Day 20 Who do you say You Are? Transformation in our lives begins by knowing who we are in Christ or seeing ourselves in the way God sees us in Christ. Paul exhorted us to reckon ourselves “alive to God” or to see ourselves in the way that God sees us in Christ—as accepted and empowered by the indwelling Spirit and much more. Reckoning is an accounting term. Jesus put great wealth on our “account,” but we have to make withdraws to access it. Romans 6:1-10 is our spiritual bank account. Reckon [see] yourselves to be…alive to God in Christ… (Rom. 6:11) We are transformed by changing how we think. Romans 12:2 says: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Our emotions are not transformed by trying harder, but by knowing more, and seeing more clearly, as we make an effort to fill our mind with the Word. Paul described our legal position before God in Romans 5:12- 6:10. In 5:12-21, he developed a foundational principle for understanding how God views the human race. God sees all humans as being in one of two legal positions before Him— 1. Either as being “in Adam” or 2. “in Christ.” All who are “in Adam” are under the “reign of sin” in their legal position before God. All who are “in Christ” are under the “reign of grace” in their legal position before God. Paul gives us details of our legal position with Jesus and of our born-again spirit (Rom 6:1-10). Whatever is true of Jesus’ standing before God, as a man, is true of all who are “in Christ.” We are to relate to God on the basis of what happened to Jesus in His death and resurrection. When condemnation, shame, fear, hopelessness, or lust, etc. rise up in us to challenge what God promised in His Word about loving, forgiving, empowering, directing, or providing for us, then we must apply the promise of the Word to our heart by confessing the truth and resisting lies. When we present ourselves to God to love Him and be a vessel of His blessing to others, we must present ourselves according to who we are in Christ. We present ourselves based on what Jesus did for us, not based on our own spiritual attainments—good or bad. Presenting ourselves with sincerity is not enough; we must have confidence in truth about Jesus’ work on the cross. …but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead… (Rom. 6:13) The word contains God’s promises and releases His power in our life is so near to us—it is as close to us as speaking it. The power is accessed in our life by faith. We must access the Truth of God’s Word! Analogy: Imagine a homeless beggar who suddenly inherited great wealth. The announcement of his new inheritance doesn’t stop him from living in poverty. He must take the simple step of withdrawing the money. It only takes a few moments, but it is essential to accessing the wealth. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (Jn. 8:32)
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 13:02:56 +0000
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