Our True Idenity in Christ~"We are Free"

"Our True Identity In Christ"

As a Christian.....

1. We are justified (declared "not guilty" of sin).

Romans 3:24 (all verses will be NKJV) reads that we are "justified freely by (God's) grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." When a judge in court declares a defendant not guilty, all the charges are removed from his record. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From His perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. Redemption refers to Christ setting sinners free from slavery to sin. Christ purchased our freedom and the price was His life.

2. No condemnation awaits us.

Romans 8:1 declares "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." Could you imagine being sentenced to the death penalty? Unless you committed an act of murder, you couldn't imagine that. But the fact is, in God's eyes, the whole human race is on death row, justly condemned for repeatedly breaking God's holy law. Without Jesus we would have no hope at all. But thank God! He has declared us not guilty and has offered us freedom from sin and the power to do His will.

3. We are set free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:2 says "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." This Spirit of life is the Holy Spirit. He was present at the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2), and He is the power behind the rebirth of every Christian. He gives us the power we need to live the Christian life. (Also see John 3:6 and Acts 1:3-5.)

4. We are sanctified and made acceptable in Jesus Christ.

In 1 Corinthians 1:2, the Apostle Paul called "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." The city of Corinth was a giant cultural melting pot with a great diversity of wealth, religions, and moral standards. It had a reputation for being fiercely independent and as decadent as any city in the world. It was a large city, offering Rome great profits through trade as well as the military protection of it's ports. But the city's prosperity made it ripe for all sorts of corruption. Idolatry flourished, and there were more than a dozen heathen temples employing at least a thousand prostitutes. Corinth's reputation was such that prostitutes in other cities began to be called "Corinthian girls." But by including a salutation to "all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord," Paul is making it clear that this is not a private letter. Although it deals with specific issues facing the church at Corinth, all believers can learn from it. The Corinthian church included a great cross section of believers-wealthy merchants, common laborers, former temple prostitutes, and middle-class families. Because of the wide diversity of people and backgrounds, Paul takes great pains to stress the need for both spiritual unity and Christlike character.

5. We are righteous and holy in Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30 says "But of (God) you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God-and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." God is the source of and the reason for our personal and living relationship with Christ. Our union and identification with Christ results in our having God's wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3), possessing right standing with God (righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21), being holy (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7), and having the penalty for our sins paid by Jesus (redemption, Mark 10:45).

6. We will be made alive at the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:22 explains "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." Adam's sin in the Garden of Eden brought sin to all people. Paul explains this in Romans 5:12-21. But Christ's perfect life, death, and resurrection, brings life to all who will believe.

7. We are a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." As Christians, we are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and we are not the same anymore.

8. We receive God's righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says "For (God) made (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." When we trust in Christ, we exchange our sin for God's righteousness. Our sin was poured into Christ at His crucifixion. His righteousness is poured into us at our conversion.

9. We are one in Christ with all other believers.

Galatians 3:28, one of my favorite verses, explains that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." It's our natural inclination to feel uncomfortable around people who are different from us and to gravitate toward those who are similar to us. But when we allow our differences to separate us from our fellow believers, we are disregarding clear biblical teaching. Make a point to seek out and appreciate people who are not just like you and your friends. You may find that you have a lot in common with them.

10. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

In Ephesians 1:3, Paul, in an act of worship, pens these words: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." This means that in Christ we have all the benefits of knowing God-being chosen for salvation, being adopted as His children, forgiveness, insight, the gifts of the Spirit, power to do God's will, and the hope of living forever with Christ. Because we have an intimate relationship with Christ, we can enjoy these blessings now. The heavenly places means that these blessings are eternal, not temporal.

11. We are holy, blameless, and covered with God's love.

Ephesians 1:4, Paul explains that "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Salvation depends totally on God. We are not saved because we deserve it, but because God is gracious and freely gives salvation. It is hard to understand how God could accept us. But because of Christ, we are holy and blameless in his sight.

12. We are adopted as God's children.

Ephesians 1:5-6, God has "predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." The word "predestined" is another way of saying that salvation is God's work and not our own doing. In His infinite love, God has adopted us as His own children before the beginning of time. In Roman law, adopted children had the same rights and privileges as biological children, even if they had been slaves. Paul uses this term to show how strong our relationship to God is. "He made us accepted in the Beloved" means that God graciously accepts us (though we don't deserve it) now that we belong to His dearly loved Son.

13. Our sins are taken away, and we are forgiven.

Ephesians 1:7 says that "In (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Christ's death points to two wonderful truths-redemption and forgiveness. Redemption was the price paid to gain freedom for a slave (Leviticus 25:47-54). Through His death, Jesus paid the price to release us from slavery to sin. Forgiveness was granted in Old Testament times on the basis of the shedding of animals' blood (Leviticus 17:11). Now we are forgiven on the basis of the shedding of Jesus' blood-He died as the perfect and final sacrifice. (See also Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:22; and 1 Peter 1:19.)

14. We will be brought under Christ's headship.

Ephesians 1:10-11 talks about how the church should function today as well as how it will be when the Second Coming takes place. "In the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-In Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will." God's purpose for sending Christ was to unite Jews and Gentiles in one body with Christ as the head. Many people still do not understand God's plan; but when the time is right, He will bring us together to be with Him forever. On that day, all people will bow to Jesus as Lord, either because they love Him or because they fear His power (see Philippians 2:10-11). God's purpose is to offer salvation to the world, just as He planned to do long ago.

15. We are marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13 explains that "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." The Holy Spirit is God's seal that we belong to Him and His deposit guaranteeing that He will do what He has promised. The Holy Spirit is like a down payment, a deposit, a validating signature on the contract. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us demonstrates the genuineness of our faith, proves that we are God's children, and secures eternal life for us. His power works in us to transform us now, and what we experience now is a taste of the total change we will experience in eternity.

16. We have been raised up to sit with Christ in glory.

In Ephesians 2:6, the Bible says that God "raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Because of Christ's resurrection, we know that our bodies will also be raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:2-23) and that we have been given the power to live as Christians now (Ephesians 1:19). These ideas are combined in Paul's image of sitting with Christ in "the heavenly places." Our eternal life with Christ is certain because we are united in His powerful victory.

17. We are God's work of art (his "workmanship").

Ephesians 2:10 declares that "we are (God's) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Our salvation is something only God can do. It is His powerful, creative work in us. If God considers us His works of art, we dare not treat ourselves or others with disrespect or as inferior work.

18. We have been brought near to God.

Ephesians 2:13 says "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Have you ever felt separate, excluded, hopeless? Well this verse is for you. No one should be alienated from Christ's love or from the body of believers. But we must also be careful not to become proud of our salvation. Instead, we must humbly thank God for what He has done, and encourage others who might be struggling in their faith.

19. We share in the promise in Christ.

Ephesians 3:6 explains "that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel." God planned to have the Jews and Gentiles comprise one body, the Church. It was known in the Old Testament that the Gentiles would receive salvation (Isaiah 49:6); but it was never revealed in the Old Testament that all Gentile and Jewish believers would become equal in the body of Christ. Yet this equality was accomplished when Jesus destroyed the "wall of separation" and created the "one new man" (Ephesians 2:14-15).

20. We can come with freedom and confidence into God's presence.

Ephesians 3:12 says that "in (Jesus) we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him." It is an awesome privilege to be able to approach God with freedom and confidence. Most of us would be apprehensive in the presence of a powerful ruler. But thanks to Christ, by faith we can enter directly into God's presence through prayer. We know we'll be welcomed with open arms because we are God's children through our union with Christ. Don't be afraid of God. Talk with Him about everything. He is waiting to hear from you.

21. We are members of Christ's body, the church.

Ephesians 5:29-30 compares the church to a human body. "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and His bones." We should be faithful to our church in attendance, service, and giving. Are you being faithful?

22. We are complete in Christ.

Colossians 2:10 says simply "you are complete in (Jesus), who is the head of all principality and power." When we know Jesus Christ, we don't need to seek God by means of other religions, cults, or unbiblical philosophies as the Colossians were doing. Christ alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life, because He is life. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. No Christian needs anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved. We are complete in Him.

23. We are set free from our sinful nature.

Colossians 2:11 explains that "In (Jesus) you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ." Jewish males were circumcised (had skin cut off) as a sign of the Jews' covenant with God (Genesis 17:9-14). With the death of Christ, circumcision was no longer necessary. So now our commitment to God is written on our hearts, not our bodies. Christ sets us free from our evil desires by a spiritual operation, not a bodily one. God removes the old nature and gives us a new nature.

24. We will have eternal glory.

For the sake of the gospel, the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:10, "Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." When Paul says "obtain the salvation," he is referring to being faithful to the end, not to a way to earn salvation.

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done 10/23/01