from God!" (my paraphrase). Paul sought to address this error in understanding, thus, the scripture above is one instance where Paul attempts to explain to us what our basic "motivation" should be in our hearts and minds so our flesh will be properly directed (subdued) by the Holy Spirit. He does this by

explaining some very important facts about the changes that should occur within the born again believer. In this particular instance, the issue of promiscuous sex within the church is being addressed because it was literally rampant within the Corinthian church at that time (*Oh how horrible! That wouldn't be possible today among believers would it?). But the basics that explain the Truth of Grace not only sheds light on this error in understanding of sex, but also lays the foundation of the believers "motivation by Grace" which enables our freedom "NOT" to abide in sin! Paul starts by making a distinction between sexual sin and all other sins, in that sexual sin is against the body, where as all other sin is outside the body. Paul implies this should be especially despicable to us as born again believers because we sin against the "temple" of the Holy Spirit, which "lives" in... US! He also teaches us that "our bodies are not our own"... In all things this is true, not only in the arena of sexual sin. Then Paul goes even deeper into our understanding to explain "we are not our own" because "we have been bought with a price"! Friends? What "price" was that? What was the only thing valuable enough to "purchase you" from the kingdom of eternal darkness? How absolutely incredible that God's Son, Jesus... God Himself would shed His own blood to buy us back... Now how does that make us "feel" in our hearts? Has it been said so much, by so many people, for such a long time , that we no longer have a "debt of appreciation" of what God did? Ok... So we're imperfect... But we have God's Grace... All things are lawful, right? " I have this feeling of being fed up with a great many things in this world. I'm tired of how I'm treated. There are even a few types of people I hate, and others I hate what they do. I'm that way, and I'm free to do so!" True enough, all things are lawful to the born again believer. Freedom wouldn't be freedom if God's Law remained in judgment of any part of our lives... But the "Law of The Spirit" also says, "not all things are profitable" to the character, integrity and purpose of God which is inside each and every one of us through the ministry of The Holy Spirit (of Whom we now belong)! So? Clutch all your imperfections that you have come to treasure! Hold them as tightly as you can in both arms! Then walk into the shadow of the cross and look

into the eyes of Jesus and see if His Grace allows that you should keep them for a lifetime... Search the heart of God... then search yours... Do you possess a "debt of gratitude" for the Sacrifice made on your behalf so that you can now know what it is to "LIVE" and eternal life made available to You through Jesus, expressed to us through His glorious resurrection?

"So? Clutch all your imperfections that you have come to treasure! Hold them as tightly as you can in both arms! Then walk into the shadow of the cross and look into the eyes of Jesus and see if His Grace allows that you should keep them for a lifetime..." That is what Paul was trying to tell us... He was trying to tell us this in hopes that we could tap into the Holy Spirit within us that is more than able to enable us to "Glorify God in our bodies"... Amen & Amen But that's not nearly all: "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." - Galatians 4:6-7 My God! I cannot find the words to adequately express the power and the love God has for us that He would not only save us, but He would actually "send forth the SPIRIT OF HIS SON" into our hearts! Friends? How can we have JESUS living and breathing inside of us and hold our bibles in one hand and our hate and/or disdain for others in the other? How can we read and study the things of God and sneak out the house for a sexual encounter with someone besides our mate? How can we hold our bibles in one hand and hold ANY sin in the other hand? As ugly a thing as it is to admit, the way we do this is with the flesh. And THAT is exactly what we are to engage in battle with the Holy Spirit at our stead! We can make headway in defeating and subduing our flesh through the Spirit of God's Son that lives within us! Spiritually that battle has already been won... But in this flesh? Well, stand in the shadow of the cross and see what the Spirit of Jesus has to say to you, huh? But we also need to know that God knew of everything we would be through Him? And He also knew everything we would not be and He has delivered us through it all if we are truly born again... Can you imagine? We are no longer slaves to sin... We have been given the gift of Son ship. We have been made sons

and daughters of God! We are an "heir"! You know "heirs" inherit things... And our ultimate inheritance is eternal life as sons and daughters of God! If the Truth of these scriptures doesn't stir an "undying debt of gratitude" within you my friends, I would take a serious look at myself, for there is something terribly wrong with our condition... It will be up to you and God to find your motivations by Grace in all things... Knowing we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus and having been set free from the law of sin and death enables us to fully enjoy the "riches of God's love and Grace" with a heart free of all malice and immorality, despite any momentary lapses we may have in this learning process. In light of the fact that, despite all the obstacles Satan would have you think exists, you have totally been "redeemed", it just wouldn't make any sense what-so-ever to go back to our lives of bondage! Glory To God! All praise belongs to Him! All honor! All Glory! Thank You Jesus for Who you are to us... Our Savior, our Teacher, our Grace... our Motivation! Amen & Amen!

You Are Sanctified! Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 8) Questions Answered To be sanctified means to be "set apart" or to be "made Holy". As a child of God, you have been made 100% Holy by and ONLY by the blood of Jesus. Despite differences of opinion, the Bible clearly tells us that holiness is not something we can attain by our own good works. Like salvation, holiness is a free gift that is given to all who put the faith in Christ Jesus. "...yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach--" - Colossians 1:22 Here's some foundational Truth concerning our identity in Christ. CHRIST... notice God's Word says "CHRIST" reconciled us to God through His physical death. As a result of ONLY this action by Jesus, we are now seen as a "Holy" person! We will NEVER again be condemned by God because we are forever now seen as "holy, blameless, and BEYOND REPROACH!" Glory! Is it starting to dawn on you yet just how magnificent the work of Christ toward us as Savior really is? Glory to His Name! "...who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity..." - 2 Timothy 1:9 This passage of scripture is perfectly clear. We ARE called to a "Holy" life. But are we Holy because of ANYTHING we have done? Not according to scripture, which means the Truth of the matter is, our holiness cannot ever come from our actions, but our holiness is ALWAYS provided ONLY by God's purpose for us, and God's Grace, which is in and through Jesus Christ! The "reason" we are made Holy is for God's own purpose. You know what that is? God wanted to save us from an eternity in hell! God wants us to be with HIM forever! God wants to USE us in what time we have left! THAT'S God own purpose! Amen & Amen! And God provided this even before the beginning of time (eternity)... That kind of tells us we've never caught Him by surprise doesn't it? I know it's impossible for us to understand "how" God knows all this, but

through faith? We "know" it never-the-less. Glory to our Father! What a God! So... Could "we" ever have anything to boast about concerning our "holiness?" Could we EVER live in such a way as to be considered "holy" by our own doing? No rocket science to it... Absolutely not! But what we will experience is our flesh being more and more "subdued" by the Holy Spirit of God, bringing even surprise to ourselves sometimes. We will grow in the character of Christ... We will mature... We will go from m ilk to the meat... Our minds and hearts will be continually transformed... And the speed at which this will occur will depend greatly on your desire to "submit" yourself to God's Instruction... THAT is "living by the Spirit"! What a glorious process to behold... a treasure beyond compare... an honor... An Honor to participate as a child of God! Thank You Jesus! "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:10 Oh... My... GOD! No, I'm not using the Lord's Name in vain here! Folks? Can you see the Good News all over this scripture? The sheer POWER of the totality of Christ's Work toward us is incredible! For many, it's unbelievable (sadly)... Friends? There is enough power in this one verse to alter your life forever if you'll just hear what has been said! We... are ...made ... HOLY through the sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ... ONCE AND FOR ALL! Precious Lord! Could that one statement be perfectly true?!!? Think about something please... What does, "Once and FOR ALL" mean to you? To me? It says that our "holiness" has been provided by Jesus Christ from now on, without end! ... Forever! It is FINISHED! This kind of suggests our "holiness is COMPLETE" doesn't it? Ummm... YEAH! Now one more question: "Is there anything you as a man or a woman can do that would overpower what Jesus did here for our holiness?" Are you more powerful than God? Can you change the "once and for all" part with any human element in your possession? Well friends. Some may think they can, but I rest in knowing that what God hath put together, no man shall separate! Amen! Romans 6:10, Hebrews 7:27, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 10:10, 1 Peter 3:18, Jude 1:3, Jude 1:5 ! ...and Amen! Friends and family? In light of all these "once and for alls" and all the other Truth in Scripture presented up to this point, are you willingly ready to continue to present your teaching of mis-understanding of that one verse that would put

God's people back on that "performance treadmill" that is ever-so-similar to the one the Jews trod on before the Messiah ever came to us? If so? Shame on you. Shame on you indeed! That may be strong verbiage, but not nearly as strong as what the Bible says. The Word of God says that "to anyone, man or angel, that would teach a different gospel, may he be accursed!" "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." - Galatians 1:8-10 Like I said... Strong verbage... But this is an important topic. "For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren..." - Hebrews 2:11 Look at this scripture for a moment please. What family is referred to here? The family of God. How can Jesus be called our "Brother"? Because He (Jesus) who sanctifies, and those who are sanctified (you and I) are all from one Father. If we are part of the same family with Jesus and Jesus is our Brother, how should this affect our relationship(s) with other believers? Should we not all consider ourselves all of the same family? If it relies ONLY on what Jesus has done for us (provided our sanctification), are we not of the same family? Friends? Yes we are. That Truth cannot be changed whether we believe it or not, understand it or not, dis-agree with it or not... It doesn't matter... Truth says we are ALL, as believers, in the same family of God! "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:" - 1Corinthians 1:2 The Corinthian church as you may know, had many problems. Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Corinthians to address these problems. One of the major concerns of Paul was the sexual immorality that was being tolerated. Despite the severe immorality that was going on within the Corinthian church, Paul still identifies them in his address by "those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy". Now that's a far cry from how most churches would approach things such as that today, huh?

Despite being acutely aware of the conditions of extreme immorality within the Christian Church at Corinth, Paul still reinforces the fact that they "ARE SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST and called to be Holy!" Now to back step just a second, what were they called to be? That's right. HOLY! Let's ponder something for a second... According to this scripture, what do ALL of us that have called on the name of Jesus have in common? Without doubt, the commonality is, we are ALL in the family of God! I don't know about you all folks, but I myself will never get over this. I mean, I enjoy this life as much as the next person, but it pales ever-so-much knowing that when this is all over (I die and leave this earth) that I have an eternity to look forward to that is so wonderful it can't enter the mind of man (and we have some pretty smart people on this earth)! Realizing within your mind and heart that you ARE holy, not that you must "work" for the status, should begin to totally transform your life... IF it is important to you at all... I mean, isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus has already done what many men teach you have to attain on your own? Your Holiness? Taken care of? THAT'S part of what man should mean when he speaks of man's Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen! "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless." - Ephesians 5:25-27 Here, the Bible says Christ gave Himself for us as an act of love. That's amazing in itself, but here's what many in the world fail to understand: The RESULT of this action is what makes us holy! When Christ died for us on the cross and was raised from the dead into life, the avenue to be made holy was provided right then and there! All that was then needed is for us to accept It! That’s where our holiness lies folks! In the works of CHRIST! Not the works of Wade! Not the works of Granny! Not the works of Matt! Our holiness does NOT rely on the works of man in ANY fashion! It's ALL JESUS! People have been wondering for years what I mean when I say, "It's all about Jesus." This expose', when concluded, will explain just what I was saying... And yes, it really is that simple! Look at some of the adjectives used in this passage describing US, the people that have been born again in Christ! In this scripture alone: • HOLY

• • • •

RADIANT CLEANSED WITHOUT STAIN, WRINKLE, OR ANY OTHER BLEMISH BLAMELESS

Please examine this list and ask yourself is it possible that YOU, through all your works, could EVER achieve this? If you're honest with yourself, and according to God, the answer is, "No". And that goes for each and every one of us! But in reading this scripture, isn't it wonderful to realize that CHRIST has done it for you? Amen! Yes it is! It will transform your mind, and thus your life if you let it! Imagine a life where you no longer have to worry about "measuring up" to the standards of holiness (perfection) through the various performances on the various treadmills "religion" would seek to impose on you! Glory to God! Now THAT is DELIVERANCE! Amen! So. If GOD sees us this way, would it be presumptuous to see ourselves in the same way? Absolutely not! As a matter of fact, God WANTS you to realize this! He WANTS you to understand what JESUS did for you! I am quite sure it breaks His heart to see His children unknowingly sell Jesus short of what He accomplished! Also, by fully realizing what Jesus has done for us, we no longer will waste time in a vicious circle trying to obtain what we've already been given... Holiness! THEN, we can move continually forward in the ministry God intended for us all!

"Also, by fully realizing what Jesus has done for us, we no longer will waste time in a vicious circle trying to obtain what we've already been given... Holiness! THEN, we can move continually forward in the ministry God intended for us all!" Folks? This whole expose' is so we can all discover within ourselves a wonderful, life-changing Truth that is thousands of years old in relation to our physical reality, but It is timeless Truth in eternity. Please give this entire series it's due, in that you'll save it, re-read it, take your time in study of this Truth about your salvation if you have been truly saved by Jesus... "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you;

but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." - 1Corinthians 6:9-11 Scriptures such as these frequently throw people for loops in their understanding of their future because they do not know for certain what scripture reveals about our "New Identity in Christ". Here is why: According to these verses, who will not inherit the Kingdom of God? You can go through the list. It's a long one isn't it? Now, do you see yourself "in the flesh" anywhere in there? I do. The Corinthians most certainly could... To be brutally honest? You should be able to see yourself in there too. Scary? You bet! Had it not been for our Savior, we wouldn't stand a chance. The reason I say that is, notice what Paul also says about our identity. After all, the Corinthians and us... we have a lot in common don't we? Maybe our flesh is much more subdued to the things of Christ than these Corinthians were, but we're still far from perfection aren't we? In the same breath, Paul told the Corinthians that all those evil things is what they "were" (past tense). Now it may strike many of you as strange, as it first did me, that Paul would say these Corinthians were no longer unrighteous in their fornications, their idolatry, adulteries, their "girly-man" actions, homosexuality, thieving, covetousness, drunkenness, reviling, swindling etc., etc., etc. . Now were these Corinthians still participating in this stuff? This perversion? Yes they were! Yet their "Identity In Christ" is secure! They are born again! They are saved! Hey... Don't get upset with me... It's the Bible that says it, not me. Now that most of you are really upset, let's shed some light on a few other things, shall we? Now what has just been described here? "A license to sin!" you might say... Well? Let's see what else Paul had to say. You see, we fail to understand much of what the Bible has to offer us because we don't take the time nor put in the effort to grasp it in it's entirety! Too many times we stop short in our studies and miss the main points of many a conversation in the Bible! Let's not do that here. Let's get it all... We need to. We need to understand our Identity in Christ before we can clearly understand anything else in the proper perspective, which is "God's Perspective"!

"Too many times we stop short in our studies and miss the main points of many a conversation in the Bible! Let's not do that here. Let's get it all... We need to. We need to understand our Identity in Christ

before we can clearly understand anything else in the proper perspective, which is 'God's Perspective'!" "He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need." - Ephesians 4:28 Ok. Take a look at this Scripture, please. What is God's response to a child of God who has stolen? Well? ... ... . He instructs us we must steal no longer, but work, so we will have even something to share with others! Does he call such a person a thief? Noooo! He couldn't call us a thief, as that would contradict who we are, which is a person inherent to the Kingdom of God! But let's not lose sight of why we are Saints... It's was only by our acceptance of Jesus Christ, and Jesus being who He is that enables that! Again, what does God tell us to do if we have been stealing? He tells us plainly to "steal no longer". God says, "Work!, so you can GIVE!" God clearly teaches us that He wants us to bear fruit, and we must realize we CAN bear the fruit if we'll learn of God and His ways, and humble ourselves to the authority of The Holy Spirit inside us. For if the Holy Spirit is inside you, He will let you know when you do wrong, and He will want you to "change your ways" (repent)! So? Why fight it? Why be miserable? REPENT! And experience the blessings of God through the fruits that will come forth through you as God's Tool! Amen! Now don't you find it odd God doesn't say, "Get on your knees straight away and beg Me for My forgiveness!" ??? It might surprise you to know the Bible never tell us anywhere in it's text for us to beg for forgiveness. Why should you beg for something that was given over 2000 years ago? The knowledge of this fact is more than clearly displayed in Jesus Himself when he made the statement in John 3:18, that "sin" is "unbelief in Jesus!" There was many a call unto the Lord to restore the "Joy" of salvation, but never was there a call to restore "salvation". Rather than a standard to be lived up to, the holiness of God is a gift that has been given to all who believe on the Lord, Jesus Christ. As we have clearly seen, whether or not we want to humble ourselves to it, we are sanctified ONLY through our faith in Jesus Christ, NOT by our "good works"! Therefore, our "identity" is based on what HE has done rather than what "we" do! And I for one am dog gone glad of it!

God does not "need" us to carry out His work in this world. Yet, in His sovereignty, He has "chosen" to "use" us. Through sanctification, He has "set us apart" for that purpose. We are a VERY PRIVILEGED people, knowing that God, at any time, can and will use us to share His Life and Love to those around us. Is it starting to mean a little more now when you say, "Glory to You Father God! You alone are WORTHY!" ??? Amen & Amen!

You Are Found "Not Guilty" In Christ! Who We Are "In Christ" In Search Of Our Identity (Part 9) Questions Answered To be "justified" means to be "made right" with God... To be found "Not Guilty!" by the Good and Perfect Judge, God Himself! You see, every good judge must seek justice for all wrong doing. God is no different. Sin demands punishment. God MUST punish sin. Our identity before coming to Christ was that of a sinner. As it says in Ephesians 2:3, "We were by nature objects of wrath." Having being born into sin, we were cut off from the life of God. However, through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been brought back into a "right relationship" with God. Because Jesus took all our sin, paid the price for it on the cross (our preparation unto salvation), and GAVE us HIS righteousness, we can now stand "justified" (found not guilty) before God! Let's ask ourselves a few questions that requires a little honesty here if you don't mind. • Have we ever looked upon a person with lust? I'll admit I have. So? According to God's Law, what does that make me? An adulterer. • Have we ever stolen anything? I have. So what am I? A thief. • Has anything ever been more important to me than God? There have been times in my life when God was last on my list. What does that make me? An idolater. • Have we ever told a lie, no matter how "small" the lie? I'm guilty again. So what does that make me? A liar. Ok. I'll stop there. No need to go any further... No matter what "your" answers were, if you find yourself guilty of any ONE of God's Laws, the bible says you are guilty of breaking them all! So by my own admission, I'm an adulterer, a thief, and idolater, and a liar. Now let's say I stood before God for judgment. I know God is a loving, caring and forgiving God, and I am very, VERY sorry for what I've done. I'm so sorry for what I've done, I'm ready to promise never to do it again, and mean it!

So when I get before the Judge, I say, "Your Honor? I am guilty of all these things. I do not deny that. But I am very sorry for what I've done. Please forgive me. I promise I will NEVER do them again!". The Judge hears your plea, but being a good Judge, he cannot let your wrong doing go unpunished. There must be a sentence of punishment. "You should be sorry for what you've done." the Judge says. "The price that must be paid for your transgressions... is death." Standing in the wake of your judgement, what will you do now? Right then and there, in walks Someone that petitions the Judge on your behalf. "Your Honor? My name is Jesus. I take all the blame for the list of transgressions before you. I will give all that is required by the Law in order to pay the penalty in full." He then pays the price for your sin, satisfying the requirements of a perfect Law, and a Righteous Judge. "Very well." says the Judge. "(your name here)? Another has come forth and accepted the blame for these sins and paid the price for them. This Judge finds you not guilty. You are free to go." As you hear what has happened, and as the price is paid for your sin... How would that make you feel? How do you feel toward the One that accepted your blame as His own and paid your price? Folks? If that doesn't bring you to your knees in love and adoration for Christ, then you are totally missing the point, and quite honestly, you need to re-evaluate your situation, as it may well be you just "think" you're saved... If this doesn't move you with great compassion and appreciation, most likely you are not saved at all. But wait? He paid the price... You're free to go... But where? Through the first Adam's sin, mankind was left spiritually separated from God. Mankind inherited a "sin" nature, which guarantees you to be nothing more than a sinner. So? Two things had to be done in order for us to be saved... First we had to be justified before God. Jesus did that on the cross of Calvary. He took the blame for the sin of the world... every sin... and then He paid the Price for that sin... with His life's blood. Sadly, that's where the message of salvation stops in many pulpits across this globe. How sad, because it is an incomplete message. The price Jesus paid for our sin was our "preparation" for salvation... not salvation itself, because we are still spiritually "dead" so to speak, though our sin has been justified. Do you understand what I'm saying? Before the cross, we

were two things: Sinners and dead. After the cross we are only one thing: Dead. You see? Being "sorry" for what you've done and "doing good" from here on out, and begging for forgiveness isn't good enough to get salvation because even though the fine has been paid, you are still "dead". That is NOT salvation. You still need "LIFE"... You/WE still need LIFE! "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." - Romans 5:8-11 Salvation can come only through the One that can give you life, as well as pay your fine. In the scripture above, three specific things are mentioned, each different from the other: (1) "Justification" by the sacrifice of Jesus; being (2) "Saved" by Jesus, and both of them together (justification and being saved) equals (3) "reconcilement" unto God through Jesus! Jesus paid your fine over 2000 years ago, preparing us for salvation. The price Jesus paid for you can only be accounted on your behalf if Jesus "knows" you. And the only way He will "know" you is for you to invite Him into your heart and life, seeking and accepting the "life" He gives, demonstrated in His Resurrection from the Grave! You see, even if your sin has been paid for, you still need life! You STILL need LIFE! Jesus said only HE is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life!", John 14:6 . So in short? Salvation is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, believing that He is the Son of God who died in payment for your sin (in fact, the sin of the "whole world" - EVERY sin) and THAT HIS payment was the ONLY payment that could pay such a price, and that He (Jesus) was resurrected unto life eternal and that He gives this life to all that seek (life) and accept HIM, of which personal repentance for who you are/were (a sinner) is a part of that acceptance of Christ! You cannot turn to Christ, without turning away from your old self. Seeking and receiving "LIFE” in Christ"? Now THAT'S salvation!

If you will? Please drive a stake right here and let this premise of what salvation really is be a backdrop for what we are about to study and realize in scripture. I can promise you, you just may find inspiration to spend the rest of your life in this Word of God... It is quite remarkable! To be justified means to be made right with God. Our identity before coming to Christ was that of a sinner - we were objects of wrath according to Ephesians 2:3. Having been born into sin, we were cut off from the life of God. However, through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have been "brought back" into a right relationship with God! Because Jesus took all of our sin and gave us HIS righteousness, we stand justified before God! What an incredible Savior we have in Jesus! Amen! Romans 5:18, "So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men." What was the result of one man's sin according to the scripture above? Plainly It says condemnation for all men (and women) was the result of one man's sin. It affects everyone. No one is left out. On the flip-side of that, what was the result of one act of righteousness? Again, very plainly, scripture says "justification that brings life to all men (and women)" was the result of Jesus' sacrifice for us all! How many people did it affect? Everyone! Jesus was the only One that could perform this one act of righteousness. No one else was worthy. Through His Gift to us (the whole world), our sin has been justified. We, as born again believers, have been made "right" with God, by accepting Jesus' Gift (HIS Righteousness) to be counted on our behalf! Titus 3:7, " ...so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. " We have been justified by Grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:7-9). Once we become justified, we become "HEIRS WITH CHRIST!" Is that not amazing? Being an heir with Christ means we share in all things Christ has! How overwhelming to the human mind! And according to the scripture above, what is our hope my friends? What do we have to look forward to in the sharing of all

this? It is eternal life! Amen! Eternal life! What a wonderful Savior we have in Jesus my friends and family! For through HIM all these things are possible! Without Him, we couldn't even dream of this! Now there are those among us that would say I'm preaching universal salvation here. Well? Am I? Go back and re-read Romans 5:18... Doesn't it say that one act of righteousness justified "ALL" men? Dear friends? ... If the sacrifice of Jesus alone is salvation, then truly Romans 5:18 would tell us that everyone is already saved. The doctrine of universal salvation would be true! No ifs, ands, or buts. This is where I'd like to drive an uncomfortable reality for many people home, for many are taught in error: Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the sin of the world (every sin that has been, or ever will be committed) alone is not salvation. It was our "preparation" for salvation. Through Jesus' work on the cross, salvation was made possible, in that the penalty for the sin of the world was paid. "If the sacrifice of Jesus alone is salvation, then truly Romans 5:18 would tell us that everyone is already saved. The doctrine of universal salvation would be true!" But? As I hope we all come to understand, the Sacrifice for sin in itself is not the complete process to obtain salvation. We must also repent (Luke 13:3), believe in Jesus (John 3:15-16), and realize that JESUS ONLY offers us LIFE, to which we must receive ( Romans 5:16-18 ; Romans 6:23 ; Romans 8:11 ; 2 Corinthians 3:6 ; Colossians 3:3-4 ; 1Timothy 6:13 ; James 1:12 ; Romans 5:8-11 ) ! Friends? THIS is salvation! It includes loving Jesus, worshiping Jesus, adoring Jesus, wanting to please Jesus, obeying Jesus as best we can, listening to Jesus, having a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus, being committed to Jesus... ALL these things! All this will happen within the heart of a person once they really and truly accept Jesus into their hearts! I can say that it was a very important thing to me when I realized I had eternal life in Jesus. As a matter of fact, it shocked me to realize how important it was to me. But friends? Beyond a shadow of a doubt, even if there were no such thing as Heaven or Eternal Life in Christ... even if I knew I would never make it to Heaven, I would still serve Jesus as best I can... simply because I love Him. I love Jesus just for Who He is... Can we all say that same thing? The reason I ask is because if the only reason we serve Jesus is for fire insurance, you may unwittingly find out you never had that fire insurance. There is more to turning to

Jesus than just the insurance. In all reality? With Jesus, there is no such thing as "insurance". But there is such a thing as "assurance"! Jesus assures us that we will live forever with Him! Amen! How absolutely wonderful!

"There is more to turning to Jesus than just the insurance. In all reality? With Jesus, there is no such thing as 'insurance'. But there is such a thing as "assurance"! Justification is a free gift to us as believers in Christ. I do hope we come to understand just what it means to be a "believer". Justification is not based on our abilities to observe the Law of God, though we will inevitably desire to do so (and we will fail to be perfect in our best of efforts). Justification can only be received by faith in what Christ did on our behalf. " ...nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified. " - Galatians 2:16 This wonderful scripture clearly tells us that no man will be justified by observing the Law. It also says that a person is justified ONLY through our faith in Jesus! We can't be justified by observing the Law, because we can't keep the Law! Oh yes friends. We want to... Some of us desperately want to because we love and adore our Savior, Jesus... but in all our best efforts... we fall short... What a wonderful Savior we have in that even through our imperfections, Jesus has saved us! HE has saved us! We are saved! Glory to God! We are saved! " You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from Grace. " - Galatians 5:4 Oh friends and family! Please listen here very closely... Please pray and ask the Holy Spirit Himself to place the Truth of the scripture above into your heart forever! Search this out for a Truth that will forever change your life and set you free in Christ Jesus! What is this scripture in Galatians 5:4 above telling us? It is telling us that if we are trying to be justified by Law, then we have fallen away from Jesus ... in essence been "alienated" from Christ! Oh my God! Enable us to understand! When all this comes together in our hearts, minds and spirits, we should be able

to understand there is absolutely no way we can try to be justified by the Law and, at the same time, rest in the fact that we have been justified by faith in Jesus Christ! For those of us within the body of Christ that mis-understand or have been taught in error in that we try to be justified by the Law (our works), we very much need to realize that the Bible says we have "fallen from Grace" (Jesus Christ)! You see? That is how Jesus is there for us! That's why we call Him "Savior"! That's how He has SAVED us! HE, and only HE (Jesus Christ) has given us of Himself (Grace) !!! "For those of us within the body of Christ that mis-understand or have been taught in error in that we try to be justified by the Law (our works), we very much need to realize that the Bible says we have "fallen from Grace" (Jesus Christ)!" As plainly as the nose on our own faces, the Bible tells us here in Galatians 5:4 that when we try to mix Law and Grace (known as Galatianism) we have been ALIENATED from Jesus Christ and have FALLEN from Grace (Jesus Christ) ! Now I will leave that one point for you to ponder personally, but any way you look at it, that is some pretty strong verbiage from the Bible! In the context of Galatians 5:4 the term "fallen away" means to be alienated from God in terms of personal relationship and quite possibly your salvation because you are not relying on JESUS ONLY for your salvation, or you do not fully understand and acknowledge everything Jesus has already did for you! Some of us think we must continually hang and re-hang Jesus on that cross to get forgiveness of our sin, like what He did for us wasn't good enough the first time, or that what He did did not stand good for the sins of the future! What a horrible mis-understanding and effective wile of the enemy, Satan! This mis-understanding only leads one around in a never-ending circle that leaves us only able to chase our own tail... With this understanding, you could never say, It's all Jesus!" Amen? Or "Oh me!"? So, my friends... In light of the last two verses of scripture from the Holy Bible, does the Law play any role in our justification? Absolutely not. The Law can only serve to teach us we need a Saviour! Titus 2:11-14 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ..." - Romans 5:1

My dear fellow believers in Christ... Can you say this from the very depths of your heart? Have you came to know Jesus in such a Way that He provides you an unshakable peace? Is He your Rock in the most trying times? Have you came to know that your salvation is HIS to keep and not YOURS to manipulate? Can you trust Jesus enough to know that when you're mad enough, mixed up enough, mis-taught enough, untaught enough that you don't know which way is up or down that HE is able to hold onto your salvation? Can you see that HE has said many times (in places we have yet not yet examined in this expose') that HE ONLY can be trusted with your salvation and that HE is faithful even though we are so unfaithful, despite our best (and even sometimes not-so-best) efforts? Realizing Who Jesus is... What He is... What He has said... What He has promised... THESE are the only things that will provide you with unwavering peace, my friend. Despite popular belief, THIS is a peace that can be fully understood by the children of God (Colossians 2:1-3). THIS understanding in Truth will bring you total peace in that It will calm ANY storm in your heart! Should still respect God? By all means, yes! If we don't hold a natural, heart deep respect for Him... Friends? You don't have God within you at all. BUT... as a believer in Christ, we don't have any reason to FEAR Him anymore, in the context that we need be AFRAID of Him... In all that God has said He is to us, and all that He has said we are to Him, what could we possibly have to be afraid of? Only the lost have anything to be afraid of... And what they have at stake is their eternal judgment as objects of wrath. Now THAT is something so terrible... something to be afraid of... so horrible, I don’t think we can begin to wrap our minds around it! How so very horrible it would be to spend an eternity in the Lake of Fire! Oh God! Deliver all who hearkens unto Your voice in answer to Your call~! But... As children of God? Heirs to Jesus Christ Himself? " (A)What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. " - Romans 8:31-34 Thank You my precious Lord Jesus... Isn't all this wonderful Truth from our own treasured Holy Bible just exciting? Amen! Since we have been justified as born again believers in Christ, we are told that, "God is for us!" Glory to God

only! Now if GOD is FOR us, it doesn't matter who or what is against us, does it? NO! Glory to God only! Can anyone now accuse you? Only Satan will now try, but even he will be ineffective! Glory to God only! Since God Himself has declared us totally righteous, does it matter what Satan or anyone else says? No one stands against God! It doesn't matter one iota! "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His Grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" - Romans 3:23-24 How many people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God? Every one of us! Every human being that has ever been, save Jesus Christ, Himself! According to this blessed holy scripture, these same people are justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ! Glory to God alone! Only Jesus Himself can offer this redemption, therefore the only glory to be had in all this belongs to Jesus Christ! Glory to God alone! If each and every one of us are justified in the very same way, this will definitely affect the way we see others, will it not? There will be none any better than the other... no worse than any other... all of us saved the very same way... through Christ ALONE! Glory to God alone! Friends? Being made right with God, or said another way, justified, not only affects our relationship with God, but also our relationship with others. Your right-standing before God "frees" you to enjoy that perfect fellowship with Him. It is much easier to be at peace with man when you know you are at peace with God. Amen & Amen. I do hope and pray that each and everyone is taking Joy learning of who we are in Christ. For me? There is an excitement lit within me that is unquenchable! I learn daily of yet something else Jesus has provided for us. With every new horizon reached in understanding, there lay yet another far-off horizon to reach! I am fully convinced than when God tells us He is eternal, He was not only speaking of time, He was speaking of His essence... I truly believe there to be no end to the knowledge and wisdom of God... I do hope you continue to journey with me in the expose', in that the next topic I have planned in Part 10 is, "You Are A Part Of The Body Of Christ"! Chances are there will be some things exposed you maybe didn't stop to realize before. I know it has been an eye-opening adventure for me!

God bless you all as you take the time in prayer and study to discover more about the overwhelming victory available to us in the Truth of God's Revelation! God be with you all, and to God be the glory! Amen!

Who We Are "In Christ" You Are Part Of The Body Of Christ! (Part 10) Questions Answered One thing I think I've recognized in every human being I've ever met, is a desire in their heart to be a part of something, the desire to "fit" into some group. That sense of belonging drives people to do such things as join country clubs, civic clubs, college fraternities, sororities, gangs, the social elite... and even... churches. As part of our inheritance and true identity in Christ, God meets our need to belong... I think maybe it is this very need we search for all our lives in these other things, but in denying God, we deny the one group our soul longs for. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, we have been placed into the body of Christ! The body of Christ is NOT and organization, but rather a "living organism" of sorts, made up of people literally all around the world and throughout history, who have named the name of Jesus Christ. Folks? My brothers and sisters? We WILL be a part of that family, the body of Christ, throughout eternity! Isn't that the most wonderful news a person could possibly get? Amen! Let's meditate on this a bit: "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:27 Ladies and gentlemen, in all things we either believe the Word of God, or we don't. In this case, if you do believe, then you've got to understand that you ARE a part of the body of Christ! I know in some ways this seems so fundamental that it's barely worth mention, but in all reality? For those of us that have understood the impact of this one statement, it has changed our lives forever! Do you really understand that you are now "part" of the "body of CHRIST"? My Lord! How absolutely incredible! With this Truth as part of our reality of who we are in Christ, let me ask an interesting question. What can we now conclude about our relationship with "one another" as born again Christians and fellow members of the body of Christ? Well I'll say this much. The black man better get comfortable with worshiping with the white man. The white man better get comfortable with worshiping with the black man. And both of them better get comfortable with the red, yellow and green men and visa-versa, Amen??!! Would it be right or normal for one hand to hate the other or be prejudiced in any way toward the other hand of the same body? One mouth holding something against

the tongue? One foot harboring hateful feelings toward the other hand? Folks? When we have any kind of problem with ANY other born again Christian, whether they are Democrat, Republican or regardless of gender or nationality, WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CHRIST! It is HIS BODY we have the problems with. Correct? "Amen" or "Oh me!" ? Now let me mention very quickly that the cause of these problems are generally the result of either one person being interpreted wrongly by another because of error in our own understanding, or? The other person wrongly interprets who or what you are because of error in their understanding of Truth. Most times I would say, both are occurring simultaneously. So? What is the common denominator in either case? Error in understanding. "The body is one unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all it's parts are many. they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized with one spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one spirit to drink!" - 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 Here, Paul clearly describes the body as a unit. He points out that our physical body has many parts and even though our body has many parts, they come together to form "one body". Paul also clearly compares our physical bodies to the body of Christ (the church). So how did you and I become a part of the body of Christ? By our own faith (given by the Holy Spirit) and God's Grace (Jesus Christ). So? Regardless of our nationality, our ancestry, our gender... We are ALL "unified" by "the Holy Spirit". Each of us comes to Christ on an individual basis. Regardless of background, every person who places his/her faith in Jesus Christ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. Romans 8:9 says that if anyone does not have the Holy Spirit of God, he does not belong to Christ. You cannot be a born again Christian apart from God's Spirit living in you. Once the Holy Spirit of God comes to live inside a person, the Holy Spirit places that person into the body of Christ. We come to Christ on an individual basis, but then we are joined to the body of Christ. As a result, we can say we "belong" to Christ, AND we "belong to one another"! Friends? I can tell you, there is probably no greater a gift from God in enduring this life on earth than this gift of each of us, to one another, in the unity of the Holy Spirit of God.

"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf..." 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Here we go. In "The Lord's Supper", what does the cup of thanksgiving represent? It represents our "participation in the 'blood' of Christ". The bread? It represents our participation in the "body" of Christ. Because we have all partaken of the "one loaf", whether we understand this right now or not, we have literally become "one body", which is the spiritual body of Christ. So how does participating in The Lord's Supper show us the Truth that we belong to Christ, and we belong to one another? It is to demonstrate to us, and remind us, of how closely we are all joined to Christ and to one another... We are all inseparable from one other, and from Christ. "And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy..." - Colossians 1:18 This is easy enough to understand. Jesus is the head of the body. Jesus has the supremacy in everything concerning the body and Jesus directs all the parts of the body... Amen? "For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." - Romans 12:4-8 As in the book of Corinthians, here Paul also compares the body of Christ to our physical bodies. As we can plainly discern, the different parts of the body does not all have the same function. Our relationships with one another is that we all belong to one another. We all form one body, but we all have different functions and/or gifts. What are some of the "gifts" Paul mentions above? Prophesying, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving/contributing, leading in diligence and mercy... That's a fairly wide array of gifts! To have any one or all of these gifts is a

treasure! They only come from God! To be around anyone that has one or more of these gifts is equal treasure, for all gifts from God benefits the whole body! What an honor and privilege from the Lord... Amen. Does not the one who serves benefit from the teacher? Does not the teacher benefit from the one who serves? Does not the one who gives benefit from the one who encourages? Does not the one who encourages not benefit from the one who gives? Just keep on mixing it up in these combinations. Everyone literally benefits from everyone else equally in the body of Christ. In the body, there are no "big I's" or "little you's". All are equal. Why is it the one who sits in the congregation elevates the preacher above the sheep? Does not the preacher have a Master and Shepherd? Why does the preacher look down his nose at God's children? Would he not be totally lost if Jesus were to ignore him? Why is the prophet revered among the elite? Would he have anything to say without God to listen to? Why do the flock war against the leader? Do they benefit from their arrogance, rebellion and lack of mercy? Visa-versa- yada-yada-yada! Folks? Forget it! We are of one body! Whether we realize it or not, we are ALL called to be "unified"... We ARE all unified! Not by our own understanding, but we are unified by the Spirit! The Spirit of God has sealed us unto the body of Christ! It's not our decision! It has already been done by the Spirit! I have wondered and wondered - meditated and meditated - prayed and prayed to God - knocked and knocked - trying to understand how God's people could become unified as one body. With this one teach this, and that one teaching that, how in the world could man ever be unified? As God led me through the scriptures previously mentioned, He showed me that our unification to one another is much like our salvation... Once we come to Christ in repentance, faith and love for Jesus, HE saves us... AND the Spirit of God "seals" us... unto eternal life? AND unification! As you've heard me say before, Truth, whether we realize it or not, know it or not, agree on it or not, never changes. And the Truth here is? We, as truly born again believers in Christ, ARE UNIFIED in the body of Christ! Unification has already been achieved. The enemy just doesn't want us to know it and has done one fine job in preventing our minds (flesh) from realizing what has been done in the Spirit, which of course, prevents us from applying it to our lives... Which in turn paves the way for what? Discord within the body. Wow. Let's just take a few minutes/days/weeks/years to stop and ponder on all that. Shall we? Amen. Friends? I don't know about you, but all this is

revolutionary to me. It is turning me inside out and changing me just as radically in my understanding. "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15 Folks? What I've just pointed out, most importantly, I think it is biblical. Look upon it, ponder it, and see what you think. Also, how else could we ever think it possible to achieve the "peace" among the body if it is not done by the Holy Spirit? Do we have it within ourselves to achieve unity? You know the answer to that one as well as I do. Of course not. But if we believe the Word of God, placing our faith in what God has already done, wouldn't it be a lot easier to now ponder, meditate, pray, seek, knock, and acquire from God what we need in our hearts and minds to apply what has already been done in the Spirit to our lives? I think so. That is EXACTLY what we need to do... We need to quit focusing on who agrees with us on every jot and every little tittle, and start learning how to apply this unification of the body among us as believers... Wow. You want to "grow" in the ways of God? Here's a door to knock on! Amen! "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body..." - Ephesians 4:25 There's the first thing you will find behind that door if you knock. We need to quit pretending and get real... God already knows all Truth... It's high time we all started admitting it to ourselves... Amen. "From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it's work..." - Ephesians 4:16 Does this say the body "grows and builds itself up in agreement with one another?" Nope... It says we grow and build up the body by "love"... and doing our part in "love" for one another grows and builds us ALL as the one body! You don't have to agree on everything with someone to love them do you? Of course not! So let's never lose sight of the "love". My God! The Key is in our hands and we can't even find the door! Amen? - Amen! Dear friends? In the past 2000+ years, we have been penetrated and adversely affected in our understanding by a great many things. So many things in fact, there is not room on any parchment to list them all. But the Way is always straight, and It is always narrow. Stray from it in the least and we'll find ourselves

lost in a sea of despair. That is Satan’s goal by the way... to keep us from realizing the Truth so as to prevent us from applying It to our lives. I have been blessed to realize that the way of life explained above is most importantly Biblical, but also? It is absolutely beautiful when applied in life. Small bands of people join together in life. When one has a problem? A sickness? The rest gather together in prayer... When one finally sleeps in comfort after many days of unrest? They gather silently around the bed and pray that the restful sleep continues. When they disagree among themselves? They come together until such time as all is resolved and they are one in body, mind, Spirit and in Truth again... These small bands of people live together... cling to one another... teach learn, listen and talk to one another... They love and worship God together... They let themselves into another's house while they are sleeping just to check on them as they sleep away the fatigue of seeking God until they were born again. They pray for their lost loved ones... that they be saved... and brought out of the mosques and into the Light... They pray their families and friends "Home" to Jesus. It is a unique thing in this day and age. Never-the-less, it should be more that way for us all... It is available to us all. It is already ours. Like everything else we learn of God, we need simply to take hold of it in faith, meditate and seek from God the Wisdom to apply it to our lives... It is a beautiful thing to be "one body" in the body of Christ. My friend if you are born again, a beautiful life lay before you in just this one aspect of the Christian life. I pray you realize the benefit it will be you, and thus, the benefit you will be to others... both will be priceless and among your greatest treasures... Next Up? "You Are A Citizen Of Heaven!" It just keeps getting better and better doesn't it? Amen & Amen!

Who We Are "In Christ" You Are A Citizen Of Heaven! (Part 11) Questions Answered Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ... To the SAINTS by the works of Christ, I have such a great story to tell straight from the Truth of God's Word! This new "identification" (who we are) In Christ just keeps getting better and better, even deeper and deeper in our minds as we realize the reality of Christ's "finished" work! It seems the more meditation one gives toward what Christ has accomplished, the more meditation that is required, to go even further in the knowledge of our identity, doesn't it? Amen! That's just like our God! Glory to His wonderful Name forever! He didn't leave one thing undone on our behalf! Bless the Lord, once we have been placed into Christ, our citizenship is no longer in this world. We have a "New Home" that awaits us in Heaven. This should give us a new perspective on how we deal with day-to-day life. It is so very easy to get caught up in our daily struggles and forget that all of it is just temporary. The Word of God has much to say about Heaven and those for whom it is prepared! Let's look into a little of it. Shall we? Amen "But our citizenship IS IN Heaven! And we eagerly await a Savior from there, The Lord, Jesus Christ!" - Philippians 3:20 Friends? I know you won't find very many exclamation marks in your bible, but I just can't seem to write that verse without them! I can't even say it without getting excited! As plain as day, and despite how many people would try to make this complicated, SCRIPTURE says that as true children of God our citizenship IS... IN... HEAVEN! Scripture says it, so you can totally TRUST It! Amen! As true children of God, we also "await OUR Savior from Heaven, our Lord, Jesus Christ!" Saints? Is this not so? Of course it is! I don't know one single, solitary brother or sister that does not look forward to the coming of our Savior, Jesus! What a glorious future! However, what I have noticed is a difference in the "level of reality" with which this exists within different individuals. Some see the words and think of it as some sort of Truth, but it is not large enough to dominate their lives. To others, this is so real, nothing can shake them in this present time, because they are so sure of their glorious future! My friend? Which one are you? I submit to you, that the way you view your citizenship in Heaven drastically affects your attitude toward the things of this world. Most people do not realize

this plays such a vital role in their lives concerning their mental well-being. And when anyone mis-understands this Truth, it erroneously robs them of so much that would have otherwise been so rewarding and possible in so many different ways. Properly understanding this Truth enables us to live in continual Joy, though we might not always be "happy" with our circumstances. Properly understanding this Truth enables us to live in the reality of complete bodily healing, knowing that one day soon we will be in our glorified bodies, even if our current physical bodies are broken and/or riddled with disease. Properly understanding this can enable one to truly love an enemy, as you will understand the level of destruction they will ultimately endure should they not repent. Properly understanding this will give you sure Hope for your lost loved ones, knowing we have a Father that is just, but also more Gracious than what can be imagined. Properly understanding this will enable us to lean on the sure Hope of His promises to us, knowing His gifts are irrevocable, instead of wondering whether or not one day all these gifts will be taken away, and whether we, and our loved ones, will really "make it". Properly understanding we are a citizen of Heaven, once and for all, enables all these things and so very much more. Mis-understanding our citizenship will bring doubt in every facet of our relationship with God and rob us of our Joy. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in Heaven for you!" - 1 Peter 1:3-4

Oh... My... God! Friends, do you understand how Peter describes our "inheritance" in Jesus Christ? As plainly as West Virginians are hillbilly's, Peter says our inheritance from God is something that can "never parish, spoil or fade!" Oh people! This is just the tip of a biblical iceberg that is trying It's best to explain to you that your eternal future with God is unshakable and unchangeable if you are truly born again! Did you notice where this inheritance is kept? It's kept in Heaven... But to hear some people talk, you'd think it's kept by "you", in the palm of "your" hand. I mean, many people say "YOU" can "LOSE" your inheritance... For that to be so, "YOU" would have to have it in your own hands, wouldn't you? But your eternal inheritance isn't in your hands... It is "kept in Heaven"! Amen! Thank You Jesus!

The major difference between this spiritual, unearthly, Heavenly, God given inheritance and all our other "earthly treasures"? It is eternal (can never parish) and it is forever "unchanging" (will never spoil or fade)! Isn't that something to just shout all over yourself about??!!?? Amen! Please bear in mind! This IS ALL SCRIPTURE! Not Matt! "But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect." - Hebrews 12:22-23 The church in the passage is described as "the church of the firstborn". The names of those in the church are "written in Heaven". Now think about this next question: If our names are already written in Heaven, how should this affect our understanding of who we are in Christ? Interesting question, huh? Your answer will be even more valuable to you! "That say will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new earth, the Home of righteousness!" - 2 Peter 3:12-13 Here's a little more prophecy from the Word of God. One day, what we know as the heavens and the earth today, will be destroyed completely. This will be an event that will NOT affect any born again child of God, all because we will have a "New Home"! Instead of total destruction which we at one time deserved, we can now look forward to a "new" Heaven and a "new" earth, a "new, permanent Home!" It should change your total outlook on life to really realize that your future is sure with God, as His children! "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body." - Romans 8:18-23 The more you study of Paul and the life he lived, the more you become aware that his life was full of sever sufferings and tribulation, yet he considered them all as "not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us". In other words, his current circumstances, no matter how harsh, was not even worthy of thought compared to what lay ahead for him in his eternal future with the Lord Jesus Christ! The Truth of how things really are according to the Word of God, coupled with Paul's own faith in God and God's promises in Word and Spirit, is what enabled Paul to properly view his life in this way. That being said and fully realized, should we not view our present trials and tribulations in the same Way Paul did? If we find within ourselves that we differ from Paul, then you can only conclude that your understanding of God's Word and/or level of faith in God differs from that which Paul had. Our true and unchangeable Hope as children of God for ourselves and for creation is to be liberated from our bondage to decay, to be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God! That is a Truth of God's Word, whether we know it or not, understand it or not... Truth never changes. And I am so glad that is so! A Truth here is, because we are citizens of Heaven, we need not get too involved in the things of this world. It is God's job to change the world, which He will ultimately do. Our mission is to simply proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God, which is the only message that can bring lasting change to the hearts of men and women everywhere. "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands..." - 2 Corinthians 5:1 Here, Paul is speaking symbolically. The "earthly tent" he mentions here is our own physical body. It will most definitely be destroyed, whether it be by old age, sickness, an accident maybe? Whatever way it is destroyed, rest assured it will be destroyed. This mortal body will die. Even in the case of Rapture, I do not think this flesh will be what passes on. This body is very different form the "eternal" house, or body, we will receive. This current body is physical flesh. Our "eternal house"? Well, there's a great amount

of speculation over what all that will be, but one thing pointed out in this scripture for sure is, it will be eternal! It will last FOREVER! That new, eternal house is built for the born again believer! So. All this helps to confirm a couple of very important facts. One is, that God Himself has made for us a house in Heaven. The second is, if that house is eternal, then God wants us to live, with Him, FOREVER! Glory to God! I tell ya friends! This is better than hitting any lottery could ever dream of being! Knowing that our names as born again children of God are written in Heaven and that we have a "guaranteed" Home when we leave this earth is a great comfort. To some more than others it seems. Yet if this is real inside one's heart, it will make a remarkable difference in your dominant attitude concerning life in all it's complexities. More than just a comfort, knowing we have an eternal Home gives us the "freedom" to walk in confidence that this earth is NOT our home. We can actually live beyond our circumstances in the Truth because we have an "eternal" perspective. Thank God, our identity is not based on circumstance but on the "unchanging promises" of God! ~ Amen~ Now. To have an eternal Home, there's something else we must have to make this possible... And that's "eternal life"! Amen? That'll be what we explore next in this series of writs! So sit back, relax, study, meditate upon, and pray about what we've found in the Word thus far. Good Lord willing, part 12 won't be long in coming! Amen! ~~God Bless and Keep Us All!~~

Who We Are In Christ We Really Have Eternal Life? (Part 12) Questions Answered My brothers and sisters, a question that haunts the minds of many people is, "How do I know for sure that I have eternal life?" It is a question that keeps many people in bondage (most times even unawares to themselves) to the fear of death. People "fear" death for many different reasons, but the one I will focus on here and now is, there are people fearful of death because they fear they have somehow "un-done" what God said He has "done" - and that is give us eternal life when we accept Jesus as God's Son, our Lord, our Savior, our Way, our Truth and our LIFE! The Bible is very clear when it comes to this issue. God never intended for us to doubt the quality of life Jesus Christ gives us both in the here and now, and eternally. In order for our identity to be secure in Christ, we MUST come to an understanding of what ETERNAL life really means. But rest assured, God answers these important questions through His Spirit and His Word. There are so many people I know that have just started their precious walk with our Savior, Jesus Christ. Many of them are newly born again Christians who have turned their backs of faith on the religion of Islam. These people have been held "hostage" by the man-made imaginations of religion. They have always been told that their eternal existence was based on a set of "scales", that weighed the "good against the bad" performances in deed throughout their lives. If the scales were tipped the wrong way? They were doomed to an eternal hell. What a horrible place to be within one's faith. They could never be certain of anything concerning Heaven or Hell! But like the rest of us, if they were truthful within themselves, they knew it wasn't looking good. These ex-Islamists need to realize the TRUTH of God's Word concerning their eternal life in Heaven with Him! They need to know it because God wants them to experience many things in their relationship with Him and He wants them to be certain of a great many things. Three of them being "eternal love, eternal fellowship and eternal life" with God, as people that have accepted Jesus as Lord, Savior, their Way, their Truth and their Life! In a way, I wish the ex-Islamist were the only one I needed to address in this writ. But this writ is for every other "religion" in this world that is void of the full Truth of Jesus... But even further yet? I must also address a great many that have even

accepted Jesus as Savior! Many people that view themselves as "Christians" need to learn the full Truth of God's Word, accept it by faith in their hearts, and stop "denying the power thereof" (1Corinthians 1:18 and 2Timothy 3:5), even though they may be doing so with the best of intentions. Our eternal life, if correctly understood, has atomic impact on every aspect of our being, including this flesh. By knowing what God has already done for us in the Spirit, it will free us in the physical to do His bidding, which namely is to simply spread the Good News of The Gospels of Salvation in whatever form God has designed. If we have error in our understanding of our eternal life, hope and future? We'll spend our physical life chasing our own tails on the innumerable performance treadmills, and we will get... nowhere. Brothers and sisters in Christ? Join me as we reveal the plain Truth of God's Word about that which we have to look forward, concerning our eternal citizenship in Heaven! It's nothing other than Good News for your heart, mind, body and Spirit! Bless God's wonderful Name! Don't be surprised if you find yourself absorbed with your mouth full-open as you realize, maybe for the first time in your life, that this earth - this existence - is NOT your Home. You have so much more with which to look forward! One day soon, you are going Home my brother! You are going Home my sister! Bless God! Let's learn a little more about that! Shall we? Amen. "And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1John 5:11-13 Dear friends? Are any of you familiar with rocket science? Well neither am I. And you'll find none of it here as God's Words to us as born again believers explains ever-so-simply what is available to us as born again Christians. And not only what's available to us, but how we get it! In the above scripture, God offers up to us HIS TESTIMONY concerning our eternal life, that we may once and for all understand something ever so critical to our own personal existence in mind, body and soul which in turn enables everything concerning our effectiveness in His ministry of spreading the Truth of The Good News to a hurting and dying world! GOD'S OWN TESTIMONY clearly tells us that 'IN CHRIST', we have 'ETERNAL LIFE'! If we have The Son, we have

eternal life! For those that do not have the Son, they do not have life! Also, John wrote these things so we could know we have eternal life! "John wrote these things so we could know we have eternal life!" - 1John 5:13 How about it my brothers and sisters? Can you read the Words of God given to man and have the Spirit given faith to believe what It says? The enemy wants to steal this understanding away from you! Will you allow it? Do you want to believe you have eternal life? If so, there's Good News! You can do so with a clear conscience because it is IN the Word of God! Here it is, right here in your Bible! You now have ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal means "without end"! You are IMMORTAL! The next verse of scripture is no doubt the most notorious, the most preached upon, the most reflected upon, and perhaps to many, the most cherished scripture in all the Bible and with good reason. It reveals the subject matter of the entire Bible, Old Testament and New Testament. The Theme of the entire Bible is captured right here in this passage: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16 Bless The Name of The Lord, Jesus Christ! The very motivation for God sending His own Son to die for our sins was God's Love for His children (that's you and I)... How absolutely incredible! When you stop to meditate upon that, does it awe you as it does me? That God would love "me" so much, that He would send His Son, Jesus Christ to die in order to pay the penalty for my sins? Even while I was yet an enemy (unsaved) of God? My sins were paid for by Jesus (Romans 5:10)? Folks? As hard as we may try, we can't understand that kind of Love, nor know the depths of which it reaches... But? We can understand that it exists, for God has just said so, hasn't He? Amen! "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Romans 5:10 Lades and gentlemen? My brothers and Sisters? To those that worship Allah, Buddha or any Deity other than the Real God and His Son, Jesus Christ? Romans 5:10 makes a statement so profound... so incredible... so powerful... so loving and Graceful, that even many children of God fail to understand what it is saying in

the flesh of man! It describes a fact about what Jesus accomplished for us that absolutely separates Jesus from any other man-made, man-drempt, manimagined god in this world and beyond! Here is something Jesus did for us in which no other god can lay claim. God has never allowed Satan to tell such a lie, therefore I can only guess God never will allow Satan to tell such a thing. And if Satan can't spread this lie, then it might very well be considered blasphemy if man denied the power of this scripture here in Romans 5:10 ! While we ALL were yet sinners (UNSAVED; UN-BORN AGAIN IN SPIRIT), Jesus paid the price for our sins, ALL of our sins, with His life! Wow! Can your god say that? Has he ever made that claim? Has your god ever said he loved you enough to take your sin away forever despite you being his enemy? Oh my EverLoving God! Of course not! Not once has any other god EVER made such a claim! Do you want to know why no other god has claimed to have paid for your sins even while you were yet his enemy? You want to know the top three reasons why your god has never said that? One is that any other god besides the God of Abraham is nothing more than man's imaginations. In any other God? There is no reality... only imagination. The second reason you never heard of any other god doing this is because these man-made gods are all designed for control. Men want to control other men. To do this, men must remain in bondage to the man claiming to have the knowledge. No other subject has better results in the total control of men than that of religion. A good third reason? There is no love where there is only imagination. No other god could possibly love you, because in reality, there is no other god. In the scripture above that speaks to the world, God has again went out of His way to make certain things undeniable concerning the POWER of what Christ did! It tells us that believing in Jesus SAVES us from perishing! It tells us that when we believe in Christ, we have ETERNAL LIFE! But we need to get something straight: Jesus paid the price for all your sins before we were even born! Look at Romans 5:10 again! Look at it hard! The harder you look at it, the longer you look at it, the harder it is going to be for you to deny the power thereof! There are two specific things mentioned there: your sins being reconciled and your life... your ETERNAL LIFE! They are two separate things! The forgiveness of

your sin by God through the Blood of Jesus is NOT salvation! Again, look hard at Romans 5:10! The forgiveness of your sin was your "preparation" for salvation, making it possible that you be saved! But even after you were forgiven of your sin, you are still... what? DEAD! So what do you need to be saved? You need LIFE! You need LIFE! You need ETERNAL LIFE! Temporal life will be no good to you in the long run. You need ETERNAL LIFE to be saved! Thus? That's why Jesus demonstrated to us His Resurrection! He DEMONSTRATED the ETERNAL LIFE He offers to us! As against the grain as what I'm about to say is to so many teachings of error out there, not one man or woman will go to the eternal lake of fire because of any fleshly sin they've committed here on this earth except one: their rejection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said that sin was unbelief in Him (John 3:18). If you properly understand Romans 5:10 and John 3:16-18, you will understand that what you need to be born again in the Spirit (saved by God's Grace), is that you need to repent... but you need not repent of every sin you've ever committed or will commit in the future. My friends? You couldn't do that if you tried with all your might (and many are trying hopelessly to do just that). Your sins were paid for while you were yet an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). If you wish to be born again, repent of your unbelief in Jesus Christ (John 3:18). In doing that, you will thank Him eternally for the forgiveness He has already provided you, and you will welcome Him into your heart as your Lord, your Savior, your Way (of life spiritually), your Truth and your LIFE (eternal)! Oh my God! When you realize THIS Truth, even your physical being will be atomically impacted! You'll be changed forever into a "new creature"! Oh my God, what a Gift! Praise His Name Forever! Eternal Life is just that - it is eternal. If eternal life could be lost, it would have to be called "temporal life". We can be 100% secure in the fact that the eternal life we have been given in Christ can never be taken away from us! Note: This is not "thus saith Matt"! This is the EXACT Words of God, Himself! "I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish; no one can pluck them out of my hand" - John 10:28 This author can certainly understand why the book of John is many people's favorite book in the Bible. It is dedicated to telling every born again believer the

exact terms of our relationship with God as well as all the fine details. And what fine details they are! Bless God! According to scripture, only God has the power to give eternal life. Once we have that "eternal" life, we can never perish! No one (including self here, because we, ourselves are a person) and no thing can cause us to lose this eternal life because we would have to pluck it out of God's Hand wouldn't we? Do you actually think so much of yourself that you think it possible to overpower God and do something HE says cannot be done? Think about it friends. Of course you can't. No one can. "For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord" - Romans 6:23 Some more detail in comparison form: The wages of sin is death. The GIFT of God is eternal life. Eternal life can ONLY be found in Jesus Christ. Therefore, when you received Christ Jesus, what did you receive? Ahhhh-hahahaha! Now you're getting it! Amen! Wages are earned, but a gift is given freely. In his best efforts, man can only earn death and destruction (we know all about that don't we?). Eternal Life cannot be earned. It can only be given freely by God to those who will accept it by repenting of their lack of faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:18-19). "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" Romans 6:11 We can know, as born again believers in Christ, that we have eternal life because sin has been dealt with once and for all. If sin had not been forgiven and taken away, every time we sinned we would once again "die spiritually"! Think about it! Every time we sin, we would again die spiritually if were not already dealt with! And what doe Romans 6:11 say? Scripture says to "consider yourselves ALIVE to GOD in CHRIST JESUS"! DEAD to SIN - ALIVE to GOD! ALIVE! LIFE! That's what you have in Christ - LIFE! You see dear friends, it truly is "all about Jesus". In Jesus Christ, we have LIFE! By realizing this reality, we can know we have life even when we sin (and we will, we ALL will, despite our best efforts). "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." - John 10:10-11

Satan comes to steal (take away), kill and destroy. Jesus came to give us "life to the full", or full life. This Truth is manifest in God's Word in plain as black and white. Which "doctrine" are you following in your life? Do you have life to the fullest in Christ? Or do you allow Satan to come and steal it away from you every day? Tough questions for sure and quite hard to face. Never-the-less, you need to realize the Truth about what you have or don't have. Please be honest with yourself, and in your intellect as you search this out! "The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:21 Sin's reign leads to death. That is all God's Law can do for us individually. It makes it possible for us to know the difference between right and wrong. Without God's Law, there would be no such thing as right and wrong. Thus? The Law came so we would know that our transgressions only increase. Under the judgment of God's Law, there is but one verdict for each and every one of us: Guilty. But Grace (Jesus Christ) came to reign over sin, bringing us righteousness to each and every individual that accepts Him. Also, in Grace (Jesus Christ), we have eternal life! Is that not what the scripture just said? Amen & Amen! "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:40 Oh my friends and family! I want to laugh out loud in the Joy the Truth of the scriptures provide! According to this scripture in John 6:40, what is the will of The Father, God? That everyone that believes on His Son, Jesus Christ will have ETERNAL LIFE and He (God) Himself will raise us up on our last day! Oh! How can it be refuted any longer even by the most educated? Folks? In Christ, we HAVE eternal life! I don't know about you, but when I realized this, it totally changed my attitude toward death, and it forever affected my relationship with God! Now I know I am secure. I am forever God's property and no one or nothing else will ever change that! Talking about freedom? It is true that the "knowledge" of the Truth will set you free! Amen!

Friends? Eternal life is found only in Christ. No where else can It be found. Therefore, since Christ lives in us, we have eternal life. The two cannot be separated. Eternal life begins the moment we accept Christ into our hearts by faith as our Lord, our Way, our Truth and our LIFE. Understanding this reality will free us from the fear of death and give us an eternal perspective on life.