Who Are You? 11 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Complete in Christ!

Colossians 2:10

10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

We talked a few days back about our union wit Christ.

According to this passage we have been made complete in this union.

Once again, let’s look at marriage. Adam was alone in the Garden and God saw that he needed a helper and a companion. God gave to man the gift of a woman. This gift was to complete the man. Adam already had a very personal relationship with God so he was now complete.

Once the relationship with God was severed by sin God went to work to make a way for man to be complete once again.

Now we are complete when we come back into a right relationship with God through Christ Jesus.

The passage tells us that Christ is the head over every ruler and authority. We can now come to Christ for everything we need. He will give us the wisdom, power and help that we need when we need it.

As you can tell this position is, once again, only available in and through Christ.

So, without Christ we are incomplete. But when joined in union with Christ we are complete.

Many people will argue and try to justify their completeness outside of Christ. Their own defense is a proof that something is missing. What’s missing? Is it things, stuff, companions, career or some sort of acceptance? All this will fade away. Only Christ completes a person by filling that area in your inner being which nothing else can satisfy.

Who Are You? 10 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Redeemed and Forgiven!

Colossians 1:13-14

13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

I don’t know if you are aware of the common thread that weaves through all the passages in this series but it is the scarlet thread of Jesus Christ.

Your forgiveness and redemption is dependent upon Jesus and His work on your behalf.

The world at large, that seems to think that there are many ways and paths to God, is horribly mistaken.

There is only One way, One truth, One Life and no one can come to the Father in any other way.

I didn’t make the way. I am just an instrument chosen to point the way. Due to God’s work in my life I am qualified to tell you about Jesus Christ.

By the way, I am not the only one qualified to spread this message. Actually everyone that has been bought with the blood of Christ is qualified. And for your information it’s actually a command. We’re commissioned by the Lord to be a royal priesthood telling others about the Lord and interceding for them.

Since you are redeemed and forgiven shouldn’t you take your responsibility seriously?

Who Are You? 9 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Acceptable Before God!

Ephesians 2:18

18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

I want you to know this up front. Not everyone can come before God.

In the Old Testament only the High Priest could appear before God. The only way for Him to be acceptable was through a cleansing process and he had to come with a blood offering.

This has not changed.

We, the Christians, are the royal priesthood. We have been washed by the blood of the Lamb and that blood is our offering to God. By the way, this is the only blood offering God will accept.

For a priest to appear before God unclean and without blood was sure death. God would not be mocked then and He will not be mocked today.

You are declared acceptable because of what Christ has done for you. To come any other way is to be a thief or a robber and that my friends is sure death.

Isn’t it great to be acceptable before God?

Who Are You? 8 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are God’s Adopted Child!

Ephesians 1:5

He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.

I have a friend that once said, “I can’t wait to ask God how He balances predestination with free will choice.” I can’t wait to see my friends face when God replies, “Oh that’s an easy one, I’m God!”

We earth bound humans try to understand and explain God. If I could explain God to the fullness of your satisfaction, I’d be God. So, since I am not God I ask that you would please endure my blogging as I flog away at another explanation.

A. W. Tozer used the example of a cruise ship leaving a port headed for another port. The cruise ship was predestined for the next port and all the while the passengers were acting upon their own free will as they traveled. They were all predestined for the next port yet they were all free to do as they pleased along the way.

I know the example breaks down but it’s a good analogy.

Before we continue I want you to remember the warning. This passage is for those who are in Christ.

Those who are in Christ are predestined. This doesn’t mean that God chooses some to not be chosen. What this means is God is God and He finds this to be very simple to understand. So, for those of us who have come to faith through Christ Jesus, we are adopted children of the Creator God.

No, not everyone has been adopted. Only those who have pleased the Father by coming through the Son are adopted.

If you have come to Christ by faith you have a great deal to be thankful for. If you have yet to be adopted maybe it’s time to place your faith in Christ and watch the Lord do an amazing work in your life.

How will you know if you’re really adopted? It’s by faith. When you engage your faith and begin to trust the Lord your understanding will be awakened to new heights. These loftier matters will be revealed to you through the Scriptures.

Who Are You? 7 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are a Saint!

Ephesians 1:1b

To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

I know this is hard to believe.

You and I are saints.

Always remember that saints are made by God not by man.

We cannot make ourselves saints or declare anyone else to be a saint. Only God can make a saint out of a human that was conceived in, born in, lived in and even enjoyed the pleasures of sin.

To think that we are saints in Christ Jesus is an amazing realization.

But don’t ever think that you made yourself to be a saint or that you are so good that you are a saint. Only God through Christ’s offering and the giving of the Holy Spirit can make us sinners to become saints.

Who Are You? 6 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Part of Christ’s Body!

1 Corinthians 12:27

27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple.”

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

As you can see we have been brought into Christ and Christ is in us if we believe, know, understand, and hold by faith to all that Christ has done for us.

As a part of Christ’s body I am not Christ. I am only a part of His body. I am not the Savior although I have been given a part to play in the work of salvation. I am not the Lord yet He has said that I am in Him and He is in me. I am not the King yet the Scriptures say that I will sit on His throne with Him. (Rev. 3:21)

As you can see God is at work building a spiritual temple and we, the Christians, are a part of that building. The temple is equivalent to the body of Christ. We are the living stones that dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Isn’t it great to be a part of Christ’s body?

Who Are You? 5 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Valuable to God!

1 Corinthians 6:20

20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

As a valuable possession of God’s, how should you act?

When you come to realize your justification and new union with Christ you will be greatly affected by God’s grace.

God had to purchase you from your deserved penalty for sinning against Him. This purchase price was the blood of His Son.

I don’t know if you remember the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean”? In the movie there was a curse upon the pirates. This curse could only be lifted when the gold, very valuable stuff, was all accounted for and the blood of the son, Will Turner, was shed.

If you remember the only blood that lifted the curse was the blood of the son. When Elizabeth lied about who she was and her blood was shed, even though all the gold was present, her blood didn’t lift the curse.

Only the blood of the Son can lift the curse of the dead.

So, now you know that you are more valuable than gold to God. Your value is determined by the precious blood of the Son.

Who Are You? 4 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are United With the Lord!

1 Corinthians 6:17

17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

In John 14:20 Jesus says, “When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

Jesus let’s us know that we are in Him and He is in us that is if we have His Spirit in us.

I know this sounds a bit strange but it’s kind of like a marriage where the man and women become one flesh. They are unified in the act of marriage. They are individuals but through marriage they are joined together and bound into a single unit.

What Jesus is telling us is that we have, by way of a spiritual union, been joined or united with Him. We have come to Him and joined ourselves with Him. He has come to us and joined Himself with us. Together, through our union, we have become one flesh unit.

We are united with Christ and should now live as though we are.

Who Are You? 3 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Justified!

Romans 5:1

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Justification is a judicial term.

How can someone who is guilty of breaking the law be justified? Under the law this is impossible. Once you have broken the law you are no longer just and right. You are wrong and guilty.

Under God’s law there is a death sentence for all who break the law. So as a law breaker, yes you and I are breakers of the law, we are to be punished by death.

God, our Judge, did something amazing for us. He decided to spare us of the death penalty. To spare us of the penalty would be easy for most judges except our Judge is bound by an immutable law of justice.

For us to be spared, someone had to die in our place. For God to forgive sin there must be a blood sacrifice. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. There is no grace. Something had to die to take the penalty we deserved.

Jesus Christ is the substitionary offering. Jesus died so we wouldn’t have to.

As you can see this graceful forgiveness that is offered to us comes at a very high price. God, our Judge, sacrificed His own Son so that we could be forgiven the death penalty we deserve.

Only by our faith in Jesus Christ, who saved us by paying our debt in full, can we be right or justified in God’s sight.

For anyone out there reading this, if you have not yet accepted Jesus’ offering on your behalf, on the day of final judgment you will pay the death penalty for yourself.

I’m very grateful for my justification.

Who Are You? 2 of 33

Warning!

If you are not a blood bought, Spirit filled Christian; the following passage does not pertain to you. People who have not come back into a right standing with God through faith in what Jesus Christ has accomplished for them, cannot claim the following passage for themselves.

The following passage of Scripture is strictly and exclusively for those who are citizens of God’s kingdom by way of repentance, reconciliation, redemption, atonement and the impartation of the Holy Spirit.

You Are Christ’s Friend!

John 15:12

15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.

What a difference it is to be raised from the lowly point of being a slave serving your Master to being a friend of the Master.

The Master is still the Master. You are not equal to the Master. Yet, you have been allowed to fellowship as a friend and communicate with the Master on a much more personal level.

I once worked for a man that had a son that worked for him also. The son and I did the same work for the same pay. We were good friends. We played golf together, we went places together, and I would say that we knew each other very well. We were friends.

When the boss or master’s son left the job I was lifted to a place of higher position. I was no longer just an employee. I was brought into the family and treated like the son. I was made aware of far more than I had ever known before. I had become a friend of the master or boss.

This friendship lasted many years. When my boss retired I was named as the successor to his throne of boss-hood. How did I get to this point? I was raised to the level of a friend. I was taught and trained from within the inner circle. Through this friendship I learned and came to know the business of the father.
What a privileged position.

I believe this is what Jesus means when He tells us that we are no longer slaves but friends.