In Christ - prt 5

Eph 1:7 IN WHOM we have REDEMPTION through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

It is only in Christ the man or woman can find redemption. It is through the sacrifice of Himself the world have found redemption.

The redemption is to and for all of mankind; but only to those who have taken and would receive it will the new life be imparted to.

The word translated, "redemption" in the above epistle was in the original greek text as, "apolutrosis" and it conveys the meaning, "ransom in full".

The Believer in Christ has been ransomed in full from, sin (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Titus 2:14), the curse of the law (Gal 3:13, 4:5), his or her former way of life (lifestyle; 1Pet 1:18).

Col 1:13 Who[God] hath DELIVERED us from the power[authority] of darkness, and hath TRANSLATED us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The Believer has also been redeemed from the authority and dictatorship of Satanic kingdom, and of it's darkness. So the devil and his cohorts has lost it's influence over the Believer.

On no grounds or circumstance should sin, death, the devil, or any other force lord it over the Believer in Christ.

All the resources that are available in this kingdom of our Lord(kingdom of His the Son of His[God's] love, Col 1:3) is available to The man and woman in Christ, every single one, in it's fullness.

Every thing that Christ wrought in His redemptive work is for the believer. The Glory that He entered afterwords is also for the believer in Him, "... I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."(John 14:2-3)

Christ wasn't talking about a place he had prepared to receive us in the Lord's day (rapture, second coming), He was referring here to the place the Believer will take in Him after is resurrection from the dead. The Believer is in that place right now, we are in Him!

The Believer in Christ has been called by the Gospel (the preaching of Jesus Christ), to the obtaining of the Glory our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thes 2:14).

We share in His Glory.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I AM COME THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE LIFE, and that they might have it more abundantly.

However it most be noted that, the forgiveness of sins was not the main purpose for redemption. It's main purpose is to bring man from death that he was in (death here is not the   cessation of life, but rather separation from God) to life (Eternal life).

In Christ - prt 4

2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be IN CHRIST, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; BEHOLD, all things are become new.

To be IN CHRIST is to be born of the Spirit of Christ by (or  which is) the Word of God.

1 Corinthians 12:13:

13 For by ONE SPIRIT are we all baptized into ONE BODY, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

By one Spirit (which is the Spirit of Christ) were we all baptized into one Body(which is Christ).

1 Peter 1:23:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible SEED, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

The Greek word, "Spora", was the word translated as "seed" in 1 pet 1:23, and it means literally in the Greek, "a sowing", which speak by implication, PARENTING!

It means that God sowed or planted His seed into the one that receives Christ.

It also means that the Believer is created and Parented by the Seed of the Word of God which is incorruptible, and which lives and abides forever. And this seed, which is the Word (which is Christ Jesus)  continues to live in the Believer! It is now his or her new nature.

1 John 3:9:

9 Whosoever IS BORN of God doth not commit sin; for his SEED remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because HE IS BORN of God.

The Seed of God remains in the Believer. The Believer is the son of God.

The Greek word, "Sperma", was the word translated as "seed" in the above scripture (1 Jn 3:9), and it means, "something sown, i.e. seed (including the male "sperm")", which by implication is, Offspring!

The Believer is created or procreated by the Seed of God(the Sperm of God). The Believer is intrinsically made up of the DNA of God; everything that is in God is in the spirit of the Believer. EVERYTHING!

The words, "is born" and "he is born" in the above scripture(1 Jn 3:9), was in the original Greek text as, "gennao", which means:

1. To Procreate (properly, of the father)
2. To Conceive (by extension, of the mother)
3. To Regenerate (figuratively)

In Christ - prt 3

Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

The blessing belonging to the believer is of eternal value, nothing carnal, or of the senses, or earthly. Righteousness is one of this blessing. It seems to me as the most vital of all the blessing that we have in Christ.

Righteousness, and every other blessing that belong to the believer IN CHRIST can not be worked for, it is a GIFT, it is a BLESSING!

It is called the gift of righteousness in Romans 5:17, and as such should be received IN FAITH by the believer, not by works (or self effort).

A blessing or gift is something given by the prerogative of the giver to the receiver. The receiver does nothing to earn it; all that is needed of him is to receive.

If your boss comes to your office at the end of the month with your pay cheque and hands it over to you, he hasn't blessed you, he is paying you for your services - it was well earned by you, it is never a gift. But if he comes to your office the day following and hands you another cheque saying, "take this, use it for your up coming birthday celebration", that is a blessing; it is a gift, because you did nothing to earn it; you didn't work for it, he just handed it over to your of his own free will.

So also are the spiritual blessings we have received from our Father God in Christ Jesus.

Righteousness is the ability to stand before God without any sense of inferiority, guilt, condemnation or unworthiness. It is a POSITION in Christ not a DISPOSITION of our own doing.

It is a gift not a reward. It is a blessing, lest anyone would boast:

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Righteousness is not something you do, it is what you are in Christ! We don't try to act righteous, we are righteous!

It is in KNOWING that you are as righteous as God Himself, that you will be able to walk in the LIGHT of His righteous which is now your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 :

In Christ - prt 2

2Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM.

The blessing of the believer is RIGHTEOUSNESS.

We have always thought that the blessing of Abraham that is now ours in Christ Jesus is material or physical wealth. No it's not. We've always looked back at the abundance of the material wealth that Abraham possessed; the flocks of sheep, herds of cattle and camels and so forth, and reasoned that this must be what the blessing of Abraham is all about.

But, the blessing with which God had blessed Abraham because he believed was, RIGHTEOUSNESS. Galatians 3:13-14:

13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14 That THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM MIGHT COME ON THE GENTILES THROUGH JESUS CHRIST; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

If material wealth is the blessing, then the wealthy man still in the world today does not need Christ!

"... that the blessing of Abraham might come on the gentiles[the nations outside Israel] through Jesus Christ". If the word "blessing" in this scripture means material wealth or riches, does it means that no gentile man or woman ever was rich in material things before the coming and death of Christ?

Does this mean that the unregenerate wealthy man in the world today have Christ, because it says, "...that the BLESSING of Abraham might come on the gentiles through Jesus Christ"?

It should become evident that this blessing is not material wealth. It is spiritual wealth. Ephesians 1:3;

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ"

By this, it becomes clear that the blessing of Abraham is spiritual blessing not material. Some example of spiritual blessing as seen from the bible are these, WISDOM, RIGHTEOUSNESS, SANCTIFICATION, REDEMPTION, and so forth; these are the blessings promised to the seed of Abraham that is now the Believer's in Christ(Gal 3:16).

In Christ - prt 1

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places IN CHRIST

When the phrase "in Christ" or "in Him" or "in Whom" is used in the epistles, it is simply implying that the aforementioned statement or string of texts is true of Christ, and was done or wrought in Him, for Him, by Him, and not just for Him alone, but for all who believe.

The above passage is simply communicating that God the Father blessed Christ with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms after His work of reconciling the world to Himself (by His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and His seating). This blessing belongs to the Believer too, because, we are joint heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17).

So as joint heirs with Christ; every single blessing  pronounced and conferred on Jesus Christ by His obedience (as seen in Heb 5:7-10, Rom 5:17, Phil 2:8) belongs equally to the Believer.

The Believer in Christ is blessed by His blessing because he or she is in Him.

2Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be IN CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; BEHOLD, all things are become new.

If Christ is blessed, then the Believer in Him is EQUALLY blessed.

If foundation or generational curses can not touch Him, it certainly can not touch His Believer too. What can not be seen in Him can not be seen in you because you are in Him. All things are become new!!

The blessing of Abraham scripture talked about was actually referring to and was for Christ? Abraham became a partaker of the blessing because he believed God.