The Believer's Position In Christ

       The Word of God - Lesson V A

                                             The Believer’s Position in Christ

Having looked at the Fruit of the Spirit we will now do a study on the believer’s position in Christ. The purpose of this study is to set forth that which is DONE and through faith enable us, who are believers, to rest in the finished work of Christ and in our exalted position in Him.

We have many passages which teach us this wonderful truth of our position in Christ and we will look at each one of them.

We are saved from God’s wrath through Him as we can read in:

Romans 5:9

Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him (Christ).

We are delivered from the law of sin as we can read in:

Romans 7:6

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

We are beyond condemnation as we can read in:

Romans 8:1

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Through Christ the law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death as we can read in:

Romans 8:2

Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death.

We have been adopted as children, as sons, as we can read in:

John 1:12-13

Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God –children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

And in I John 3:1

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And this is what we are...

And in Romans 8:14

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

And in Galatians 3:26

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

With Christ we are co-heirs as we can read in:

Romans 8:17

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…

We are members of His Body as we can read in:

I Corinthians 12:13a

For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one Body….

We receive comfort through Christ as we can read in:

II Corinthians 1:5

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

Through Christ, God enables us to stand to the end as we can read in:

II Corinthians 1:21

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.

We have received God’s seal of ownership as we can read in:

II Corinthians 1:22

He (God) anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us…

In Christ, we are led in triumphal procession as we can read in:

II Corinthians 2:14

But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ…

We are a new creation in Christ as we can read in:

II Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.

We are reconciled to God through Christ as we can read in:

II Corinthians 5:18a

All this is from God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ.

We have become righteous in Christ as we can read in:

II Corinthians 5:21

God made Him (Christ) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

And in Philippians 3:9

And to be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ Jesus – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus, and not through observing the law as we can read in:

Galatians 2:16b

So, we too have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

We have been crucified with Christ. Therefore Christ lives in us as we can read in:

Galatians 2:20a

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

Through Christ we have the promise of the Spirit as we can read in:

Galatians 3:14

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

And in Ephesians 1:13b

…. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.

We are all one in Christ Jesus as we can read in:

Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ as we can read in:

Ephesians 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

We were chosen before the creation of the world as we can read in:

Ephesians 1:4

For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.

And in Ephesians 1:11

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.

In Christ, we are the praise of His glory as we can read in:

Ephesians 1:12

In order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory.

In Christ we are seen as God’s possession who have an inheritance as we can read in:

Ephesians 1:13b-14

…. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession –to the praise of His glory.

In Christ we have hope and resurrection power as we can read in:

Ephesians 1:18-19a

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparably great power for us who believe…. 

With Christ we are made alive as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:4-5a

But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions….

And in Colossians 2:13a

When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ….

And in Colossians 2:12

Having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:6

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

We receive God’s incomparable grace and kindness in Christ Jesus as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:7

In order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, we are seen as God’s workmanship, as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance or us to do.

Through the blood of Christ we have been brought near to God as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:13

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Chris.

Through Christ we have access to the Father as we can read in:

Ephesians 2:18

For through Him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Through peace, God guards our hearts and our minds in Christ as we can read in:

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Through Him we can do all things as we can read in:

Philippians 4:13

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

God will meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ as we can read in:

Philippians 4:19

And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

We are delivered from the power of evil. We are members of His kingdom as we can read in:

Colossians 1:13

For He (God) has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves.

In Christ, we have been given fullness in Him, who is the head over every power and authority as we can read in:

Colossians 2:10

And you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

Our life is now hidden with Christ in God as we can read in:

Colossians 3:3

For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 

Those of us who are in Christ will rise on the day that Christ comes to be glorified as we can read in:

I Thessalonians 4:16

For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

We are perfect in Christ as we can read in:

Hebrews 10:14

Because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 

We will never be abandoned as we can read in:

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.

We have an inheritance as we can read in:

I Peter 1:4

And into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -kept in heaven for you. 

We are part of a holy priesthood as we can read in:

I Peter 2:5

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

We are then encouraged to begin to live a life consistent with our position. In other words, the Christian life is about becoming in our experience what those of us who are believers already are in our position in Christ.

In our next study we will look at the subject of the responsibility of the believer. 

Lesson V B - The Responsibility Of The Believer