Following the process of knowing is reckoning. Paul continues in romans 6:9-10 to say, "Knowing that Christ, being raised form the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him, for He died, he died to sin onece for all, but the life he lives he lives through Jesus Christ our Lord." Its only when we know the truth about the effects of Christ's death that we can then take it into account as truth and then begin to live in the light of it. Knowing the thruth about Christ's death then allows us to reckon that sin has no power over me any longer. Christ's death frees me from the penalty of sin and reckoning myself dead to sin and alive unto God in Christ frees me from sins penalty. I didn't know the difference between knowing and reckoning in the christian life for a long time untill recently. knowing means seeing God's word as truth and reckoining means we apply those truths to our life personally. Romans 6:11 says, "Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alie unto God through Christ Jesus our Lord" There is action that shoud following our reckoining because in Romans 6:12 Paul goes on to say, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof"
When we KNOW our what Christ did, we then put on our new identity and identify with Christ. Since no our new identity is in Christ we then have to live accoridingly. Who you are determins what you do, not the other way around. What you do DOES NOT determine who you are. It just shows what you are and who you are. Thats why knowing and reckoning who and whos we are comes before our action and yeilding.
Rekoning is accounting God's truth as fact. We ARE dead and God calls us to 'reckon' or 'account' it as truth. Watchman Nee says it this way, "God tells us to reckon ourselves dead, not by the process of reckoning we may become dead, but because we ARE dead. He never told us to reckon what was not a fact."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Know.
Identity is a huge thing. Who you are determines how you act, what you wear, what you do and who you hang out with. But do those things determine who you are?
The truths of who I am in Christ have transformed my life drastically. In the past year my life has been torn down to the ground and built back up agian on the foundation of Christ. My life was a mess before I learned the truths I did in God's word. I was living out of "Adam's expeience" I was living int he flesh. I didn't even think that there was another way to live. I thought that this life would continue to be a cylcle of sin, repentance, good works, restored fellowship with God and then having that experience over and over again. What I didn't realize was that I was continuing to walk in the flesh and in doing so I was strengthening my bonds to sin. I thought I was living in the freedom Christ offers in scripture. It's no wonder I grew weary of the Christian life and sought happiness in other places rather than God himself. I wasn't satisfied with my walk with the Lord because I truely wasn't walking in the new creation life he had for me. Before I came to know the Lord as my savior all I knew was sin. All I knew was bondage and all I knew was devistation. I didn't know anything else. After I came to know Christ as my savior though, I was made into a new creation. I was born again. But I didn't know what kind of inheritance and life I was born into. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the ressurectin of Jeuss christ form the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable , undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." That is only a couple of verses of what the new life in Christ entails but Thats not enough to walk in light of every day. There is more truths believe it or not! It was once explained to me this way. If you had a great uncle who was a billion heir and he died and left all the money to you and no one ever told you, it really wouldn't change your life much and you would probably still be struggling to pay your school bill. But if you were told that you had been left all this money, you would then put on the identiy and title of a billion heir and then live accordingly. You would live in the fullness of your inheritance. Even more so, We have been born into a new life in Christ and an inheritance that is unspoiled and unfading, that is eternal and is worth the very blood of Christ to pay for.
It all starts with knowing these truths. It doesn't help to appropriate truth you doint know about.
The most important truth for a Christain to KNOW is to know that Christ died for the forgiveness of your sins. The reason you are a Christian is because you came to the knowlege that God became man, and died upon a cross and rose again for the sake of our soul and to pay for the sin of the whole world. Watchman Nee in his book "The Normal Christian Life" says it this way, "You did not beeseech Him to come and die for you, you realized that He had already done so."
Not only did Christ's death pay for our sin debt, but we also need to recognize that His death placed us "IN CHRIST"meaning that when Christ died, we also died. This requires us to take God's word by faith. Taking God at his word. You entered the Christian life on this knowlege. Paul adresses us knowing these truths in various verses in Romans 6. Romans 6:6 says, "Knowing this, that our old man is curcified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hencefoth we should not serve sin."
The truths of who I am in Christ have transformed my life drastically. In the past year my life has been torn down to the ground and built back up agian on the foundation of Christ. My life was a mess before I learned the truths I did in God's word. I was living out of "Adam's expeience" I was living int he flesh. I didn't even think that there was another way to live. I thought that this life would continue to be a cylcle of sin, repentance, good works, restored fellowship with God and then having that experience over and over again. What I didn't realize was that I was continuing to walk in the flesh and in doing so I was strengthening my bonds to sin. I thought I was living in the freedom Christ offers in scripture. It's no wonder I grew weary of the Christian life and sought happiness in other places rather than God himself. I wasn't satisfied with my walk with the Lord because I truely wasn't walking in the new creation life he had for me. Before I came to know the Lord as my savior all I knew was sin. All I knew was bondage and all I knew was devistation. I didn't know anything else. After I came to know Christ as my savior though, I was made into a new creation. I was born again. But I didn't know what kind of inheritance and life I was born into. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the ressurectin of Jeuss christ form the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable , undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you." That is only a couple of verses of what the new life in Christ entails but Thats not enough to walk in light of every day. There is more truths believe it or not! It was once explained to me this way. If you had a great uncle who was a billion heir and he died and left all the money to you and no one ever told you, it really wouldn't change your life much and you would probably still be struggling to pay your school bill. But if you were told that you had been left all this money, you would then put on the identiy and title of a billion heir and then live accordingly. You would live in the fullness of your inheritance. Even more so, We have been born into a new life in Christ and an inheritance that is unspoiled and unfading, that is eternal and is worth the very blood of Christ to pay for.
It all starts with knowing these truths. It doesn't help to appropriate truth you doint know about.
The most important truth for a Christain to KNOW is to know that Christ died for the forgiveness of your sins. The reason you are a Christian is because you came to the knowlege that God became man, and died upon a cross and rose again for the sake of our soul and to pay for the sin of the whole world. Watchman Nee in his book "The Normal Christian Life" says it this way, "You did not beeseech Him to come and die for you, you realized that He had already done so."
Not only did Christ's death pay for our sin debt, but we also need to recognize that His death placed us "IN CHRIST"meaning that when Christ died, we also died. This requires us to take God's word by faith. Taking God at his word. You entered the Christian life on this knowlege. Paul adresses us knowing these truths in various verses in Romans 6. Romans 6:6 says, "Knowing this, that our old man is curcified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that hencefoth we should not serve sin."
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