Understanding your identity (who you are in Christ) is absolutely essential to your success in living the Victorious Christian life. Do you know who you are? Example: I am no longer a sinner saved by grace. Now please don’t get me wrong! I was a sinner saved by grace; but now as a born again believer, I am a saint; (that’s what Paul calls me in Ephesians 1:1) who occasionally sins. Which begs the question: how do we manage sin in our life?
The first thing we must not forget is our new identity. We are a new creation in Christ (II Cor 5:17). We have been crucified with Christ, and we no longer live. (Gal 2:20). The core of our being is our spirit. We know that we died and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). As new creations in Christ, we hate sin.
If we think of ourselves as sinners, and concentrate on not sinning, then that is exactly what we will do (that’s what Paul says in Romans 7:16-23). Further, by thinking of ourselves as sinners, we will put ourselves under the law which will definitely lead to sinning, “the power of sin is in the law.” (I Cor 15:56)
Here’s a question for us: can we sin when we walk in the spirit? No, because Jesus is in control. This is called abiding in Christ. Every thought we have will be a holy thought while we are abiding in Him.
While abiding in Christ, sin has no power over us. Jesus’ life has freed us from this power. When we sin or experience the temptation to sin, we confess what happened, praise Him for the forgiveness He provided at the cross, and move on. Satan would like to immobilize us and bury us with guilt and condemnation so that we are useless to Jesus. Remember, there is no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom 8:1).
Either we are depending entirely on Christ or we are not. Remember, it’s no longer I. When our lifestyle is absorbed into our intimacy with Him, victory is the natural expression of His life.
It is impossible for us to experience victory by trying harder; victory only comes by trusting Him. It is impossible to overcome sin or temptation by setting our mind on it. We need to set our mind on Christ; if we set our mind on sin, we will never know victory. It will perpetuate defeat, because it focuses on behavior. The Christian walk is not about behavior; it is all about abiding in Christ.
LIFE LESSON: Jesus was our substitute on the cross, and now He wants to be our substitute for life. He doesn’t make us better; He is our better. Christianity is not a self-improvement; it’s a self-replacement, Christ living His life in and through us. It is no longer I!
Thank you for your prayers, faithfulness, and support. May God continue to bless you, your family, and this ministry in this New Year.
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Growing in His Grace,
Len Baker