Gtcotr/fs012922
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, 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 the 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.
3. The Bible teaches 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.
