"And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put My Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command." Ezekiel 36:26-27
Have you ever wondered what sin is? Sin is such a little BIG word and often times seems to be some what elusive when we attempt to grasp it or understand it biblically. Are we simply sinners saved by grace? Here is a look at what Father has to say about sin and His remedy for it.
God makes it clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need - His Son Jesus. He died for our forgiveness, He lives for our deliverance. According to Romans, "sins" deal with wrongs I have committed before God. "Sin" is the power working in me. I need forgiveness of my sins and deliverance from the power of sin in me.
I need forgiveness for what I have done, the blood side of the cross and I need deliverance from what I am, the body side of the cross. According to Leviticus, the blood deals with what we have done, whereas the cross deals with what we are. (Identity)
It is God's holiness and God's righteousness which demands that a sinless life should be given for man. Remember from the O. T. God said, "When I see the blood I will pass over you." The blood of Christ wholly satisfies God. 1 Peter 1:18-19 But it does not satisfy our heart condition. Jer.17:9
We need a new heart. Ezk. 36:26. Therefore, we come to God on the basis of the finished work of the Lord Jesus. I approach God through His merit alone, never on the basis of my performance, work, earnings etc. Heb.10; Eph. 2
Romans 5 tells of our peace with God. God will no longer be a cause of dread to me. But, there can still be unrest in us. Rom. 8:6-7. So the blood washes away my sins, but it cannot wash away the old man. It needs the cross to crucify me. The blood deals with the sins, but the cross must deal with the sinner. Romans teaches us that we are not sinners because we sin, but because we were in Adam when he sinned.
We cannot change this condition in any way. The good news is that in Christ we have been set free! In Christ we've been given everything pertaining to life and godliness. In Christ we have power over sin.
Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me."
When we understand and appropriate our co-crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and ascension in Christ, the freedom and power to live and enjoy the Christian life becomes a practical reality. We need to find ourselves not being a spectator of the crucifixion at calvary, but participator in it, in Christ.
So my friends, with Paul we can say, sin shall not be master over me. I have died to sin. I am now alive to Christ. He is my life and my source of life. I can choose to live out of my union with Christ. I can fight from victory, not for victory, forevermore!
(Credit given and adapted from Exchanged Life Ministries Texas Teaching Materials)
2 comments:
Thanks for the reminder of appropriating our identity. The enemy whispers the lie of defeat in our hearts at times. But the truth God has shown us is that the finished work of the cross means: Jesus is in God, we are in Jesus and Jesus is in us. We have been SET FREE, That is the victory that rings louder than the whispers of the evil one. There is no room for the enemy in our hearts and minds when we are resting as Jesus lives His life in us and through us!
I find that my life on this earth is consumed with challenge, and Jesus continually "raises the bar" as I surrender to rest in the storms.
Yes, God is awesome! He truly has set us free. Glad that You are resting in Him.
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