Page 21 - lifeandgrace
P. 21
So now we can see that through this marvelous transformation of our spirits from death to life, we
have taken on an entirely new identity. In going from the kingdom of darkness and Satan to the kingdom
of light and of Christ, we have gone from the identity of “sinner” to the identity of “saint”. The word of
God assures us of this very thing.
Do saints sin? Indeed they do! The apparent contradictions we find in 1John can be understood in this
light. Once we are born again and made alive in Christ and taken on the divine nature by Christ’s life
coming into us, our spirits can no longer sin because the old sin nature of Adam is dead and gone. 1John
3:9 (RSV) “No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because
he is born of God." John is speaking here of our spirit man that once made alive in Christ, cannot sin
anymore because we now have the very nature of God.
However, it is plain that we do sin. So what is the explanation? Has God given us two natures, one
good and one evil as some teach? Not at all! We only have one nature and that nature has the Spirit of
God dwelling therein - in our spirits. God cannot or will not co-exist with evil, and we are told we are a
holy temple of God. Our spirits are now holy and righteous and complete in Him. So how can we still sin?
This is a subject for another teaching, but, in brief, we still have the old habits imprinted on our brains.
There is still something Paul calls “the flesh” in Romans and also something he calls “sin which
dwells in us”. This “flesh” and this entity or personality he calls “sin that dwells in us” gives access to the
devil to entice us in our thought life to sin. It does not originate in our spirits any longer but in our soul
man. We do not have to sin, but, indeed, we can sin in our soul and body. It all begins with a thought, and
it is here that we can defeat Satan by “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2Cor.
10:5.
So though we can still sin in our soul and body, we do not have to because we have an entirely new
identity in Christ. That identity according to our new born, new alive spirit in Christ is that of “saint”. So
though we have “sins” in our life, it is no longer who we are. The old man is dead and gone, never to rise
again. The old man really, truly, actually, was crucified and died with Jesus. This is not something
“positional” or “legal”. It really happened in the spirit realm, and in that realm, we are alive in Christ
forevermore.
Most conservative theologians and teachers cannot bring themselves to say that any of the word is
wrong or that it did not happen. But they do not know what to do with Paul’s statements that we “died”,
that we were “crucified with Jesus”, etc. And yet, they do not believe that it really happened as they look
at circumstances. They look at the temporal realm, and of course it could not happen in the temporal
realm. No, it is not just some “positional” or “legal” truth. It is something that happened in the eternal,
spiritual realm which the word of God assures us is more real than the temporal or natural realm which we
can engage with our five senses of touch, smell, feel, hearing and seeing.
Until we begin to walk in our true identity, we will continue to buy into Satan’s lie about who we are,
what we are. When we come to see that we really are made holy, righteous and complete in Christ, and
that we have a new, sinless spirit that is the dwelling place for God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), we can
begin to defeat Satan in the power of God. When we see who we really are in Christ, and that we have a
completely new nature in Him, we can begin to walk in victory over sin. It will bring us to an entirely new
relationship in Christ.
*****End of Lesson*****
have taken on an entirely new identity. In going from the kingdom of darkness and Satan to the kingdom
of light and of Christ, we have gone from the identity of “sinner” to the identity of “saint”. The word of
God assures us of this very thing.
Do saints sin? Indeed they do! The apparent contradictions we find in 1John can be understood in this
light. Once we are born again and made alive in Christ and taken on the divine nature by Christ’s life
coming into us, our spirits can no longer sin because the old sin nature of Adam is dead and gone. 1John
3:9 (RSV) “No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because
he is born of God." John is speaking here of our spirit man that once made alive in Christ, cannot sin
anymore because we now have the very nature of God.
However, it is plain that we do sin. So what is the explanation? Has God given us two natures, one
good and one evil as some teach? Not at all! We only have one nature and that nature has the Spirit of
God dwelling therein - in our spirits. God cannot or will not co-exist with evil, and we are told we are a
holy temple of God. Our spirits are now holy and righteous and complete in Him. So how can we still sin?
This is a subject for another teaching, but, in brief, we still have the old habits imprinted on our brains.
There is still something Paul calls “the flesh” in Romans and also something he calls “sin which
dwells in us”. This “flesh” and this entity or personality he calls “sin that dwells in us” gives access to the
devil to entice us in our thought life to sin. It does not originate in our spirits any longer but in our soul
man. We do not have to sin, but, indeed, we can sin in our soul and body. It all begins with a thought, and
it is here that we can defeat Satan by “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2Cor.
10:5.
So though we can still sin in our soul and body, we do not have to because we have an entirely new
identity in Christ. That identity according to our new born, new alive spirit in Christ is that of “saint”. So
though we have “sins” in our life, it is no longer who we are. The old man is dead and gone, never to rise
again. The old man really, truly, actually, was crucified and died with Jesus. This is not something
“positional” or “legal”. It really happened in the spirit realm, and in that realm, we are alive in Christ
forevermore.
Most conservative theologians and teachers cannot bring themselves to say that any of the word is
wrong or that it did not happen. But they do not know what to do with Paul’s statements that we “died”,
that we were “crucified with Jesus”, etc. And yet, they do not believe that it really happened as they look
at circumstances. They look at the temporal realm, and of course it could not happen in the temporal
realm. No, it is not just some “positional” or “legal” truth. It is something that happened in the eternal,
spiritual realm which the word of God assures us is more real than the temporal or natural realm which we
can engage with our five senses of touch, smell, feel, hearing and seeing.
Until we begin to walk in our true identity, we will continue to buy into Satan’s lie about who we are,
what we are. When we come to see that we really are made holy, righteous and complete in Christ, and
that we have a new, sinless spirit that is the dwelling place for God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), we can
begin to defeat Satan in the power of God. When we see who we really are in Christ, and that we have a
completely new nature in Him, we can begin to walk in victory over sin. It will bring us to an entirely new
relationship in Christ.
*****End of Lesson*****
