Christ loves you and died for your sins Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears…
All Things Grace
If you’re a Christian who has Christ living in you for decades on end, but without any display of His Life living in you, then what is your purpose and meaning in life to those around you? The gospel starts with Jesus and ends with Jesus—it’s about Him, not you; and not me. Find out what God did in Christ to save you and make you to be alive in Him.
When you were placed in Christ, you were spiritually inserted into His death, His burial, and His resurrection. Your old self-life was ripped out of you, spiritually being dragged to the cross and was crucified and buried; then, you were raised in Christ to newness of life. It is His Life in you that teaches you to say ‘no’ to sin and is why God is no longer dealing with you on the basis of your sins. Lose your former performance-based life of continuously striving for love and acceptance, in exchange for true rest and enjoyment in this new Christ Life.
Christianity is knowing Jesus!
This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ.”
– What kind of knowing? An experiential, interactive, exchange kind of knowing God Almighty! John 17:3 Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
As you attempt to create your own system of staying right with God after He has already made you right is not true rest. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth” – Romans 10:4 (King James Version – KJV). Jesus didn’t come to help you keep the Law, He came to fulfill the Law and bring you the new and living way of God’s grace and life (Hebrews 10:20). In this four-part article, Coffee Scribe invites you to change the way you’ve been taught about Jesus and to no longer think you have to live FOR Jesus when instead He calls you to live FROM Jesus—therefore, (in Part Two) …our goal in the Christian life is not to keep striving (to do more to be more devoted) and to just try harder and harder to keep the Ten Commandments (2 Cor 3:6–10), the Sabbath (Col 2:16), or tithing (2 Cor 9:7). No, we believers are dead to the Law (Rom 7:4; Gal 2:19) and not under the Law (Rom 6:14; Gal 5:18). Christ is the end of the Law for us who believe (Rom 10:4). So, our source is the indwelling Christ, and our goal is to simply allow Him to express His life through us (Gal 2:20; Phil 3:8). He will produce an upright living within us that the Law never could!
(Credit: Coffee Scribe gives credit to Andrew Farley, and Dallas Bergen (whom you will be introduced to later on in this post), for encouraging me to write what I have for this article. I have been personally mentored (by my friend Dallas) and taught by these men and their ministries over the years—through their in-person conferences that I have attended; their books; and online resources. For this, I give credit to them and say “thank you” and hope the truths you will read/hear will bless you as much as they have for me.)
Please note, before you start reading: This is a four-part article, and is immensely long in its entirety, due to the amount of detail we have tried to cover. It is our recommendation that you pick and choose which of the four sections or parts you would want to read, rather than trying to take it all in at once. Feel free to skim over and/or go directly to the sections that might interest you the most. Here is a brief breakdown of the four parts as follow:
All Things Grace:
- Part One* – “Identity,” and abiding in Christ (Medium in length);
- Part Two* – “Dead to the Law,” and the Christians relationship to the Law (Very long in length):
– This section covers both “the Law,” along with extensive teaching on “Mankind as a three-part being” – spirit, soul, and body, and “Made alive in Christ”; - Part Three – “Live from your union with Christ,” and a poem: “Jesus Is” (Short in length);
- Part Four – “Five reasons why Jesus is enough” (Short in length).
*Recommended first
God’s Righteousness and Grace in Christ – the Divine Exchange | Ephesians 1:3-12 | 2022-07-17
Video credit: Parkdale Grace Fellowship (PGF) | Sermon Notes: Download Notes PDF
All Things Grace: Part One
Identity
Who are you?
Who are you? Everything else in life flows from that one question. The Bible seeks to tell us who we are, who God says we are—how we fit in God’s purposes, and how we should and can live because of our identity. You are not your money, your clothes, your house, or the kind of car you drive. You are not the group you belong to; you are not your political party, your country, your sports team, the celebrity you try to imitate, your job, the church you attend, or your entertainment. These may be factors in your identity or attempts to achieve identity, but they are not who you are and certainly not who God says you are.
Grace makes it possible to look honestly at yourself, and enables you to know yourself and find your true self only by knowing God revealed in Jesus Christ. With the understanding that Christ is literally the ultimate image of God, not only do we know God through Christ; but we know ourselves by Christ alone. Christ is not an add-on to an existing identity; He seeks to renew your identity by death and resurrection; death, the burial of the former ‘old’ you, and placing His Life in you as the ‘new’ you!
But first, the problem…
Before we can answer the ‘who we are?’ question, we need to look at the ‘why’ most of us don’t know who we are problem, and what the Bible reveals to us about this. Here are some of the common reasons why we don’t get this truth:
- We have learned to be religious, that it is up to us to ‘do’ certain things, and to not do other things before we can be good enough, ‘right’ before God and accepted by Him and others.
- We are taught that ‘we can do it!’ if we just do more and try harder, attend more groups, give more and more money/time, thus making us look good to others and ourselves as we live in, and perfect our ‘self-life.’ Doing these things isn’t wrong—they’re actually good, but not at the expense of trying to please others and trying to get your identity met through how you believe others see you and think of you.
- Words matter and so does our speech. We have been indoctrinated with all the wrong language such as: “invite Jesus into ‘your’ life;” “‘make’ Jesus Lord of ‘your’ life;” “we are sinners saved by grace;” “I need ‘more’ of Jesus in my life;” “our hearts are wicked and we need forgiveness;” and a thousand other phrases that we believe to be true and noble.
The result is a ‘do more-,’ ‘try harder-based’ system, placing the emphasis on us and what we can do rather than on Christ and what He has already accomplished on our behalf. This kind of mindset leads to a ‘rule-based,’ religious approach to life versus a ‘be yourself and express Christ as your life’ approach. The first has the appearance of wisdom and righteousness yet leads to spiritual death, whereas the latter is truth-based in what God says is right and leads to spiritual life—Christ’s Life!
and now the balance
True grace is the empowerment to live like Him in obedience to the Law, God’s Law—which is holy and perfect and reveals to us what sin is so that we may be led to Christ for salvation. We walk depending upon Jesus just as He walked in dependence upon His Father. To be like Him is to obey His commandments. Surely we are not Him but we can live the way He lived. 1 John 2:6 NKJV says “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (That is living His life in us) or 1 John 2:4 “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Titus 2:11-14 – New King James Version (NKJV)
…as a result
His Life is one of peace and rest, living freely and lightly—it gives you the freedom to now choose as an act of your will to claim that identification with Christ as your life makes you totally acceptable and that all of your needs are met by Christ and Him alone. This allows you to give up on your self-sufficiency and so-called rights and expectations of gaining any righteousness through yourself in struggling to live a holy and pure life out of your own resources apart from Him.
20I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
21[Therefore, I do not treat God’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.]
Galatians 2:20-21 – Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
This Christ Life is based upon the goodness of Christ Himself. ‘Goodness’ in this sense is not an action on our part, but rather, it’s a ‘Who?’ Christ’s perfect goodness and righteousness become the spiritual reality of newness of life for the believer at salvation. The miracle of Grace is that we are now declared “alive to God” to which the Holy Spirit responds by manifesting in us Christ’s Life, characterized by life and peace—resulting in true rest. This rest is a change of activity; it’s not us ‘doing it,’ but rather Jesus doing it. It’s the difference between God’s activity which is righteousness, versus our activity, which is self-righteousness.
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-30 The Message (MSG)
How it happens
You are not saved because you gave your heart to Jesus; you are saved because Jesus has given you a new heart.”
You don’t have to live Christ’s Life—He does!”
Abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is to ‘be in Christ’ or to ‘live in Christ.’ We received a radical-like, spiritual ‘heart/spirit’ surgery; a spiritual DNA swap that transformed the very core of our being—our dead-to-God spirit was put to death on the cross with Christ and replaced with the newness of life through His resurrection Life. This is what it means to be ‘born again.’ To be born again you must die; and that is exactly what happened to all who are ‘in’ Christ. We can abide in Him because He abides or lives in us—therefore, we can and now act in accordance with this truth as we know, believe and accept this truth, fully resting in Him.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Galatians 2:20a – English Standard Version (ESV)We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:4 (ESV)
All believers—those who put their faith and trust in Christ, are crucified with Christ, buried with Him at the cross, and raised to new life at His resurrection. Here is what happened to you at the moment you believed in this way:
- you got crucified with Him – (Galatians 2:20);
- therefore, you died with Him – (Romans 6:8);
- you were buried with Him – (Colossians 2:12);
- you got resurrected with Him – (Romans 6:5);
- therefore, you were raised with Him – (Colossians 3:1);
- you became partakers of His divine nature – (2 Peter 1:4);
- therefore, you now live in newness of Christ’s Life – (Romans 6:4).
Jesus is meant to satisfy every area of your life: – by Steven Bancarz
- your intellect, through studying doctrine and theology;
- your emotions, through the healing He offers you, and the love of God shed abroad in your heart;
- your spirit/soul, through communion, fellowship, and intimacy with Him through reading the Word, prayer, and worship;
- your fascination and curiosity, with the endless treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are hidden in Christ, the wonders of God’s created world, and the promises of the age to come;
- your personal needs for validation, identity, security, and acceptance through the display of God’s love on the cross for you and what the Word of God says about you now that we are in Christ;
- your need for rest, through the finished work of the cross and the rest He offers you as the Prince of Peace;
- your need for happiness and pleasure, through the fullness of joy and the pleasures of His right hand that He makes available to you;
I believe Jesus is meant to satisfy all of the major areas of your life and cover all your fundamental needs as a person. Not that you don’t need people in your life too, but it’s important that you expand the scope in which you consider the Lord’s provision to you so that you can see Him as being all-sufficient for everything your soul longs for, as this will maximize your delight in Him and your excitement about pursuing Him.
In the conclusion of part one
1. According to Galatians 5:1, Christ has already set you free from sin’s power.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
– So repent (have a change of mind and heart, and stop sinning!)You have freedom from being religious.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition [religion], according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Colossians 2:8
2. Therefore, in Christ—Christ as your life, you now have ‘life in the Spirit’ and freedom from the law of sin…
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 8:1-2
3. You have become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
– You are 100% fully righteous; just as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself!
4. Quit calling yourself a sinner when God Himself calls you a saint!
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 1:7
– No longer are you called a ‘sinner’ by God in Christ; according to your new identity He calls you a saint. Therefore, you are not a “sinner saved by grace,” but rather, you are now a “saint, who sometimes sins.”
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”
Ephesians 1:1So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
Ephesians 2:19
5. In Christ, all of your sins are forgiven forever—past sins, present sins, and future sins! Quit thinking you still need to beg God day after day for forgiveness.
Please note: We all still sin, and we are instructed to confess our sins—however, we don’t confess our sins to get more forgiven… we confess our sins because of our restored relationship with God. Reality check: Without Christ, we are all sinners and deserve nothing but the wrath of God. Man’s natural position is anything but good and is at war with God. It is only through Christ and His redeeming blood that we have forgiveness of sins. See my blog article on the gospel: https://coffeescribe.ca/the-gospel/
If we confess our sins [because we still sin], he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
– Only some of your sins? No! ALL of your sins!
…as far as the east is from the west, so far does [has] he removed our transgressions from us.”
Psalm 103:12
– It’s done. He did it. There is no longer any need for Him to repeat or to add to what He had already completed at the cross (John 19:30b).– Please take extreme note: You’re forgiven because of the blood of Christ—not because you’ve stopped sinning. Yes, turning from sin when you sin is important every single time—however, you’re forgivness was established once and for all time, by the blood of Christ, not because you stopped sinning (which no one has ever been able to do). In other words, repentance isn’t tied to getting more forgiveness, (Christ took care of that at the cross, and it was credited/given to you at the time of salvation), because that would be a ‘works-based salvatioin” (which is not the gospel), versus the true gospel which is “blood-bought (purchased)” salvation!!!
6. You didn’t “invite Jesus into your heart;” He gave you a new heart.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26
– King David cried: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
7. You don’t “‘make’ Jesus Lord,” He already IS Lord!
10 so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:10-11
– Rather than “‘making’ Jesus Lord,” we submit to Him as Lord.
This is grace:
Grace is what the Scriptures describe as Christ’s Life. It’s by Christ’s Life that you are saved. “In Christ, you didn’t just get forgiven, you were made righteous. You didn’t just get cleansed from your track record of sins, you got raised up with Jesus in heavenly places. His Life became your life; He gave His Life for you; He gave His Life to you so that He can live His Life through you. You are forgiven by the cross and made new by His resurrection.” – Andrew Farley, author and lead pastor of Church Without Religion in west Texas.
“ 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 2:5-6
99% of “Christians” do not know this! Don’t be deceived! | LIVE from Israël | Timo Shely | The Gospel
Evidence (Live) | The Worship Initiative | Aaron Williams
Coffee Scribe is pleased to partner with Crossnet Ministries and other grace-based ministries from around the world to share the incredible Life of Jesus Christ with you and to encourage you in your faith in the risen Lord. When you were placed in Christ, you were spiritually inserted into His death, His burial and His resurrection. Your old self-life was ripped out of you, spiritually being taken to the cross and was crucified and buried; then, you were raised in Christ to newness of life. It is His Life in you that teaches you to say ‘no’ to sin and is why God is no longer dealing with you on the basis of your sins. Lose your former performance-based life of continuously striving for love and acceptance, in exchange for true rest and enjoyment in this new Christ Life. Coffee Scribe is able to connect you with resources and ministries that know this truth and that can help you live in the reality of how God, in Christ, has made you perfect forever by one sacrifice for all time.
If you believe there may be more to the Christian life than what you’re experiencing, you’ve come to the right place.
- Andrew Farley is the author of the bestselling book The Naked Gospel and his latest book, titled Twisted Scripture—Untangling 45 Lies Christians Have Been Told.
- He hosts Andrew Farley LIVE, a live call-in radio program that is broadcast in all 50 states and throughout Canada each Sunday.
- Andrew serves as president of Andrew Farley Ministries, a non-profit media ministry dedicated to helping people understand God’s grace.
Special Credit
This four-part article has been written by Coffee Scribe with some of its content provided by the Director of Crossnet Ministries, Dallas Bergen. A special thanks and acknowledgment goes to Dallas for his encouragement as a brother in Christ, mentor, fellow artist, and friend. Through the past twelve years and more, the Holy Spirit has revealed the message of Grace to Dallas’ understanding. The Spirit has done this through exposing Dallas’ misunderstandings and replacing them with a Spirit-directed comprehension; then came another struggle… how to communicate in a clear way the Grace of God through Jesus Christ to others. Much of the material you will read is a reflection of things Dallas has learned, often through the hardships and confusion of trying to answer questions about God and His Grace to others. It is Dallas’ desire that the material presented be congruent with what Coffee Scribe and Crossnet share—expressed through different individuals who have experienced Grace in a unique way but teach the same truths. – Coffee Scribe
For prayer, counseling, or encouragement regarding the Exchanged Life—Christ as your life, reach out to Dallas at Crossnet Ministries by clicking the button below. Crossnet equips believers with in-depth, comprehensive, biblically-based teachings through numerous seminars, workshops and conferences. Perhaps you or your church would like to book or participate in one of Crossnet Ministries’ conferences. Here’s how to get a hold of Dallas for further correspondence:
All Things Grace: Part Two
Dead to the Law and made alive in Christ
Dead to the Law
“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” – Romans 7:4 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The big picture: the Law is not dead—you are!
There is nothing wrong with the Law, but there is something wrong with us. The demands of the Law are righteous, but the person upon whom the demands are made is unrighteous (Romans 7:12). The trouble is not the Law itself or that the Law’s demands are unjust, but that we are unable to meet them. Therefore, the Law is not annulled, canceled, erased, dead or gone. Quite the opposite—we died to the Law. The Law does not die, the believer dies! The Law is not dead, the believer is dead to the Law and made alive in Christ.
The purpose behind the Law was not to say that “if you keep it, you’ll be good and go to heaven;” but rather, to show you that you were already wicked and needed redemption and atonement.
Christ is the end of the law for you
- You are dead to the law (Romans 7:4; Galatians 2:19)
- You are not under the law (Romans 6:14)
- You are free from the law (Romans 6:7)
- You are not supervised by the law (Galatians 3:25)
- You don’t serve in the old way of the law (Romans 7:6)
- You can live in the newness and freedom of the Spirit (Romans 7:6; Galatians 5:13)
- Christ is the end of the law for you (Romans 10:4)
Let’s be very clear about something!
We observe God’s Law out of love and obedience because we have been saved, not as a means to be saved.
Just as it is with works and salvation—we’re saved by faith alone, but our faith is not alone… so it is with Jesus regarding the Law: in no way has Jesus done away with the Law of God because where there’s no Law, there’s no sin. If Jesus did away with the Law of God then there’s nothing we can do to sin. But that’s not true. Sin is still the transgression of the Law of God (1 John 3:4). Even Paul said in his letter (Epistle) to the Romans “Do we nullify the Law by faith? May it never be! We establish the Law.” So if the Law is still at work, then which law were we delivered from?
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.”
Matthew 5:17 – (KJV)
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” – Romans 10:4 (KJV)
The law of sin
The details: how does this work and what does it look like?
For by faith the believer’s spiritual essence has been crucified with Christ, the believer is no longer a slave to the law of sin because the slave is dead. That doesn’t mean the law of sin is done away with but rather, it has now been “rendered powerless” in relation to the believer. This means that now we have a choice not to sin, BUT the law of sin, using the Law of God (1 Corinthians 15:56) is always trying to influence the believer into actions of sinning through their unique version of the flesh.
When we are deceived into trying to live by the Law of God (the Ten Commandments plus 603 other Old Testament laws) we fail and by our sinning, we fall prisoner to the law of sin… a temporary situation that we are released from the second we turn to Christ and we then experience freedom in Christ—not only freedom to live as Christ lived, but freedom to allow Christ Himself to live His Life through us!
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.’ 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘The righteous man shall live by faith.’” – Galatians 3:10-11 (NASB)
Today’s Christianity: just a bunch of Pharisees in sheep’s clothing
“The trouble in Romans 7 is that man in the flesh tried to do something for God. As soon as you try to please God in that way, then you place yourself under law, and the experience of Romans 7 begins to be yours.” – Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
We must get sick and tired of our self-effort with Law-keeping before we can see our need for God’s grace!
What the religious of today know very little of, is the list of both their personal and corporate (Church) expectations (or laws) they use to live the Christian life—which makes today’s Christianity nothing more than Pharisees in sheep’s clothing. It is the difference between trying to work for your salvation rather than resting in Christ’s finished work for salvation.
The more we try to keep the Law the more our weakness is manifest and the deeper we get into Romans 7, until it is clearly demonstrated to us that we are hopelessly weak. God knew it all along but we did not, and so God had to bring us through painful experiences to a recognition of the fact. We need to have our weakness proved to ourselves beyond dispute. That is why God gave us the Law.”
“No, the Law was not given in the expectation that we would keep it. It was given in the full knowledge that we would break it; and when we have broken it so completely that we are convinced of our utter need, then the Law has served its purpose. It has been our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that He Himself may fulfill it in us (Gal. 3. 24).”
“The sooner we too give up trying the better, for if we monopolize the task, then there is no room for the Holy Spirit. But if we say: ‘I’ll not do it; I’ll trust Thee to do it for me’, then we shall find that a Power stronger than ourselves is carrying us through.”
– Watchman Nee
Truth:
We experience freedom in Christ—not only the freedom to live as Christ lived but the freedom to allow Christ Himself to live His Life through us!
“Grace is not a license to sin but a liberty to walk in obedience to your great God.”
– Shane Pruitt, Director of Evangelism and Missions for the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention in Rockwall, TX
Three Lies Christians Believe about the Ten Commandments | Andrew Farley
Spirit, soul and body…
Mankind as a three-part being as originally designed in Adam
In Adam mankind is born spiritually dead
Mankind’s problem is at birth one is born spiritually dead to God—a spiritual condition inherited from Adam. Mankind cannot produce anything that pleases God because our spiritual component is dead and alienated from God by sin. This means we are a slave to the law of sin and sinning is the natural outcome. Thus, the law of sin has corrupted our bodies which will eventually die… and yet, all creation was also corrupted by this law of sin and death.
According to the Bible we have three parts: the spirit, the soul, and the body. God identifies us by our spiritual condition, starting with the spirit of the person and then sees us from the inside outward. This new way of seeing each other is what happens to the believer when they are reborn; they too begin to see each person as they really are, valuing the person’s spirit (what they really are) which is the complete opposite of the world’s view (placing value on external, temporal conditions that neither fulfill nor last).
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:23 (ESV)
In the garden – Adam and Eve were spiritually full of God’s light and life as originally designed in Adam
In the beginning, before Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, their spirits were alive (spiritually alive) to God. They communed with God as their Father and lived in perfect relationship with Him. Their nakedness was pure and beautiful, and nothing separated their closeness and fellowship between themselves and their Father. The LORD God would walk beside them in the cool of the day in perfect harmony.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” – Genesis 2:25 (KJV)
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day:” – Genesis 3:6-10(KJV)
Then something terrible happened…
At the fall of mankind – mankind became spiritually darkened and dead-to-God because of Adam’s choice to sin
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they died spiritually and sin corrupted their body, so that it too began to die.
Nevertheless, they remained “alive” physically, yet their soul—the animating principle of a person, can only function through the spirit or through the body. The spirit, which was dead, could not supply functionality to the soul. So mankind’s soul found its ability to function through the body which is under the influence of the world and its own desires.
Scripture states that God is Spirit and Genesis 1:26-27 says that we were made in God’s image. So does it not stand to reason that we are created as spiritual beings as well? God created us with a soul to express that spiritual essence of which is all encased in a body that functions on this earth—thus, our soul and spirit live inside of our body. Likewise, it has on occasion been explained that mankind created as a three-part being reflects the trinity that is also three-in-one. At the time we were saved, the Lord came into our spirit and we were made new (John 3:6). Our soul now is made functional by the empowerment of the Spirit. Therefore, we have a soul as a vessel to contain and to express God. Here is mankind’s three-part makeup as follows:
The spirit (Greek: pneúma)
The spirit is the spiritual essence of mankind. In the case of a saved person (who has the spiritual capacity to receive insight and revelation from God), the spirit is able to interact with God through its own set of “senses,” revealing things like faith, hope, and Spirit-leading to our soul. The spirit is the part of mankind whereby the Holy Spirit of God, (along with our new human spirit at the time of rebirth in Christ) is melded together with, which the Bible calls the “new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new” (World English Translation).
The soul (psuché)
The soul is the animating principle of a person and is responsible for imagination, memory, reason, intellect, and emotions. As such, the will of the soul serves as the command center for the person. The soul is designed to be fed by the spirit and the body derives physical life from man’s spiritual essence. “While the spirit can embrace the intellect [the soul], the human intellect can never comprehend the Spirit. Man, by reason cannot know God; he can only know about God.” – A.W. Tozer (See Romans 11:33, 1:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 2:14).
The body (sóma)
The body is the physical side of a person. It touches the material world through the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch.
The flesh…
The flesh (sárx) — the “self-life”
There’s this non-entity called “the flesh” sometimes incorrectly referred to by some Christians as either “the sin nature” or “the old man” (which is not true because the old man was crucified). “The flesh” is a condition whereby man operates out of his own resources doing things his way.
The flesh can be simply summed up as “the self-life.” It’s a self-strategized way of living where our focus is primarily on ourselves. It causes us to live out of our own resources and not His. In other words, it’s me trying to live “my life” independent of Christ—it’s “me striving-centered,” trying to live “my life, my way.” This fleshly self-life is designed to fail and is against everything God desires for us.
“The failure that ensues from walking after our flesh is used by God to have us once again return to depending upon Him with the result that we know life and peace.” – Dallas Bergen, Director, instructor, counselor of Crossnet Ministries
7 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” – Galatians 5:7 (ESV)
The flesh isn’t you!
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” – Romans 13:14 (NASB)
In Romans 13:14 Paul is not talking about the body being evil, he’s talking about the “deeds of darkness,” which are the deeds of the flesh or the “lusts of the flesh.” This isn’t talking about your body, but something in you (but not you). The flesh has nothing to do with the physical body being evil or bad (physical matter is not evil). The NIV Bible told people for decades (prior to correcting its terminology in 2011) that Christians have two natures: a sinful “nature” (which is just not true) while having a new nature as one actually has in Christ. Likewise, the average Christian thinks they have two selves, the old self, and the new self; they think they have two hearts, an old heart, and a new heart.
The truth is, there is a tempter called “the flesh” and “it” is not you! Verse 14 above says “don’t make provision for ‘it.’” So who do the lusts belong to? The lusts belong to “it;” the lust doesn’t belong to you. They used to belong to you when you were in the flesh, but now you’re in the Spirit. You were in the world but now you’re in Christ. You were in Adam but now you’re in Jesus. You don’t have two natures—you have one nature; you’re a new creation with a new heart and a new spirit. Your “flesh” (not referring to the body but rather the desire to live independent of God) much like a third party—it’s operating in you but it’s not actually you!
Walking after the flesh versus walking in the Spirit according to Romans 8:5-8
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6 (ESV)
It’s important to know that both the saved person and the unsaved person can “walk after their flesh,” which produces an experience of death (depression, despair, and so forth). We, believers, are in Christ; in the Spirit; and, in God’s kingdom—we simply can’t escape our destiny of expressing righteousness because of this. Walking after our flesh does not change the fact we are in the Spirit but only identifies that we have been deceived by the law of sin and our flesh to live out of our own resources once again. The failure that ensues from walking after our flesh is used by God to have us once again return to depending upon Him with the result that we know life and peace.
Dead spirit
Our spirits were dead in relation to God: Before we were saved, our spirit was darkened and deadened (Ephesians 2:1, 5). We had no sensation regarding our spirit. God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) helps each person to see how dead their spirit really is, for all sin, all are a slave to sin and all have fallen short of God’s holy standards.
At salvation – the spiritual exchange that takes place at the new birth
New spirit
When we heard the gospel or when we read the Word of the gospel, the Holy Spirit shone within us and we received the light of the Word’s revelation. As this light, this understanding, this Person—the Living Word—Christ Himself, entered deep within us; we repented and called on the Name of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ! Your old self is now dead, gone, buried, and done away with; finished.
You no longer have what some Christians mistakenly believe to be a bad or evil heart. Most of them who believe that way are still under the Old Covenant way of thinking about themselves and do not realize what has happened to them under the New Covenant as a new being in Christ. In Christ, you have been giving a new heart, not left with your old heart or spirit. No longer are you under what Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” You are now a slave to righteousness and can’t help but to do right—not wrong. Quit telling yourself and others that you have a deceitful and wicked heart (spirit), because that is no longer true of you!
Once a person believes in Jesus (this is a function of the soul), God sends the Holy Spirit to regenerate, indwell, baptize, and seal the new believer. The old, dead spirit of man is replaced by the Holy Spirit of God. This replacing of your dead spirit with His Spirit is referred to as the “Exchanged Life”—or the “Grace Life.”
61What should we say then? Should we continue to sin so that God’s kindness will increase? 2 That’s unthinkable! As far as sin is concerned, we have died. So how can we still live under sin’s influence?
3 Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 When we were baptized into his death, we were placed into the tomb with him. As Christ was brought back from death to life by the glorious power of the Father, so we, too, should live a new kind of life. 5 If we’ve become united with him in a death like his, certainly we will also be united with him when we come back to life as he did. 6 We know that the person we used to be was crucified with him to put an end to sin in our bodies. Because of this we are no longer slaves to sin. 7 The person who has died has been freed from sin.
8 If we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
Romans 6:1-8 – GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
Alive in Christ!
Immediately, something deep within us was made alive and started to burn and to shine. We did have the sensation that deep within us something was living, burning, and shining. This means that God’s Spirit had come into our spirit to enlighten us, to join Himself to us, in us, as us, and to make us alive (John 3:6).
21 That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” – John 17:21 (ESV)
So what!
Why is this truth relevant?
What good is knowing I am a three-part being unless I am able to use it? In what ways can this practically play out in real life—“my” life, as in my life right now?
Knowing you don’t need to become something more
By knowing about what makes you, you and what God applied to which aspect or part of your being and how He has perfectly and permanently dealt with your sin problem, this will free you to be who you really are in Christ and to act accordingly—you don’t need to become something more than you already are! When you understand and realize who you are in Christ, that you have a brand new spirit, even though your thoughts and feelings (your soul) don’t always align with your new spirit—nor your corrupted, dying body in its weakened and fallen state, then you can appropriately live out of who you really are as a believer, being one in spirit with the Lord.
Being who you are is enough
By knowing yourself in Jesus Christ, you don’t need to become what other people want you to be anymore. Instead, you can just be yourself from now on. In Christ you now have adequacy that you need to be aware of because now your self-worth and adequacy are no longer tied to your old identity or efforts, it now comes from God.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.”
– 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NASB)
Jesus didn’t come to renovate your prison cell, He came to bust you out!
God did something to you at salvation
Sin (Greek: hamartéma)
The message of the cross is not only Jesus dying for your sins but YOU dying with Jesus Christ. At salvation you (who and what you really are—your spirit) died with Christ, then you were raised with Him in newness of life. You are not spiritually a dead person with forgiveness; you are not spiritually a dead person with total acceptance before God; you are alive to God, connected to Jesus, your old self died and you’re completely transformed and totally made to be one with Him. At your salvation, this reality transformed your destiny, it changed your direction, it changed your passions, it changed your desires; not simply because you have been born again, but because you died and left behind in the grave all of that old self.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” – Romans 6:1-2 (ESV)
Four words most Christians don’t know: “I died to sin”
Knowing this truth changes what you do when temptation hits. This has to do with who you are right now. Something has happened to you. God didn’t just do something for you, He did something to you.
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. – Romans 6:3-4 (ESV)
Do you not know that this has nothing to do with water, but that you have literally been inserted into Christ, been dragged through His death, dragged into that tomb with Him, and then pulled up out of that tomb as a new creation! Do you really think that salvation is just forgiveness, mercy, acceptance? Do you not know that something radical, extraordinary, unbelievably supernatural has happened to you? It’s nothing short of a miracle and it happened at your salvation the moment you believed. It’s not just Jesus on the cross—it was you! (your spirit). It’s supernatural because outside of time-space our God placed you on the cross with Christ 2,000 years ago. It was not just Jesus who died, you died with Him.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.” – Romans 6:6-7 (ESV)
Do you not know you have been set free from the power of sin?
This is not going to be gradual. If you think your “nature” is going to progressively get cleaned-up… no, there is no gradual. He who has died has been freed from sin’s power… bam… done. Are you looking how to say “no” to lust, how to say “no” to envy, how to say “no” to hate and “yes” to love? When temptation is hitting you and you’re looking for life in Christ, the good news is there’s no waiting. Don’t expect by the time you’re 35 that by the time you’re 55 you’ll be deader to sin. You’re not getting deader to sin. He who has died has been freed from sin. When sinful thoughts come, will you count yourself dead to them? Are you willing to say “I consider myself dead to sin, I don’t want that… that’s a lie. I died to that principle, I died to that temptation, I died to that lie and that is not who I am any longer.” Knowing this will change the way you live and this is not positive thinking, this is your reality in Jesus Christ. Either you do not know this truth or you do. If you do know this truth, you will either accept it or reject it and this is the difference between living according to truth or living according to a lie.
11 So consider yourselves dead to sin’s power but living for God in the power Christ Jesus gives you.” – Romans 6:11 (GW)
Made alive in Christ
A new and living way—you’re not sometimes in the Spirit and then other times in the flesh
As a result of our dead-to-God spirit being put to death on the cross with Christ, the soul of the believer can now choose to walk by the Spirit rather than after the flesh (Gal 5:16-26). It’s this new way of living that we express Christ’s Life by the indwelling Holy Spirit in place of our dead spirit. Without fully understanding these concepts, we may flounder about in confusion over our relationship with the Lord.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Romans 8:8-9 (ESV)
Here we see that there are only two kinds of people in the world: 1) the first kind is people in the world who are in the flesh and cannot please God because they do not belong to God; 2) the second are the kind who is in the Spirit and can please God and do belong to God. The believer will remain in bondage to the law of sin and his flesh as long as he does not know that through the cross and resurrection Life of Jesus Christ he has been delivered from the reign of the law of sin and death, his flesh, the world and the enemy (Satan).
What the Law could not do, God did!
What we do doesn’t define who we are—what Jesus did does.”
What we do doesn’t define who we are—what Jesus did does. The Law is a perfect standard that we cannot meet. And we don’t have to meet that standard, because Christ Himself is the fulfillment of God’s holy and perfect Law for us all.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:3-4 (NASB)
18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” – Hebrews 7:18-19 (NASB)
The Law shows you your need for Christ
Christian, you are not made righteous or good by what you do for God. Following the requirements of the Old Covenant Law doesn’t make you righteous. God’s holy and perfect Law was never intended to make anyone righteous. No one is perfected by how well they follow the Law. God made a New Covenant based on Himself with Himself. The New Covenant is not a covenant between us and God—it’s a covenant God made with Himself (Hebrews 6:17-19). Under this new covenant, our salvation is 100% sealed and secured by God… God on the one side and God on the other side!
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” – Galatians 3:24-25 (NKJV)
The work finished. You’re not trying to gain any more acceptance, security, forgiveness, or peace with God. You now live under God’s declaration of, “it is finished,” not “do more,” or “be more.”
You’ve been made perfect!
Do you know the New Covenant makes you perfect? The entire reason the New Covenant is on the scene is to make you perfect. It doesn’t make you perfectly behaved, it makes you perfectly cleansed and perfectly righteous—this is something the Law could never do. Because of this, God is no longer relating to you based on your sins, He is relating to you based on Jesus’ indwelling Life:
- The New Covenant is a Covenant between God and God;
- It’s no longer a Law-based Covenant of “dos and “don’ts;”
- Jesus is the guarantee of a better Covenant which is “yes” and “amen;”
- This Covenant, you did not start, you do not maintain and you do not sustain—God does!;
- In this Covenant, you didn’t just get forgiven, you were made righteous.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” – John 1:17 (KJV)
Under the New Covenant, you’re either a totally forgiven person, or you’re completely unforgiven—nobody is in the middle; there’s no middle ground. Either you’re absolutely guilty or you’re completely freed from guilt. You’re absolutely condemned or you’re completely free of condemnation. You’re either completely free from all condemnation, or you’re completely guilty and need a solution quick—GRACE! But you already have the solution, and His name is Jesus. He hung on a cross for you and He took your sins away; and He keeps no records of wrong; He remembers your sins no more; and He removed them as far as the east is from the west.
as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12 (ESV)
Jesus did not come to help you keep the Law—Christ in you keeps the Law!
A change of priesthood signals a change in covenant
A change in priesthood signals a change in covenant (Hebrews 7:12). Jesus did not come to help you keep the Law. He came to fulfill the Law and to bring you the new way of God’s grace and Life!
Jesus did not come to help us keep the Law.” – Andrew Farley
Jesus had no intention of destroying the Law. Christ came to complete the Law. The Law is immutable, inviolable and unchangeable and can only be fulfilled, never abrogated. He said He had come to fulfill “the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 5:17). He didn’t just fulfill the Law, He filled it up, rendering it full, i.e. to completion—through Himself! He met the Law’s requirements by obeying it perfectly in thought and deed, both in the letter and in the intent of the heart.
“No guilt no shame, no sin no stain, is greater than the Great I Am; no fear no grave, no other name, is greater than the Great I Am.” – Greater Than, Gateway – SME, [Merlin] Absolute Label Services
“Shame cultivates the fear of rejection which makes you unable to receive the love of God you so desperately desire. Therefore you manifest behaviors that reject the very One who loves you.” – Dallas Bergen
Feelings versus knowing
The Bible does not talk about feelings, it always talks about knowing. Isn’t it wonderful to be righteous? Do you know how righteous you truly are? You are 100% righteous as Jesus Christ! When you realize that you are no longer a sinner, but are called a saint; that you are as righteous as Jesus Himself; and even though sin (the flesh) is in you, but is not you—then you will behave accordingly!
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14 (NIV)
Truth: By one sacrifice, He has made you dead to the Law and alive in grace and truth, perfecting you forever! Hallelujah!
Now… just say “thank you!”
Once again—special thanks goes out to Dallas Bergen, Executive Director of Crossnet Ministries. Crossnet equips believers with in-depth, comprehensive, biblically-based teachings through numerous seminars, workshops and conferences on a much deeper level than what has been possible to cover in this four-part Coffee Scribe article. Perhaps you or your church would like to book or participate in one of Crossnet Ministries’ conferences, Here’s how you can reach out to Dallas today for further correspondence and to book your appointment with him now:
Spirit (Pneúma) – Soul (Psuché) – Body (Sóma) | Andrew Farley | Church Without Religion
All Things Grace: Part Three
Live from your union with Christ
Realize how much God values you
Fully accept God’s immense love for you
God will never punish you!”
When we’re called to live in the grace of Christ, we’re called to depend on Jesus, not on ourselves, relinquishing all control to Jesus. It means really trusting in Jesus. God’s grace is so radical that it doesn’t just change the rules; it does away with the rules entirely. We are not made whole with God through rules but by God’s amazing, radical grace in Jesus Christ. In Him, the very core of our being, who we are has been transformed, saved—we can now run to the Father, and fall into grace over and over and over again and again.
6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in [union with] Him [reflecting His character in the things you do and say—living lives that lead others away from sin],” – Colossians 2:6 Amplified Bible (AMP)
17 But when you are joined with the Lord, you become one spirit with Him.” – 1 Corinthians 6:17 The Voice (VOICE)
By His grace
- You are a radical son or daughter of the King
- Your soul longs for Him as He longs for you
- You live from fullness-to-fullness because of His Life living in you
- You who believe in the finished work of Jesus experience a well of abundant grace that never runs dry
- He says to you: “You’re beautiful from head to toe, my dear love, beautiful beyond compare, absolutely flawless.” (Song of Solomon 4:7 – MSG)
- He’s singing over you: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 – ESV)
- He gave Himself up for you, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma (Ephesians 5:1-2 – NIV); and made you to be a pleasing aroma to Himself (2 Corinthians 2:15)
- You’re flawless and perfect* now (Hebrews 10:14)
- You’ll never be punished by Him (Romans 8:1)
- He wants you to actually experience His love (Ephesians 3:19)
- He won’t let anything stand between you and His love (Romans 8:35).
*Note: According to Romans 7, we still sin. So we are obviously not flawless and perfect in this present life. Hebrews 10:14 goes onto say that we are being made holy. Our ‘final’ redemption will be when we leave these bodies of corruption (either at death or the rapture) and receive a new uncorrupted body at the first resurrection as followers of Christ. We are made flawless and perfect in Christ as being perfected by Him as we are perfectly forgiven people—but again, we are not saying we have perfectly behaved. 1 John 1:8 says: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
A poem
Jesus Is
God is Lord Almighty, Omnipotent King, Lion of Judah, Rock of Ages, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Provider, Protector, Paternal Leader, Ruling Lord, and Reigning King of all the universe. He is Father, Helper, Guardian, and God. He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all He keeps.
The Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times. He always was, is, and will be: Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone. He was bruised and brought healing. He was pierced and eased the pain. He was persecuted and brought freedom. He was dead and brought life. He is risen and brings power. He reigns and brings Peace. The world can’t understand him, the armies can’t defeat Him, the schools can’t explain Him, and the leaders can’t ignore Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him, the Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him, the people couldn’t hold Him! Nero couldn’t crush Him. Hitler couldn’t silence Him, the New Age can’t replace Him and Forbes can’t explain Him away!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord. He is goodness, kindness, gentleness, and God. He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure. His ways are right, His word is eternal, His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me! His is my redeemer, He is my savior, He is my guide, He is my peace, He is my Joy, He is my comfort, He is my Lord and He rules my life. I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life. I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise, the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders, the overseer of the overcomers, and the sovereign Lord of all that was, is, and is to come. And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size. His goal is a relationship with ME! He will never leave me, forsake me, mislead me, forget me, overlook me, and never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up. When I fail, He forgives me. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am lost, He is The Way. When I am afraid, He is my courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I am hurt, He heals me. When I am broken, He mends me. When I am blind, He leads me. When I am hungry, He feeds me. When I face trials, He is with me. When I face persecution, He stills me. When I face problems, He comforts me. When I face loss, He provides for me. When I face Death, He carries me Home!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and in every way. He is God, He is faithful, I am His, and He is mine. My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world, and so, if you’re wondering why I feel so secure, understand this: He said it, and that settles it. God is in control, I am on His side, and that means all is well with my soul.
That’s My King | Dr. S.M. Lockridge | (Official Video)
Live from Jesus
Eternal Life isn’t something you get or that’s awaiting you at some future time in Heaven. Eternal life is not your life made longer or your life made better than it currently is. Eternal life is a Person. It’s Christ’s Life—the resurrection Life of Jesus Christ. Therefore, salvation is actually a Person, not a ‘thing.’ Christ doesn’t give you eternal life, HE IS ETERNAL LIFE and you were made to live and enjoy Him as your life.
He’s closer than your skin
“God didn’t just save you so that you can get busy serving Him.” – Zach Maldonado, Communications Pastor at Church without religion.
He wants you to go deeper, He wants you to go further than you’ve ever been before!
Linger | Live | GATEWAY
All Things Grace: Part Four
Five reasons why Jesus is enough
1. He Saves you
Jesus is the only means by which you can be brought back into perfect relationship with the Father of which Adam and Eve once had at the very beginning in the garden.”
Romans 5:19 (ESV)
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience (Adam) the many were made sinners (everyone), so by the one man’s obedience (Jesus) the many will be made righteous (you and I, all believers in Christ).
Acts 4:12 (ESV)
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
2. He Perfects you
Absolutely no part of religion, no burnt sacrifices, ceremonies, or Old Testament law-keeping are now necessary to atone or make payment for your sins.”
Hebrews 10:11-18 The Message (MSG)
11-18 Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.
For by one offering, He (Christ) has perfected you for all time you who are sanctified (made holy).
Under the New Covenant, Christ’s sacrifice covers you in permanent righteousness, perfecting you before God once and for all. It is done, done, and done.
3. He Equips you
God’s power gives you the ability to live a Godly life.”
2 Peter 1:3 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)
3 God’s divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness. This power was given to us through knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and integrity.
Once saved, you no longer fend for yourself. Jesus graciously empowers you to live not only for Him but now from Him. No more trying, no more striving, not trying harder—it’s finished.
Galatians 2:20 Living Bible (TLB)
20 I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real-life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal. 2:21 (TLB)
21 I am not one of those who treats Christ’s death as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping Jewish laws, then there was no need for Christ to die. [Or any other man-based rules or regulations, etc.]
What the Law could not do, Christ did on your behalf.
Romans 8:3 (NKJV)
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4. He Blesses you
In saving you Jesus guarantees you a heavenly inheritance that will never fade away.”
Ephesians 1-3 (KJV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Therefore, you are heavenly. It’s all about “location, location, location.” Do you really know where you actually are? You’re raised-up position, the raised-up location allows you to say “no” to sin because you are above that; that is beneath you; you have been raised up with Christ. You can now count yourself dead to sin, because you are united with Christ, resurrected with Him, you are a heavenly creature, and sin is not of you, for you, or good for you because you are of Christ and have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Not only does Christ grant you unspeakable joy, love, freedom, and peace, but He has blessed you with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ which makes you free.
5. He Completes you
The dissatisfaction of your heart and the emptiness that once ruled you can be, and now is a thing of the past.”
Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV)
9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
Colossians 2:9 Names of God Bible (NOG)
9 All of God lives in Christ’s body, 10 and God has made you complete in Christ…
You have been made whole through Christ’s redemption; He restores you to be a worshiper of God—just as you were designed to be in the garden. So just quit trying so hard and enjoy!
Zephaniah 3:17
The eternal self-existent God.
The God who is three-in-One.
He who dwells in the center of your being is a powerful valiant Warrior!
He has come to set you free, to keep you safe and bring you Victory!
He is cheered and beams with exceeding joy and takes pleasure in your presence.
He has engraved a place for Himself in you and there He quietly rests in His love and affection for you!
He cannot contain Himself at the thought of you and with the greatest of Joy spins wildly at the anticipation of you and has placed you above all other creations and in the highest place in His priority!
In Fact
He shouts and sings in triumph joyfully proclaiming the gladness of His heart in a song of rejoicing all because of you!
– Dennis Jernigan
Ten Things You Won’t Hear in Most Churches | Dr. Andrew Farley | An Easter Sunday Message
Video credit: Andrew Farley | Church Without Religion – URL: https://churchwithoutreligion.com/home
The Greater Truths of the Gospel | The Grace Message with Dr. Andrew Farley
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