James 1:18
By His will He [Father God] gave us bscripleftblueirth through the message of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
This week, we will focus on how Christ has set us free from condemnation. “In Adam” we were condemned. Now – In Christ Father God working in the Spirit has chosen you, sanctified you, given you a new spiritual birth and adopted you. All these blessings define who you are now in a new family.
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In our final reading this week, we reflect on some of the many ways the Father has blessed us with every blessing In Christ. These “birthright blessings” define who we are and shape the people we are being transformed to be.
Understanding the difference between your “position” IN Christ and your current “condition,” is very important as you seek to follow Jesus. Some people call this your “Standing” versus your “State.” Your Position is who you are in the Lord-God’s eternal family. Your condition is what you are thinking and doing in any moment. We will spend all of our lives “working out our salvation” so that our condition will one day reflect our position – who we are in our depths.
By grace through faith, we are Blessed and Chosen by the Father. We are Redeemed by the blood of His Son Jesus. We are Sealed by the Holy Spirit. These are foundational truths that shape our identity IN Christ. Today, we explore these ideas a little more deeply.
2 Corinthians 5:17
So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – Behold, what is new has come!”
“In Christ” we are new creations—people with a New Origin, a New Destiny and a New Purpose. We have passed out of Death into New Life, and this New Life is shaped by all that Christ is for us.
Hebrews 9:11–12
But now Christ has come as the high priest of the good things to come. He passed through the greater and more perfect tent not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, and he entered once for all into the most holy place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.
Jesus gave His blood, His life for us. Because of what He has done for us, we can know that we are eternally secure in Him.
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In and through Jesus, we are set apart for Father God’s unique plans and purposes for us. This is part of our position in Christ. When we trust Jesus, we become identified with Him. Because of all that He has done for us, we are set apart to as a unique people among all others.
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