(Who We Are In Christ - Part 1 | Part 2)
In part 1 of Who We Are in Christ, we learned some of the wonderful benefits that are the heritage of those who are in Christ - how God rescues us from the power of Satan, redeems, justifies, and makes us holy. We also learned of His great love for us, how He made us part of His own family and gave us eternal life.
In Part 2, we'll look at more of the incredible blessings we receive when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Let me ask you a question. What is God's ultimate purpose for us on earth? I believe the Apostle Paul has given us the answer.
The Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:18
"We...are being transformed into His [Christ's] likeness with ever-increasing glory."
1. What are we being transformed into?
Yes. God's purpose is to transform us into the image of His beloved Son. In order to do this, He replaces much of our old life with a new one.
A New Life - A New Nature
The Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2. What happens when someone comes to Christ?
The Scripture: Ezekiel 11:19
"I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them."
This was a prophecy given to Ezekiel centuries before the birth of Christ.
3. What did God promise to the people when they returned to the Lord?
The Scripture: Mark 16:17
"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues."
4. What new thing does God give as a sign that accompanies believers?
Other scripture tells us the Lord gives us a new name, and a new song. We will see a new heaven, a new earth, and a New Jerusalem. Toward the end of the book of Revelation, the Lord makes an incredible statement.
The Scripture: Revelation 21:5
"I am making everything new!"
5. What does the Lord say He is making new?
Now that He has given us a new life and a new nature, God is ready to begin our transformation. Understanding how He does this shows us more about who we are in Christ.
His Plans for Us
The Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"
6. What kinds of plans does the Lord have for each of us?
Too often we blame God for the bad things that happen in our lives. This scripture clearly tells us that God's plans for us are for good.
The Scripture: Romans 8:28
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who have been called according to His purpose."
7. What does this scripture tell us about God?
He Purifies Us
The Scripture: 1 John 1:9
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
8. What is God faithful and just to do?
9. What must we do to receive His forgiveness and be purified?
He Transforms Our Mind
The human mind is one part of us that strongly resists transformation. Full of fearful thoughts, it is undisciplined and out of balance. So God makes important changes here.
The Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:7
"[He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control" (TAB).
10. What kind of spirit has the Lord given us?
A well-balanced, disciplined and self-controlled mind. What a contrast to the minds of those in the world.
But we are not limited by our human minds. God has gone even further.
The Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:16
"We have the mind of Christ."
11. What does the Christian have?
We have the mind of Christ. We have the power to think Christ's thoughts, to discern and understand what He is saying to us.
He Helps Us Obey Him
How we struggle trying to do God's will, to be obedient. Sometimes we become discouraged because we seem to be making so little progress. But God knows what He is doing and He has given us ample resources.
The Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:7
"You have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing [God's] will are yours" (TLB).
12. What do we have?
The Scripture: Philippians 2:13
"For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey Him, and then helping you do what He wants." (TLB)
13. What is God doing within us?
The Scripture: Philippians 1:6
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ."
14. What can we be confident about?
He Makes Us Overcomers
Belonging to God gives us great strength and power. So great, in fact, that Paul could declare for us:
The Scripture: Philippians 4:13
"I can do everything through Him [Jesus] who gives me strength."
15. What can we do through Jesus?
The Scripture: Romans 8:37
"In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him [Christ]."
16. What does Paul call us?
Not just conquerors, but more than conquerors. Those who are in Christ are not victims. We are overcomers.
The Scripture: 1 John 5:4, 5
"Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
17. Who overcomes the world?
He Gives Us the Holy Spirit
God understands how difficult this transformation process is and He has given us Someone to help us. Shortly before He returned to Heaven, Jesus made a promise to His disciples (including us).
The Scripture: John 14:18
"I will not leave you as orphans."
18. What was the promise?
The Scripture: John 14:16, 17
"I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth...You know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you."
19. Who did Jesus say the Father would send?
Of course, He was referring to the Holy Spirit.
20. Where does the Holy Spirit live?
The Scripture: John 14:26
"The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all thing and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
21. What will the Holy Spirit do?
The Scripture: John 16:13, 14
"He will guide you into all truth..., and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you."
22. What else?
This is only a small part of what the Holy Spirit does in the world and in our hearts. In a future study we will look at a much more thorough picture of His work. We began this lesson with a question. Let's end with another. Why does God want us to be images of Christ?
From the beginning of time, God planned for a people who would represent Him in the world. We are that people.
The Scripture: 2 Corinthians 19, 20
"He [God] has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."
23. What are we?
24. What has God committed to us?
Perhaps our most important role on earth is to reconcile the world and its people to God. How are we able to do this?
The Scripture: 1 Peter 2:9
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God."
25. What does Peter call us?
God calls us a royal priesthood. We are priests of the most high God, praying and interceding for and ministering to the people of this world to bring them to the Lord.
Let us praise and bless the Lord for who we are in Christ. Amen and amen!
Answers
- Christ's likeness
- He is a new creation
- An undivided heart, a new spirit
- They will speak in new tongues
- Everything
- Plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us hope and a future
- He works for the good of those who have been called according to his purpose.
- Forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
- Confess our sins
- A spirit of power and of calm and well-balanced mind, discipline, and self-control
- The mind of Christ
- Every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing God's will
- Helping us want to obey Him, then helping us do what He wants
- That God will complete His work in us
- Everything
- More than conquerors
- Everyone born of God, he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God
- He would not leave them as orphans
- Another Counselor, the Spirit of truth
- With and in us
- Teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said
- Guide us into all truth, tell us what is yet to come, bring glory to Jesus
- Christ's Ambassadors
- The message of reconciliation
- A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation
All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version
(unless otherwise indicated)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, New International Bible Society
Copyright © 1998 by JoAnne Sekowsky