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YOU HAVE PUT ON CHRIST JESUS

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Apostle Paul was loaded with an abundance of revelations. It was because of these great numbers of insight and revelations given to him that a messenger of the devil was allowed to buffet him lest he should be exalted above measure (2nd Corinthians 12:7). This messenger was defined as a ‘thorn in his flesh’. (Note: This is seen in the many persecutions he faced and not sickness as some may teach)

One such revelation and insight was that anyone baptised into Christ has put on Christ Jesus. The term baptized into Christ, which symbolised an outward dipping of one into water, had a more spiritual act; where the Holy Spirit places the man who acknowledges Jesus as Lord into Christ Jesus. To be placed in Christ sets you in a very glorious atmosphere. It is an escape from the dominance of darkness. You live in the presence of the Father. It is an atmosphere of heaven yet on earth. This is the reason the Lord remarked,ye are in the world, but you are not of the world. John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”

To put on Christ Jesus is slightly different. To put on Christ Jesus is to have Him on you as wearing a jacket.  This one is not just an outside influence but a total change of your personality to Christ’s. The Christian of his former self died with Jesus (Galatians 2:20). To be baptised into Him in the light of Galatians 3:27 makes you just like him. Dear child of God, God’s plan and intention for allowing Jesus into this world is to raise a people just like Him. Romans 8:29 “For whom He did foreknow He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His son, that He might be the first born among many brethren”. This glorious Jesus is our big brother. It is God’s family. We have become God and His sons incorporated. Jesus is the firstborn.

Our key scripture gives a more vivid presentation of the whole idea. In this instant, it is not just conforming to Him but the very person of Christ taking over your being and being like Him in all things. You only have your name to answer to, but it is His being and Spirit that has taken over. You have put on Christ Jesus. Please don’t look at yourself as an ordinary being. Face Satan with the boldness and assurance that the Lord Jesus would have faced him. Check out diseases from your body as He would.

Overcome the promptings of the flesh to sin as he would.

You have put Him on.

 CONFESSION

I have put on Christ Jesus. It is Him who has taken over my being. I carry everything He had. I win like Him, oh what a glorious life.

THOUGHT: LET YOUR PLACE IN CHRIST REVOLUTIONALIZE YOUR WHOLE PERSPECTIVE ABOUT LIFE

FURTHER STUDIES.

Colossians 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”

Hebrews 2:10 ” For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering

FURTHER STUDIES ON OUR NEW NATURE IN CHRIST

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”

We continue with further studies concerning our new nature or new man

From our previous study, we learned that we have only one nature. This is the new man or the righteous nature. I would like to bring our awareness to understand that we do not have the old man functioning in us. As Christians, we must open up for a completely upright lifestyle. We must know also that we are no longer weak and susceptible to any wrong actions. Our Lord Jesus has achieved a great victory for us and must take advantage of it. We have to always say with Paul

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”.

On the flip side, there are many who, because of their experiences of failure, would be asking, why do I keep struggling to do the right things? Some have also been taught that they have the old man and the new man in their bodies as Christians. They say so because they have always failed in their attempt to live right.

Please dearly beloved one, listen very attentively. Never make doctrines out of the experiences of people. No matter how much some experiences have been prevalent with any man or several persons, so long as it does not agree with the Bible, don’t accept and make a doctrine out of it. The Bible clearly states that because our Lord Jesus died on the cross, the old man and subsequently the body of sin has been destroyed. If it is destroyed, it is no more in us.

Now why do you then feel tempted at times? Please answer this question for me. Was Jesus having the sinful Adamic nature or the old man of sin in Him? The answer is no. He had no human father, and therefore could not have had an adamic nature.

 My second question is, was our Lord Jesus tempted or not? Yes, he was tempted (Matthew 4:1-9). The devil came and tempted Him, although He did not have the sinful nature. He decided not to yield to any of these temptations.

It is up to every Christian to refuse the temptations that the spirit of the power of the air may bring to us( Eph 2:2)

Please note that our very atmosphere is saturated with an abundance of evil spirits. This is why every Christian must constantly attend to God’s word, pray very often, and spend time meditating on the scriptures so that you may not yield to these suggestions of devils.

Please note: This teaching of having a dual nature of the old man of sin and the new man of absolute righteousness, has produced a lot of weak and defeated children of God. The death of our Lord fully settled that problem. The old man is circumcised, never to live in us. If you refuse to believe the truth, you will settle for error and would be struggling with all kinds of sins.

 CONFESSION

I have the new man, with the old man made away. I do not yield to suggestions of devils but maintain my grounds to serve my Father in true holiness. Now, just as the body of sin was dealt with on the cross, so have sicknesses been dealt with by the stripes of Jesus, and I will not give any place to them in Jesus’ name

FURTHER STUDIES.

Ephesians 2:2. ” Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience“

Romans 12:2 ” And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

ABRAHAM’S BLESSINGS

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:18 “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

What do the blessings of Abraham entail? Before we go into the details of some of the blessings of Abraham, I wish that you make up your mind that you will walk in these blessings for they are true, real, and very compelling.

Please listen to what the Spirit said in

Galatians 3:17 “And this I say that the covenant that was confirmed before of (by) God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after cannot disannul, (render ineffective) that it should make the promise of none effect”.

What the above scripture means is that the Abrahamic covenant has been confirmed by God in Christ, and as a result, the law that came into effect 430 years later cannot render it ineffective.

Some of the blessings of Abraham found in Genesis 12:1-3, 17:2-3, 22:17–18 are as follows

Multiplication of seed as the sand of the seashore and the stars of heaven. Fruitfulness is your package.

Every seed of Abraham shall possess the gates of their enemies.

All nations shall be blessed

All who bless you are blessed, and all who curse you are cursed.

Make thee a great nation and make thy name great.

(Note: Whatever was said to Abraham is said to you.)

A woman whom the Lord declared to be loosed from her bondage in Luke 13 was met by the displeasure of the ruler of the synagogue; who said she should come for healing on another day, and not the Sabbath day. The Lord answered him and said “And ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound lo these eighteen years be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day “ Luke 13:16. The Lord implied that because she is a daughter of Abraham and benefactor of the blessings of Abraham she must not continue to suffer. Today decide to be free from anything that is holding you captive and bound. You are a daughter or a son of Abraham and you must be free.

Among the blessings of Abraham, the bible says the seed of Abraham shall possess the gates of their enemies. The word possess is translated from the Hebrew word “yarash” which means to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, or occupy. This is very refreshing. It implies no enemy should overcome you. If you will take your stand on the word, no enemy will ever overpower you. We have also been blessed with the greatness and riches of Abraham.

Galatians 3:9 reads “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham “.

God blesses us because we believe His word and honour Him. Claim these blessings based on your place in Christ.

CONFESSION

I am a son or a daughter of Abraham. I am blessed alongside faithful Abraham. I possess the gates of my enemies, I am exceedingly fruitful, and my impact is felt by all men for He has made me very great.

THOUGHT: ABRAHAM’S BLESSINGS ARE OURS IF WE WOULD INSIST THAT THEY ARE OURS.

FURTHER STUDIES.

Genesis 12:2 “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:”

Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”.

THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE OLD MAN

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Romans 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin”.

Apostle Paul, through the power of the Holy Spirit, taught many things that were new to the body of Christ then. Among these things was the exposition of the old man.

Who or what is the old man? The Bible gives several descriptions for this term called the ‘Old Man’ Romans 7:24 it is called the body of this death. It is also called the body of sin in Romans 6:6. Colossians 2:11 describes it as the body or the sins of the flesh.

Comparing these descriptions of the old man we can describe it as the sinful or Adamic nature inherited from our first parents Adam and Eve(Rom 5:12). The death of our Lord Jesus,  completely destroyed this nature. Col.2:11, reports it this way, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”:

Our being, before our new birth in Christ, was the old man. Within this nature is the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2” For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. This nature was hell-bound as well as fully Satan-dominated.

The main point I would want us to see is that, through the Lord’s death, this nature of sin has been put away, crucified, or destroyed. It no longer lives in us, this makes it clear that the Christian does not have two natures (i.e. the nature of sin and the nature of righteousness). In another sense, we do not have the old man and the new man living together in the body of the child of God.

I am very much aware that several bible teachers hold to the view that, the Christian has a dual nature. That is the old man and the new man living together. I think the scriptures speak for itself. One may ask why Christians sin. What we must know is that the old man or body of sin is a supernatural power that rules us, while we have the appetites of the body, which is natural and must be controlled. The appetites of the body are not evil. It is when we fail to control them, that makes them evil. Jesus did not crucify the appetite but crucified the body of sin or the old man. We must now put to death( control) these appetites described in Col 3:5 as our members.

When Apostle Paul said in Gal 2:20, “that I am crucified with Christ yet I live but not I . The life that I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of Him who loved me and gave Himself for me”. He was just affirming that the old man was crucified and that it does not live in Him again.

Dear child of God, let it be fully settled in your mind that, the Christian does not have two natures. If it was so, then the Lord Jesus’ death on the cross would not have been complete to save us.

CONFESSION

My Lord Jesus did a perfect work to completely save me. I do not have two natures. I live victoriously every day.

THOUGHT: ACKNOWLEDGING THE DEMISE OF THE OLD MAN, MAKES VICTORY OVER SIN MORE SIMPLE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Colossians 2:11 “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ”:

Romans 8:3  “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:”.