In Christ - prt 6

Col 1:14 IN WHOM we have redemption through his blood, even the FORGIVENESS OF SINS:

How much has the Believer been forgiven?

The ministers set in the church has preached sin and sin consciousness; rather drilling into the Believer condemnation, guilt and inferiority in a bid to teach them the place of moral separation from the evil deeds of the world.

The church must now know and be able to differentiate between righteousness as a POSITION, and righteousness as a DISPOSITION.

The Believer in Christ is made righteous with the very righteousness of God Himself; this is positional righteousness. The Believer in Christ is righteous with God's righteousness, whether he or she acts like it or not, it does not change it.

2Cor 5:21 For he[God] hath made him[Jesus] to be sin for US, who knew no sin; that WE might be MADE the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD in him.

Rom 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just[righteous], and the JUSTIFIER[RIGHTEOUSNESS] OF HIM WHICH BELIEVETH IN JESUS.

The Believer stands righteous in Christ; he or she has been made so. The Believer in Christ is created righteous WITH THE VERY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD.

The new man and woman in Christ is created in the image of God, which is in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:24). He has been created this way in Christ.

Now, "dispositional" righteousness or fruit of righteousness as in biblical term is simply what plays out after the Believer have gotten his mind renewed to the truth that he is as righteous in this spirit as God.

Eph 4:24 And that ye PUT ON the new man, which after God is CREATED in righteousness and true holiness.

Putting the above scripture (Eph 4:24) in it'S proper context, by this, I mean considering the pretext and post-text of the above text in order to gets it's proper context,

Ephesians 4:22-25:

22 That ye PUT OFF concerning the former conversation[lifestyle] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be RENEWED in the spirit of your MIND;
24 And that ye PUT ON the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore PUTTING away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.


This passages are telling the born again Believer in Christ that is already made righteous(V 24), to PUT OFF and PUT ON.

Put off what?, "... putting away lying". Put on what?, "... speak every man truth".

The writer, inspired by the Holy Ghost is addressing the need for the Believer to get his or her mind renewed (v 23). Therefor, the putting off and on is to be done in the mental realm not in his or her spirit.

The Believer is made righteous and perfected forever in his spirit(Heb 10:12). However his mind (which is in his soulish realm - mind, will, emotion) must be renewed by the Word, through the Word, and in the Word.

It is right to note here that fruits of righteousness(or righteousness from your disposition) is very different from self righteousness or righteousness of the law.

Self righteousness is trying to meet God's standards(of righteousness) by your own works or deeds. This won't cut it, as God's standard is to high for any mortal man to meet, that is why jesus Christ had to come.

Fruit of righteousness are righteous deeds that comes from a place of love in your spirit which is the Believer's in Christ through nature which is also the Love of God shared abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost(Rom 5:5). It is nothing done to please God or to meet up with any standard. It is just a man or woman acting out his or her true nature, gotten from their Father.

This cannot be overemphasized. There needs be a putting off (in putting away the former way of life that the mind had become accustomed to), and a putting on (in replacing the former way of life with the principles the Gospel of Christ teaches).

So the Believer in Christ needs to be continually looking at Christ through His Word (the bible) and become transformed mentally(even the whole soulish realm) according to His image, 2Corinthians 3:18:

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are CHANGED into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

The change is to happen in the "soulish" realm (in the mind), because the Believer is already exactly like Christ in his spirit and thus, does not need any change there; it is his or her mind that needs change(repentance, transformation).

The Holy Spirit is the only One who can help the Believer accomplish this transformation through the Word.

So any believer committing sin, is a saint that is acting besides himself (i.e acting contrary to his or her intrinsic new nature), not looking at his or her original new self in the mirror (or light) of the Word of God. But the more this Believer begin to hear and study the Word, the more he or she will begin to see Christ, and as this happens, the more he or she begins to see his or her true self in Christ. And in no time, an effortless change in lifestyle will begin to manifest.

The sin of the whole world have been forgiven forever! But God will not force it on anyone, it has to be received willingly. So however will accept Christ as Lord will have their sins forgiven (taken out of the way) forever.

Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES;

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I[God] REMEMBER NO MORE.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to SAVE THEM to the UTTERMOST that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath PERFECTED FOR EVER them that are SANCTIFIED.

So, the Believer is position-ally righteous and should be disposition-ally righteous (i.e bear fruit of his or her righteousness), by studying to know and acting out who they are in Christ, which is righteousness.

As the Believer rely on the abundant Grace of God (Rom 6:14)and the leading of the Spirit(Gal 5:16), he begins to bear fruit of righteousness.

Where you blessed.

Confess this: I have been forgiven in Christ to the uttermost!