Gtcotr/ws032713
Our
initial 12 lessons comprised the first of 4 Life Shape Prayer &
Discipleship modules. That first module, entitled “Redemption,” was designed to
bring a person to the recognition of Jehovah as the one and only omnipotent God
and Creator of the universe. Those 12 blocks also challenged us to affirm our
faith in the grace of God who loved so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus,
as payment for the sin which had separated us.
The
Redemption Module concluded by teaching righteousness, identification by water
baptism and the power available to every believer through the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. Seeing that we have covered these initial 12 lessons in as many weeks
let us now go on to the next step and discover what we get when we get saved.
Module
2 is entitled, “New Creation Realities.” We will begin with our:
Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold all things have become new.
One
of the New Creation Realities is our subject for this life block lesson: that
of being “In
Christ.”
Being
“In Christ” is a positional reality. From the moment a person is saved, God
sees them forever “In Christ.” They become brand new creations; the past no
longer controls the future and new realities are brought to birth in Christ.
Acts 17:28 For in Him we live
and move and have our being …
77
times in the King James Version we find the scriptures make direct reference to
being “In Christ.”
Our
“New Creation” status and the position we occupy “In Christ” are both
significant factors which afford us great advantage. It is from this position
we take advantage of our relationship with God and begin to change things
within us and change things around us.
One
of the first things we need to change is how we see ourselves.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ.
It
is simple. When you could do nothing, Jesus did everything, and by your faith
in Him, God made you a new creation in Christ. God sees you “In Christ” and so
we also should see ourselves as He sees us.
·
We
are not Sinners trying to do right … rather we are the Righteous resisting
temptations to sin.
·
We are not the sick trying to get healed … we
are the healed and whole denying sickness a right to occupy our body.
·
We
are not those shouting louder, praying longer, or singing sweeter trying to get
God to notice us – we are “In Christ” and God hears our every thought and knows
our every need.
·
We
don’t do good works hoping God will love us and let us into heaven … rather we
do good works because He does love us and because He created us in Christ to do
good works. (Ephesians 2:10)
2 Corinthians 5
17 Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,
all things have become new.
18 Now all things are
of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us
the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in
Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them,
and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you
on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made Him who knew
no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him.
To
reconcile means to settle accounts; to balance the books; to make up the
difference. Reconciliation is an exchange of coins whereby an adjustment is
made to equal so that no variance exists.
God
was “In Christ” making up the difference between God and man and has settled
the accounts and balanced the books for all who are “In Christ.” Jesus is both
the door and the store of grace.
For
God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to become sin for us so that we might become
the righteousness of God “In Christ.”
Important Points
1.
To be “Born Again” is to become a “New Creation in Christ."
2.
God desires we live our life from the New Creation perspective with
the New Creation advantage we have “In Christ."
3.
The Bible will teach us these New Creation Realities.
Commentary
Every person who believes and receives
Jesus as Lord and Savior is born again and becomes a “New Creation in Christ.”
This is a positional advantage. Each
Believer will face and should grow to embrace their new creation realities as
well as their new creation responsibilities.
God was “In Christ” reconciling man unto
Himself, making up the difference and settling accounts. Once a person has
entered the grace of salvation by faith in Jesus, old things pass away and all
things become new. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are “In
Christ” who live and move and have their being in Him. (Romans 8:1; Acts 17:28)
If we belong to Christ we are Abraham’s
seed and heirs of God according to the promise. (Galatians 3:28 & 29) The
scriptures reveal our inheritance and teach us how to take advantage of the
righteousness we have been made to be “In Christ.” The truth is simple: Jesus
is both the door and the store and you have come through Christ into Christ to
live in His grace. Let’s search the Word of God together and discover our “New
Creation Realities.”
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I
fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your
minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
