Page 17 - lifeandgrace
P. 17
Adam’s body nor soul died so it must have been his spirit that died - was separated from God.) Rom 5:12
NKJV "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death
spread to all men, because all sinned;"
Now let us look to the identity of those who believe in Jesus Christ [that is, those who completely
trust in His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of their sins, His burial and His resurrection and who have
received His eternal life]. First, we find that they are “the righteousness of God” in 2 Cor 5:21 (RSV) "For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God. (See also Romans 5:19 above.) "The believer is “holy and beloved” of God as in Colossians 3:12
(RSV) "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness,
and patience," So right now, in their present state and situation, He calls God’s chosen ones [believers]
“holy”. Now we know that all of mankind sins - both unbeliever and believer alike. No one can deny that.
And yet we find the Lord describing His chosen ones as “holy”. So the Lord says you are holy - not will
be holy (in the future) - but holy now - in this life.
We find in Colossians that we are complete in Him: Colossians 2: 10 (NKJV) "and you are complete
in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” The word for complete in the Greek text also can
be read “perfect”. Heb 10:10 (NKJV) “By that will we have been sanctified [made holy] through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." So Hebrews 10 confirms that we have been made holy -
not will be holy someday but have already been made holy.
We are called blameless in Col 1:22 (NKJV) "in the body of His flesh through death, to present you
holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight;" In the New Testament, believers are referred to as
“saints” some 62 times and not referred to as “sinners”. “Sinners” are always those who have not yet
trusted in Jesus Christ.
In the previous paragraphs, we have described two identities: The unbeliever is identified as a “sinner”
and the believer is identified as “saint”. When do we achieve these identities?
First, we need to understand that our identity is present tense, that is, it is operative right now and not
in some future time. It is not some identity that becomes operative in heaven after we die and go to be
with the Lord Jesus. In other words, it is not something achieved in heaven or hell. If our identity is
“sinner”, we are a sinner right now and will be a sinner so long as we are “in Adam” and without Christ.
If we are a believer, saved and in Christ, our identity is “believer” and “saint” - right now - and will be in
the future. Believers in Christ, those who have truly trusted in Him for salvation, are immediately re-born
in their spirits when they believe - not at some future time or at baptism but immediately.
John 3:3 (NKJV) "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The spirit of the new believer is made alive - immediately
upon believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus for eternal life. Thus your spirit is connected to God - now.
(We will see more about our new nature in Christ in further paragraphs below.) In Adam our spirit
became dead and dead refers to separation (in this case, separation from God). For example, what we call
natural death is separation from this realm or this world.
When we believe, we also become sons: Gal 3:26 (RSV) "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God,
through faith. “This means we have been re-born into God’s family. We are sons immediately upon our
re-birth in Christ Jesus - not mature sons, perhaps, but sons none-the-less. God’s great purpose is being
fulfilled: that He would have a family with many sons [sons is not meant in a masculine sense but
includes females and males just as the term, “bride of Christ” includes male and females].
NKJV "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death
spread to all men, because all sinned;"
Now let us look to the identity of those who believe in Jesus Christ [that is, those who completely
trust in His sacrificial death for the forgiveness of their sins, His burial and His resurrection and who have
received His eternal life]. First, we find that they are “the righteousness of God” in 2 Cor 5:21 (RSV) "For
our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of
God. (See also Romans 5:19 above.) "The believer is “holy and beloved” of God as in Colossians 3:12
(RSV) "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness,
and patience," So right now, in their present state and situation, He calls God’s chosen ones [believers]
“holy”. Now we know that all of mankind sins - both unbeliever and believer alike. No one can deny that.
And yet we find the Lord describing His chosen ones as “holy”. So the Lord says you are holy - not will
be holy (in the future) - but holy now - in this life.
We find in Colossians that we are complete in Him: Colossians 2: 10 (NKJV) "and you are complete
in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” The word for complete in the Greek text also can
be read “perfect”. Heb 10:10 (NKJV) “By that will we have been sanctified [made holy] through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." So Hebrews 10 confirms that we have been made holy -
not will be holy someday but have already been made holy.
We are called blameless in Col 1:22 (NKJV) "in the body of His flesh through death, to present you
holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight;" In the New Testament, believers are referred to as
“saints” some 62 times and not referred to as “sinners”. “Sinners” are always those who have not yet
trusted in Jesus Christ.
In the previous paragraphs, we have described two identities: The unbeliever is identified as a “sinner”
and the believer is identified as “saint”. When do we achieve these identities?
First, we need to understand that our identity is present tense, that is, it is operative right now and not
in some future time. It is not some identity that becomes operative in heaven after we die and go to be
with the Lord Jesus. In other words, it is not something achieved in heaven or hell. If our identity is
“sinner”, we are a sinner right now and will be a sinner so long as we are “in Adam” and without Christ.
If we are a believer, saved and in Christ, our identity is “believer” and “saint” - right now - and will be in
the future. Believers in Christ, those who have truly trusted in Him for salvation, are immediately re-born
in their spirits when they believe - not at some future time or at baptism but immediately.
John 3:3 (NKJV) "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The spirit of the new believer is made alive - immediately
upon believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus for eternal life. Thus your spirit is connected to God - now.
(We will see more about our new nature in Christ in further paragraphs below.) In Adam our spirit
became dead and dead refers to separation (in this case, separation from God). For example, what we call
natural death is separation from this realm or this world.
When we believe, we also become sons: Gal 3:26 (RSV) "for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God,
through faith. “This means we have been re-born into God’s family. We are sons immediately upon our
re-birth in Christ Jesus - not mature sons, perhaps, but sons none-the-less. God’s great purpose is being
fulfilled: that He would have a family with many sons [sons is not meant in a masculine sense but
includes females and males just as the term, “bride of Christ” includes male and females].
