In his letters to the churches, Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ, almost exclusively teaches believers - “the redeemed” about their “new position” in Jesus Christ.
Being “In Jesus Christ” refers to the believer’s union with Jesus Christ. It refers to our “new position” in the sphere of resurrected life. It is the way God sees us because we are in Jesus Christ. Every believer needs to understand the difference between our position with God because of Jesus Christ, and the practice of our faith. The practice of our faith must cause us to experience the practical reality of our position with God because we are in Jesus Christ.
Positional truth is a spiritual fact; it’s who we are by virtue of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Experiencing the practical reality of positional truth is discovered in how we actually live; how the spiritual benefits of our position in Jesus Christ are lived out daily.
One of the best ways to appropriate the truth of our position in Jesus Christ and live in that truth practically is to remind ourselves every day of who we are in Jesus Christ. It’s the best way for us to start living in the experience of the spiritual wealth - the abundant spiritual supply God has given us in Jesus Christ.
The positional truths we find in “The Scriptures” may not be our experience; however, they are nonetheless true. It is my prayer that God will help us convert “positional truth” into “practical truth.”
Here are some of the “positional truths” recorded for us in “The Scriptures”:
“Because we believe in Jesus Christ, we have the promise of eternal life" {John 3:16}.
“We have been set free from the law of sin and death” {Romans 8:2}.
“The grace of God - God’s supernatural ability has been given to us in Jesus Christ” {1 Corinthians 1:4}.
“We are a part of the body of Jesus Christ” {1 Corinthians 12:27}.
“God leads us in - gives us victory through Jesus Christ and uses us to spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume” {2 Corinthians 2:14}.
“We are in Jesus Christ, and we have individually become a new person - old things have passed away, and new things have come” {2 Corinthians 5:17}.
“We are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ” {Galatians 2:16}.
“We are the children of God through our faith in Jesus Christ” {Galatians 3:26}.
“God has “adopted” - “chosen” us as His children” {Galatians 4:5}.
“And so that we would know that we are His true children, God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts - moving us to cry out intimately, “My Father”{Galatians 4:6}.
“We have been given every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Jesus Christ” (He brings to us the spiritual blessings of heaven) {Ephesians 1:3}.
“We have been chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world - to be holy and blameless before Him - God the Father” {Ephesians 1:4}.
“We have been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ and have been forgiven of our sins” {Ephesians 1:5}.
“God the Father is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son - Jesus Christ and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” {Ephesians 1:7-8}.
“God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Jesus Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that we have been saved!) He raised us from the dead along with Jesus Christ and seated us with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places because we are united with Him - we are in Jesus Christ. So, God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with - in Jesus Christ” {Ephesians 2:4-7}.
“No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Jesus Christ to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing” {Ephesians 2:10}.
“But now you have been united with Jesus Christ. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Jesus Christ” {Ephesians 2:13}.
“I am able to do all things through Him who gives me strength” {Philippians 4:13}.
“God saved us and called us to be holy, not because of what we had done, but because of his own plan and kindness. Before the world began, God planned that Christ Jesus would show us God's kindness” {2 Timothy 1:9}.
“And every spirit who refuses to say this about Jesus Christ {that He came as a human} is not from God. It is the spirit of the enemy of Christ, which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world. My dear children, you belong to God and have defeated them; because God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world” {1 John 4:3-4}.
“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us. And God has given us His Spirit as proof that we live in Him and He in us” {1 John 4:12-13}.
“When one of the other priests died, he could not continue being a priest. So, there were many priests. But because Jesus Christ lives forever, He will never stop serving as priest. So, He is able always to save those who come to God through Him because He always lives, asking God to help them” {Hebrews 7:23-25}.
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by His power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see” {1 Peter 1:3-5}.
“God can guard you so that you don't fall and so that you can be full of joy as you stand in His glorious presence without fault” Jude 1:24}.
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