Lesson
13 June 9
James
Chapter One
7. The Wealth of the Believer's
Position in Jesus Christ
A. Related to
Christ's PERSON:
Being in Christ we share in the following:
(1) As He has perfect righteousness, so do all
believers. 2 Cor.
5:21
(2) As He has eternal life, so do all
believers. 1 Jn.
5:11-12
(3) His eternal destiny becomes the destiny of
all believers. Eph. 1:4-5, 10-11
(4) As He is the Father's Chosen One, so all
believers are chosen ones in Him. Eph. 1:4;
Isa. 42:1
[Some see this as a corporate choosing, others as personal
and corporate which fits best with the Scripture as a whole.]
(5) As He is the Son of God, so all believers
become sons and members of God's family by adoption and by regeneration, the
new birth.
John 1:12-13; Eph. 1:5; Gal. 3:26; 1 John 3:2
(6) As He is the Heir of God, so all believers
are heirs of God. Eph. 1:14
(7) As He is the Great High Priest, so all
believers are all priests of God. 1
Peter 2:5
B. Related to Christ's WORK:
By being in Christ by faith, we as believers also share in
Christ's redemptive work on the cross.
Being in Christ by faith, we share in His work past,
present, and future:
(1) In Christ, believers are
reconciled to God by His substitutionary death. Romans 5:10
(2) In Christ, believers have
peace with God. Rom. 5:1
(3) In Christ, believers have His
righteousness imputed to them. 2 Cor. 5:21
(4) In Christ, believers are
justified, declared righteous. Rom. 5:9
(5) In Christ, believers are redeemed
by His blood. Eph. 1:7
(6) In Christ, believers have
forgiveness of sin. Eph. 1:7
(7) In Christ, the demands of
God's holiness have been satisfied; God has been propitiated. 1 John 2:2;
(8) In Christ, there is now no
condemnation. Rom. 5:9;
(9) In Christ, the penalty of sin
has been expiated, that is removed. Col.
2:14
(10) In Christ, believers are no longer guilty
or under the condemnation of the law and its sentence of death.
(11) In Christ, believers are
accepted, made fit and sufficient to be partakers in God's family and
inheritance. Eph. 1:5-6, Col.
1:12; [2 Cor
3:6 He has made us adequate as servants of a new covenant.]
All the above deal with an aspect of Christ's substitutionary
death for sin's penalty as He died in our place, bearing our penalty, but
Christ's death also includes His judicial work against the reign of sin.
He also died unto sin's power to break it's
reign. He died for sin and unto sin and its reign.
C.
Ramifications of Christ’s death related to the Believer’s life.
[the fact that we're identified
with Christ]
(1) In Christ, believers have
also died with Christ in His death and burial.
(2) In Christ, the believer's
relationship to Adam has been severed and the dominion of the sinful nature,
though still present, has been broken.
Romans 6:1-14
(3) In Christ, believers have
been raised with Him for a walk in newness of life.
(4) In Christ, believers are
seated with Him in the heavenlies at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 2:6).
(5) In Christ, believers have an
eternal access to God, we are made nigh to God, translated into God's kingdom,
and delivered from Satan's kingdom and the power of darkness. Eph.
(6) In Christ, believers have a
perpetual and an effective High Priest, an advocate and two intercessors, the
Son at God's right hand, and the Holy Spirit who dwells within.
(7) In Christ, believers have
special significance and the basis of a true self-concept [esteem] as the
children of God.
Being in Christ, the believer is God's child by spiritual
birth and legal adoption.
This means that as believers we are in the royal family of
the King of Kings.
How could we possibly be more significant and have a greater reason to live than that?