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Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Road to Christian Victory

Romans 6:4 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who you are in Jesus Christ is declared to you by God the Father by grace through faith in justification.  Who you are becoming in Christ by experience through the Holy Spirit is what the Bible terms sanctification.  When He died, you died.  When He was buried in the tomb, so were you.  When He arose from the dead, you did as well.  Romans 6:4 states this truth as a matter of fact.  Romans 6:5-11 aims to explain what is meant by Romans 6:4, and does so through what I call: The Road to Christian victory.

1. By Faith I identify with the event of His death, which leads to me dying to the necessity to continuously sin    Romans 6:5-6

2. By Faith I also identify with the event of His resurrection, which leads me to experience the power to live for God Romans 6:7-9 

3. By faith I can say that I am experiencing more and more what God has declared me to be in position: The righteousness of God in Jesus Christ Romans 6:10-11

With these three "mile markers", the idea of connecting a Christian's "position in Christ" to their "experience of Christ" is in view.  I am literally becoming in experience day by day who God declared me to be.  Though I'll never attain sinless perfection in this life (1 John 1:9-10), yet the last time I sinned did not have to.(Thus the whole point of Romans 6) 

The fundamental truth of the redemptive identity: "me in Him and He in me", governs my practical, doctrinal and supernatural Christian walk.  It is the source of determining how I will conduct my everyday Christian walk as I participate and partake of Christ by the Spirit's work in and through me.  By the scriptures, prayer and the people of God, I grow and gain understanding of  who I am and "whose I am".  I am in Christ, and I am owned by Christ.  Thoughts such as these provide the Christian the tools necessary to walk and live victoriously for Jesus Christ.