A Believer’s standing or position in Christ is the sole result of the work of Christ, and is perfect and complete from the very moment that Christ is received by faith.
This standing before God is provided by His grace through faith alone and has nothing to do with any good works a person may do. "For by grace are ye save through faith…."
Let’s look at your standing as a believer, your spiritual position in Christ:
You’re more then forgiven, you have been made perfect in Him.
YOU ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, A SON OF GOD, AND SATAN HAS
NO POWER OVER YOU, (I COR. 12:27). FOR GREATER IS HE
THAT IS IN YOU THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD, (I JOHN 4:4).
YOU HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE EVILS OF THIS PRESENT
WORLD FOR IT IS THE WILL OF GOD, (GAL. 1:4).
YOUR BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHICH DWELLS
IN YOU, (ROM. 12:1). HE TEACHES YOU ALL THINGS. AND
GUIDES YOU INTO ALL TRUTH. YOU HAVE PERFECT KNOWLEDGE
OF EVERY SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCE THAT YOU COME UP
AGAINST. FOR YOU HAVE THE WISDOM OF GOD, (JOHN 16:13;
JAMES 1:5).
GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU? HE HAS
GIVEN YOU ALL THINGS THAT PERTAINS TO LIFE AND GODLINESS.
YOU ARE A PARTAKER OF HIS DIVINE NATURE, (II PETER 1:3,4; ROM. 8:31).
NO MAN SHALL TAKE YOU OUT OF HIS HAND FOR YOU HAVE ETERNAL
LIFE, (JOHN 10:29).
YOU ARE A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST, HIS WORKMANSHIP. THE
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. (II COR. 5:17;
II COR. 5:21). YOU LACK NOTHING FOR YOUR GOD SUPPLIES ALL
OF YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS RICHES IN GLORY BY CHRIST
JESUS, (PHIL. 4:19).
YOU HAVE BEEN MADE FOREVER PERFECT IN CHRIST JESUS (NO MATTER WHAT THE CHRISTIAN BUMPER STICKERS SAY, ( HEBREWS 10:14).
YOU HAVE BEEN MARKED AS BELONGING TO CHRIST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND HIS PRESENCE WITHIN YOU IS GOD’S GUARANTEE THAT HE WILL GIVE YOU ALL THAT HE PROMISED: THE SPIRIT’S SEAL UPON YOU MEANS THAT GOD HAS ALREADY PURCHASED YOU AND THAT HE GUARANTEES TO BRING YOU TO HIMSELF. (EPH. 1: 13,14).
YOU HAVE BEEN ELECTED AND CALLED OF GOD (I THES. 1:4; 5:24, ROM 8:30). REDEEMED BY GOD THROUGH THE BLOOD OF HIS SON (COL. 1:14, EPH 1:7). RECONCILED TO GOD BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON (II COR. 5:19).
YOU ARE SHELTERED ETERNALLY UNDER THE PROPITIATION MADE IN THE BLOOD OF CHRIST (JOHN 2:2). YOU ARE JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE (ROM. 3:24). SANCTIFIED POSITIONALLY, SET APART UNTO GOD IN CHRIST (I COR. 1:30). YOU HAVE BEEN MADE ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED (EPH. 1:6). YOU ARE A CHILD A SON OR DAUGHTER OF GOD (JOHN 1:12; I JOHN 3:3).
YOU ARE NOW FREE FROM THE LAW (ANY LAW) AND DEAD TO IT ( ROM. 7:4). YOU HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE POWER OF DARKNESS (COL. 1:13). TRANSLATED INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD’S DEAR SON (COL. 1:13). YOU ARE GOD’S GIFT TO CHRIST ( JOHN 17:11, 12, 10:29). SEATED IN THE HEAVENLY IN CHRIST (EPH 2:6).
YOU ARE GOD’S INHERITANCE (EPH. 1:18). YOU ARE A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN (PHIL. 3:20), AND OF THE FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD OF GOD (EPH. 2:19). YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM (COL. 2:10).
AS A BELIEVER YOU ARE BORN OF GOD (JOHN 3:6), BAPTIZED (I COR. 12:13), INDWELT (I COR 6:19), SEALED ( EPH. 4:30), AND GLORIFIED (ROM. 8:30)
Every one of these wonderful things is true of every person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. And they are all Gifts of God. Not one of His gifts can be obtained by any good works a person may ever do, it’s all by God’s grace through faith in Christ. All these great positions and relationships in Christ are all gained, and all retained without struggle or trial; they are God’s gift in grace and come as a small part of His great and wonderful salvation.
Under grace the order is always that the believer is given proper standing in Christ by faith alone and then exhorted to let Christ live His life through him so that the believer’s practice will reflect his standing. The will of God is to be fulfilled ‘in’ the believer, never ‘by’ the believer.
Your practice, like your position, is still accomplished by Christ through faith. If you are a true believer it will always be Him and never you. It’s His righteousness, His faithfulness, His ability, His life and His grace that accomplishes God’s will in us..
As His new creation whenever we are exhorted to ‘do’ anything it is always to be done through faith in Christ and His ability to accomplish it in us.
We start by faith in Christ, we continue by faith in Christ, and we end by faith in Christ.
It is important to remember that your standing or position in Christ will never change. You did not receive it by being good enough or by keeping some law, it was a gift of God by grace through faith in what Christ has already done for you. Nothing you can ever do, good or bad, will ever change that. You need to keep that in mind as God works through your entire Christian life to conform you to your standing in His Son, matching your practice with your position.
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