NEW LIFE LESSONS: A New Life For New Disciples

THE CROSS-WALK (1)

Living Under Grace
WHATS MY POSITION WITH GOD WHEN MY CONDITION IS SO IMPERFECT? You, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, have been saved by grace through faith. As we learned earlier, you have eternal life right now!!! But too often believers compare the intent of their heart with their actual behavior and feel defeated, guilty and like giving up. You might even ask the question: If Im so forgiven, why do I feel so bad and disappointed about myself? If Im saved why do I still struggle with sin and guilt? Jesus came to give us an abundant life but many believers arent experiencing that kind of life because they remain infants in their understanding, never have matured and havent been fully discipled. They are not aware of some vital spiritual truths, spiritual principles and spiritual realities of the life lived under grace.

TWO REALITIES OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE: UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES OF POSITION AND CONDITION
You know that your sins are removed by Jesus death on the cross! (The Bible calls this grace.) Since this is true, why do you and I still struggle with sin? The answer sounds contradictory but it is really just a paradox (two things that seem contradictory but are both true at the same time).

These two principles are both true ..

POSITION CONDITION

We have a position in Christ - ALREADY We have a condition in Christ NOT YET

While both are true, one is eternal (unchanging forever as long as we stay in covenant relationship with Christ) and one is temporal (subject to change in time and space). One is permanent while the other is temporary.

Your Position Is That You Are In Christ (The Status of An Already Transformed Relationship)
God sees you as His pure, clean and perfect newborn child. God in Christ has removed the barriers, forgiven your sins and made you a new creation through the application of Jesus powerful work on the cross to your spirit. (Gal. 6:15) He calls you now: saved, child of God, forgiven, redeemed, brand new, holy, saint, etc. You are in a new covenant, saved relationship with the God of the universe. Hes added you to His spiritual family. He sees Christs perfection in you. You are heaven bound; as long as you dont give up on Him, He will not give up on you. (Jn. 10:27-29) There is nothing more you can do to be more saved then you are right now. God has placed you in Christ. Romans 6:3, 6 You died with Christ on the cross at the time of your baptism. (Gal. 2:20) Romans 6:4 You were raised with Christ from spiritual death at baptism and you now have eternal life. (I John 5:12, 13) Ephesians 1:3 Every spiritual blessing is yours in Christ Jesus right now. Ephesians 2:4-7 By grace through faith you are spiritually alive when before you were spiritually dead. You are now saved. Romans 8:1-2 You are, in Christ, free from condemnation. (I John 5:20 in Him) I Corinthians 1:2 You are sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy.
Prepared By: David A. Stathopulo

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NEW LIFE LESSONS: A New Life For New Disciples

I Peter 1:1-2 I Corinthians 6:9-11 Ephesians 2:12-14

You are His chosen who now live to obey and serve Jesus. You have been sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace are yours in abundance. Our position prior to salvation in Christ was deplorable while our position now is awesome. Your position with God has changed wonderfully and radically.

What does it mean to be in Christ? It means that everything Jesus is, you are, because God has credited all of Jesus righteousness to your account (Romans 4). When God looks at you He sees the sinless perfection of Christ. Your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus! (See Psalm 32:1; Romans 4:7, 8; I John 1:7) When God looks at you in Christ He sees you as pure and clean. In fact, God sees you as a perfectly finished product! This is Gods eternal point of view. This is Gods perspective because of your positional relationship in Christ. This is because you have willingly accepted Christs invitation. This is an accomplished fact. Your position is not affected by your personal performance or by how you feel. As long as you remain in Christ your position with God never changes. The principle of position is the key to spiritual growth!

Remember: You are saved by your position and not by your condition.

Your Condition Is That You Are In Christ (The Process of a Not Yet Transformed Character, Practice & Lifestyle)
Then why do Christians struggle with sin in our lives? Because our condition is too often our only perspective day by day. God also sees you as His immature, struggling and an imperfect newborn child but that doesnt change your position with Him. He sees your failures, your struggles, your weaknesses, and how far away you are from perfect Christlikeness. Even so, this reality has always been the normal experience of those who have walked with God. (Psalm 103:14) If you get caught up in focusing on your daily condition and ignore your position in Christ, you are sure to be defeated. You are saved from the penalty of sin and through the Spirit have power to overcome sin. Matthew 14:23-32 We must keep our eyes on Jesus in the wind and the waves of life. 2 Corinthians 3:18 We are all in the process of being changed into His likeness from one degree of glory to another[by] the Spirit. The Spirits power. Ephesians 4:12-13 Until we all attain to perfect spiritual maturity and be more like Jesus. Philippians 3:8-14 Paul wasnt yet perfect in his life as he followed Jesus either. I Corinthians 6:12-14 Nothing should enslave us. Our bodies are not meant for immorality but for the Lord. We must keep our focus on Him. His will is our priority. 2 Corinthians 7:1 Let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect. I Corinthians 9:24-25 The metaphor of an athlete who keeps his eye on the finish line and exercises self-control to win the prize helps us understand this concept. I Thess. 2:10-12Our goal is to live worthy of our call in Gods kingdom and for His glory. Romans 6:1-11 Salvation by grace through faith, Paul says, can never be an excuse to practice sin. Rather, our faith declared in (believers) baptism unites us with Christs death so that we too die with Him. The old sinning self was crucified and died. It doesnt exist any longer (in Gods mind). A new life has been born, one that is dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:12, 19 Paul declares, Dont let. He is saying we have a choice about this. He goes on, Dont let sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Hes saying we get to choose not to let sin be in control. so yield your members to righteousness for sanctification. What is sanctification? It is the on-going transformation of holiness that God is working out in you. Dont yield to sin but to doing
Prepared By: David A. Stathopulo

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NEW LIFE LESSONS: A New Life For New Disciples

Romans 6:11, 13, 16

right which is in conformity with what Gods already done to your position in holiness. Paul denies perfectionism in this life, as far as his behavior is concerned. He exhorts his readers to ongoing obedience and right living. Though the Christian who has died with Christ is freed from the bondage to sin, and need not, ought not, and at his best does not sin, yet he must continually reaffirm his death with Christ and his yielding to God. (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, p. 971)

Remember: Your condition does not have the last word in regards to your position. God does. All the heroes of the Bible are presented as growing, not yet arrived, faith followers of God. DO CHRISTIANS LIVE SPIRITUALLY BY DEPENDING ON THEIR OWN GOOD WORKS OR ON GODS GRACE?
Romans 6:14 Our spiritual saved relationship with God is maintained by a grace walk, not by a dependence on our own personal good deeds. We live because of Jesus completed work on the Cross. Under grace, Christians live no longer under a law system of merit or good works to save or keep us saved. We live by the new life that the Spirit brings. We have been set free from the Law of Sin and Death and the condemnation we earned under it. (Rom. 6:23) Living under grace is not a reason to continue to practice a habitual life-style of sin. Living for Him is our priority in all of our life. Before deciding to become a Christian, we made a conscious decision to die to sin. (That decision to die to sin and turn to live for God is called Repentance.) Access to grace is through faith in Jesus power to save. (Eph. 2:18; 3:12) We can stand before the Father in a condition of acceptance, forgiveness and newness of life only because of what Jesus has done for us and keeps on doing. (Col. 3:4) This is based on our on-going love/faith relationship with Him. He is our very life force and life focus. This grace salvation has come about by faith in Jesus power to save. (Rom. 3:24-25) Now that we are in Christ Jesus, we have been set free from sins enslavement, volunteered to serve God and now possess Gods free gift of eternal life. (Rom. 8:1-2) Holy conduct is expected. We are expected to pattern our conduct after the One who saved us, Jesus. Seeking any other life-style would make us disobedient children, rebellious, regressing not progressing in our faith. Christians dont practice a life-style of sin. (I Thess. 4:3; I Cor. 6:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:19) These passages teach that an on-going life-style of sin is foreign to the born-again believer. We are called on to continue in Christ the same way we began our walk with Him, by faith. Only a faith working through love is acceptable and possesses the sustaining power to successfully live the Christian life. (Jn. 14:15; Rom. 1:15; 6:17-18; 16:26) We are called on to walk or live by an obedient faith. (Rom. 1:5; 16:26)

Romans 8:1-2 Romans 6:15-18 Romans 6:1-2,

11.12
Romans 5:1-2

Ephesians 2:8-10 Romans 6:22

WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT OF ME? LIFE CHANGE & LIVING BY FAITH
I Peter 1:13-16 I John 3:6, 9; 5:18 Colossians 2:6-7 Galatians 5:6 2 Corinthians 5:7

Prepared By: David A. Stathopulo

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NEW LIFE LESSONS: A New Life For New Disciples

I John 1:7 I John 2:6 I John 5:4

We are called to walk or live in the light, the ways of God. We are called to live a life patterned after Jesus Christ. Thats what being a disciple of Jesus means. Jesus lived to please the Father. (I Cor. 11:1) By such a life lived by faith, we will show that we really have been born of God and live as victors over the world of darkness. (I Jn. 2:14; Eph. 6:6)

Christian baptism is the initiation activity that God commands for those who are coming to be bornagain, made a new creation and placed in the family of God. For those in relationship with God, He expects us to be obedient to His will. CONCLUSION: God has saved us through His powerful love: Jesus self-sacrifice and our committed faith. Because we have made Jesus Lord of our life He is preeminent and takes priority over all other things, choices or people. Living under Grace is an awesome spiritual adventure with God. It is an ALREADY and a NOT YET experience. We are already saved and our position with God is firmly established. Also, we are in a becoming experience, as we are being transformed in our human condition to become more and more like Jesus through trust/faith in Him. He keeps us safe in His grace because we dont just receive just a little grace at a time to live the Christian life but rather we receive more than we need at all times. We are in His hands, living by faith and the grace of Christ, overwhelmingly sustained each and every day.

Are you seeking to look more and more like your heavenly Father? As you yield yourself to the Spirits work, are you allowing Him to transform you daily? Is there more and more a family resemblance showing in your life, walk and heart as you look more like your Abba?

Prepared By: David A. Stathopulo

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