8.29 Living in our new identify in Christ by faith
Yesterday, we said that when we received Christ, our old man died with Him, and we were raised with Him as a new creation. We have the nature of God and the seed of God in us.
But some of us may not feel any different. We may not feel like a new creation at all. We may even hear messages that we are still sinners, and we have to keep the law to attain to righteousness. We carry the wrong identity with us.
Gal 3:12 says, “The law is not of faith.” When we try to keep the law to be righteous, we do not believe in Christ for His righteousness. Walking under law presumes that we are unrighteous for the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). Walking by law is the opposite of walking by faith.
How should the righteous in Christ live? How do we live in our new identity in Christ? FAITH is the key. Romans 1:17 says that the righteous shall live by FAITH. Gal 2:20 says that “we live by FAITH in the Son of God”.
When we believe by faith what Christ has done inside us, we nurture the life of God in us, and we start walking in its reality. But is we doubt God’s Word, and we try to attain to righteousness by our self-effort, we will be laboring on the outside, and we miss out on the power of the inside. Some churches still address their believers as “poor sinners”. There is so much doubt in the church.
Let us continue from yesterday’s passage in Romans which talks about our death and new life in Christ.
(Romans 6:8-11)
Now if we died with Christ, we BELIEVE that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, RECKON yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It says that “we believe” we shall also live with Him. It has to do with faith. The last line says, “Reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God.” The word “reckon” means to “see yourself” or to “consider yourself”. It is a choice that we make by faith.
Today there is only one way to live life. It is not by keeping the law on the outside. It is through walking by faith on the inside. It is by drawing from the righteousness of Christ from the inside. The righteous shall live by faith. 2 Cor 5:7 says, “For we walk by FAITH, not by sight.” As Christians, we walk not by our feeling or emotions, but by faith.
But some of us may not feel any different. We may not feel like a new creation at all. We may even hear messages that we are still sinners, and we have to keep the law to attain to righteousness. We carry the wrong identity with us.
Gal 3:12 says, “The law is not of faith.” When we try to keep the law to be righteous, we do not believe in Christ for His righteousness. Walking under law presumes that we are unrighteous for the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom 3:20). Walking by law is the opposite of walking by faith.
How should the righteous in Christ live? How do we live in our new identity in Christ? FAITH is the key. Romans 1:17 says that the righteous shall live by FAITH. Gal 2:20 says that “we live by FAITH in the Son of God”.
When we believe by faith what Christ has done inside us, we nurture the life of God in us, and we start walking in its reality. But is we doubt God’s Word, and we try to attain to righteousness by our self-effort, we will be laboring on the outside, and we miss out on the power of the inside. Some churches still address their believers as “poor sinners”. There is so much doubt in the church.
Let us continue from yesterday’s passage in Romans which talks about our death and new life in Christ.
(Romans 6:8-11)
Now if we died with Christ, we BELIEVE that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, RECKON yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It says that “we believe” we shall also live with Him. It has to do with faith. The last line says, “Reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin, but alive to God.” The word “reckon” means to “see yourself” or to “consider yourself”. It is a choice that we make by faith.
Today there is only one way to live life. It is not by keeping the law on the outside. It is through walking by faith on the inside. It is by drawing from the righteousness of Christ from the inside. The righteous shall live by faith. 2 Cor 5:7 says, “For we walk by FAITH, not by sight.” As Christians, we walk not by our feeling or emotions, but by faith.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 11:22 PM
<< Home