The Christ-Centered Life

The Foundation is our Position in Christ - Rom 6

Intro:

A foundation is the basis upon which something stands, or is supported.

There is an important principle here for our spiritual life. Mt. 7:24-27

What is the only adequate foundation for eternal life and a life that results in true spiritual transformation?

The foundation is critical, why? Because it determines the size, shape and strength of the superstructure. 1 Cor. 3:10-11

We must understand that the first key to effectiveness in living a godly life is to know what God has done for us and to know what our resources are in Him. How?

In terms of all aspects of our salvation and all that it brings we must know and be fully persuaded that God has done it all.

Understanding what God has done for us and who we are in Christ is foundational to having the right motive for living the Christian life, and the right motive is a vital key in the process of transformation, growing and advancing spiritually.

Quote from Chafer:

What is your motive for doing right? I suppose that above anything else in the world you want to honor God with the right kind of a life. I believe that, men. You do not need to convince me of that. But what is your motive? Why do you want to live right? Is it in order that God might accept you or is it because He has accepted you?....Ninety-nine out of one-hundred people who are members of our Protestant churches today ... think their job is to win the favor of God and they do not know that they have the favor of God from the moment they believe on Christ... He has given you everything that He ever required and that is yours right now when you believe. Never are you called to fall back on the merit system....Are you living the best you could [that is to honor Christ] because you were set right, or do you live the best you could hoping to be set right?

Obedience to the Word is a response to God's provisions for holiness, for living the worthy walk in Christ, not an attempt to earn God's blessings and provisions (cf. Rom. 8:32).

As human beings we are created in God's image, we each have value, meaning, and purpose in the plan of God.

The means for knowing who we are so that such knowledge transforms our motives and thinking is a renewed mind in the Word, having a mind saturated with divine viewpoint: Rom 12:2

Our position in Christ and our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection forms the basis, the foundation for victory over the desires of the flesh (sin nature) and provides us a completely new capacity for life.

Conclusion: the Spirit of God, whom we all have indwelling us, whose responsibility in the Church age is to glorify Christ and mediate His life, Christ’s life, to you and me, will never produce spiritual power or bring true spiritual change into any life that is not resting in the merit, significance, and sufficiency of Christ as the source and ground of all of one's life.

Quote from Chafer:

"The Holy Spirit cannot cooperate or engender any reality of experience when the very basis of a grace relationship to God is ignored. How, indeed could the Holy Spirit empower a life which is wholly misguided and wrong in its objectives, methods, and motives? His benefits, of necessity, have significance only for those who recognize and believe that they are perfected once-for-all by simple faith in Christ as Savior and that their new obligation is not to make themselves accepted but rather to walk worthy of the One in whom they are accepted."

A Note of Warning or Caution by Paul

In Colossians 2:8 the Apostle Paul gives us a word of caution and one that is particularly pertinent for our focus in this study at this time in history:

· Satan seeks to gets us busy attempting to earn what is only given.

· Ironically, many seek to achieve by our own self-effort that which they already have in Christ.

· The result is that we as believers often become focused on false goals which, like a hypnotic spell, hold us captive and keep us from experiencing God's love, strength, and freedom, in our life in Christ.

Might note some of the problems which typically occur with the perfectionist or one who is under pressure to meet some self-imposed standards in order to feel good about themselves:

· They usually base their self-worth on how well they do things and on the response of others to how well they have performed.

· They tend to be critical and look down on those who don't do so well. [in their view]

· If criticized they become defensive or devastated because they seek their value through their performance.

Perfectionists tend to be vulnerable to big mood swings depending on their perceived success.

· In their pursuit of a perfect standard, they tend to become controlling and very irritating to others as they fight to have things perfect so they will feel okay.

· Self-imposed standards usually result in a rules dominated life.

Review general outline of Romans:

1. Revelation of God's wrath; Rom 1:18-3:20 [presents man's dilemma]

2. Revelation of God's salvation; Rom 3:21-8:39 [God's solution]

- BD of Justification 3:21-5:21 [God's provision to deal with man's dilemma]

- BD of Position - Sanctification 6:1-8:39 [Provision for living resurrected lives]