Identification Truths

We're going through, well, kind of in review where we've been. We started out in this class, Identification Truths, and we started out in the fun position of who we are in Adam. This is one of those things we learned that there's nothing that we can do. We're born in Adam. It's like you can't choose your parents. We couldn't choose being in Adam. We were in Adam. And being identified within Adam, we began to understand who we are, and the picture was not pretty. We spent several classes discussing who we are in Adam, and there was really nothing good about being identified with Adam.

And then we found out too, which is funny, we have some friends over from Grand Junction, a roommate of Ingrid's from college, and we're still great friends with them, and they know the Lord. We were talking about this last night, actually, and it's amazing what we teach here, and identification truths, and the law, and things like that. It's kind of fun to talk to other people. I use the operative word fun. We have great relations. So we were having a very good debate last night about identification and under the law. And it's really kind of fun to talk to somebody who hasn't gone through this.

And you see the old man just wanting to be under the law and the save sinner aspect. And you know, I do the thing. Mike, you've taught me well. Is there anything as a saved sinner? Oh, what? A saved sinner? We're sinners saved by grace. No, is there anything as a saved sinner?

And went to it. That is a real foreign concept to lots of people who don't go through the identification and the Romans and our crucifying the old man. And then the law. We talked about the law and the Ten Commandments and all this. Yeah. And I said, well, are we under the law? Well, no, well, sort of, maybe, well, you know, and they just, you could see them stumbling over, we're not under the law.

And I went through some of the scripture, and then also in Galatians 3.24 and 3.25, they brought up, well, you know, the law was a tutor. Well, that's 3.24, what does 3.25 say? We have, under faith, we have no need for the tutor anymore. We're not under the tutor anymore, which is the law.

So we had fun. I'm cloning myself, I think, in a mic. It gets into these situations. Telling about when you're in Hawaii and you immediately got into the discussions and people wanting to throw you out. Anyway, so we went through, just going back, we went through who we are in Adam.

And I wanted to go through, and I'll just read it instead of, and actually, what I was going to tell you too was, you need your Bibles out today. We're going to go through a lot of verses, and I don't want to be reading all these verses. And we're going to read them, we're going to have different people read them, and then we'll go through what some of the topics are, some of the ideas that we're going to get out of those verses. have your Bibles ready. Basically, I want to go through, and we've kind of, through the last several months, Mike's gone through Romans 6, and we've kind of looked at it with a microscope, verse-by-verse, and I just want to go back, kind of, and read it as a whole, and kind of put it together instead of verse-by-verse, or section-by-section, or concept-by-concept. I wanted to just read it through And this is related to the old man and the process in Romans 6, 1 through 11.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? In fact, this is one of those discussions last night about law. Well, if we're not under law, are we just supposed to sin? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Again, key verse. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is free from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again. Death no longer is master over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus." Again, just a lot of points in there about our being dead to sin, our crucifying the old man. Those are key concepts, and like I said in our discussions last night, finding how many people don't don't either really believe that or know that. They always want to try and fix up the old man, and I just keep going back to how much the old man just craves to be alive. He will do anything, and to get it under the law, that is where he lives, under the law.

And I just see that when I'm talking to some of these friends last night. You just see it emanating. And I'm the engineer. I need metrics. I need something to I just fit right in there. I want something to do and to have the bar that I know. This is key. I'm finding out more and more, it's key for us to come back to the cross. Mike's preached this for months and I'm really finding that as I talk to friends and other people, how key that is that we come back to the cross.

I think it's William Nee, sums it up this way, and I thought this was kind of good. We are apt to think that what we have done is very bad, but we ourselves are not so bad. God is taking pains to show us that we ourselves are wrong, fundamentally wrong.

The root trouble is the sinner. He must be dealt with. Our sins are dealt with by the blood, but we ourselves are dealt with by the cross. The blood procures our pardon, for what we have done, the cross procures our deliverance from what we are." I thought that was very succinct. We look at the cross and the blood that was shed, and that's the sins. Yeah, our sins were paid for.

But we leave off that other half, and that's what we've been trying to go through in this identification, is our identification with the old man. The cross is critical at that point. We have to get out of that identification with the old man, and that's done at the cross.

Over the next couple of months, we're going to be looking at what we have in our identification. We've gone through Adam. Mike went through a lot on our identification with Christ, but what we decided to do was look at what we have in our identification with Christ. And in Lewis Barry Chafer's Systematic Theology, it comes up with 34 different things that you receive once you are identified with Christ, at the moment you're identified with Christ.

And I want to go over, actually, one more thing. And this is our identification. I thought this was another good one. This is from Miles Stanford and the Hungry Heart. And this is our identification with Christ. We've seen who we are in Adam, and now we're trying to find out who we are in Christ. And I love this.

This was just a few days ago in The Hungry Heart. If you guys have The Hungry Heart, it was 2nd or 3rd of February or something like that. And I thought this was very key, and I had this highlighted, and I think this is what I try to live by or think. Christian progress is not a question of attaining to some abstract standard or of pressing through to some far-off goal. It is wholly a question of seeing God's standard in God's Word.

You advance spiritually by finding out what you really are in Christ, not by trying to become what you hope to be. That goal will never be reached, however earnestly you may strive. conformity, Christ-like. No, I go back to reading the Word and having that intimate relationship with Christ. As I do that, I know who I am. It's not that I'm going to do, as Mike says, the hundred spiritual push-ups and I'll be the better Christian. You advance spiritually by finding out what you really are in Christ, not by trying to become what you hope to be.

I think that's where a lot of us are. I'm going to be the A number one Christian. I'm going to do it by doing 59 things at the church. I'm going to go down to the mission downtown or we just watch the end of the spear, the movie. I'm going to be a missionary in Ecuador and all these different things.

The key is knowing who you really are in Christ. That's the key and that's why we're going through this whole study on identification. Who we are in Adam, severing that. but the important part now is our identification with Christ. So, let's start out with... Again, these are out of Louis Ferry Chafer's systematic theology.

Starting off, what does Ephesians 1.3 guarantee for the believer?

Somebody want to read Ephesians 1.3? I'll start calling any later, but if somebody wants to... Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. So, what is guaranteed for the believer? All spiritual blessings. Should we be asking for more? We can't do it all.

The only reason we ask for more is if we didn't know Exactly. That's the thing. Some of the things, and on the Tuesdays, we beat up some people on the prayer of Jabez and some others, asking for some of these things. When you really look at this, what do we have? We have every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. What more should we be asking for? I looked at, if you look at, I'll give them to you, in Colossians 2, 9 and 10, for in him, in him, and that's going to be a key as we look through a lot of these things, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form, and in him you have been made complete. What more do you need? That we're sort of complete? We're halfway complete? We're 99 and 9 tenths complete?

In him, in him, and that's the key verse, I mean the key phrase, and we'll be looking at a little bit of that in the Ephesians part. And that really made a big difference when we went through the Ephesians actually in the Tuesday study. That in him made a lot more sense and kind of made a lot of things click for me when you look at it in him. And we'll look at some of those as we get into some of the verses today and what that means. Also in Ephesians 3, 3-8, Again, what every believer is guaranteed, and do we need more?

In Ephesians 3.8, to me, the very least of all saints, Paul, the grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.

That's what we have. I mean, we have every spiritual blessing, we're made complete, and we have all the unfathomable riches of Christ. That's what's guaranteed to the believer. That's what we have right now. When you think of the circumstances you go through, all the different things, as Mike was saying about his friend Bob Strom, you have a peace when you know this, when you really realize this, what you have in Christ. It doesn't matter what's going on in the world, your life, or whatever. There is the peace that surpasses all understanding that He has given to you. And that's, I think, realizing what we have in Christ. And that's what we're going to go over for the next several months, is what we have in Christ. And what that peace is generated from, is what we have in Christ. And it's amazing.

I mean, when we go through it, there, Lewis Barry Chafer's got 34 of these. And that's at the instant you know the Lord, what you receive. So, in question two, We're going through this and I had Ingrid test it. There are a few things that may be multiple that you'll look at or don't understand or whatever. We'll look at these. I call them position, possession, the 34 different things that Lewis Barry Chafer had listed that the believer receives. The first one is in the eternal plan of God. There are four different aspects of that. Should we just start, and we'll go this way, around the room to make it easy.

Romans 8.29, 1 Peter 1 and 2.

For those God foreknowned, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Yep, and 30 actually. and those who keep her destined, he also called those he called. He also justified those he justified, he also glorified. Okay.

And thinking of the common phrase, because a couple of these overlap each other, so, and 1 Peter 1 and 2. He lacked, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, true thanking. through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Is this what it means? Yeah. So, do we know what the common... this is in the eternal plan of God. This is one characteristic of it, from those verses. For whom he foreknew, and then who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father? Do we have the answer? Four new, four knowledge. We are foreknown of God. I'll kind of go through and we'll go through some of these verses, but I want to go back to, because these are all kind of in a vein of thought in the eternal plan, and I want to go back to some of the things in Ephesians later, and how this kind of, in my studying, there's always this battle, free will and election, predestination, and a lot of these, you know, we're foreknown by God, and we're elect, we're predestined, and I want to go with that, because I finally, at least in my feeble little mind, figured out how I can justify what I see as free will, our choice to believe, and these verses that show we're predestined, foreknown, and elect, chosen, those type of things.

Second one, 1 Thessalonians 1.4. Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God, Okay. You've got it. Norm, you want to do... We actually did 1 Peter, I think, 1 and 2. Yeah, you want to do Romans 8 through 33?

And then Inger, do you want to do Colossians 3.12?

Titus 1.1?

Romans 8.33?

Push away anything to the charge of God's elect. It is God that justifies. Ingrid, 312? Colossians 312. Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Titus 1-1. Paul, a bond-servant of God, and apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God, and the knowledge of the truth which is according to the government.

Okay, do we have a theme there? Yes. Oh, come on. Do we have... What was the common theme? Elect. Elect or chosen. So, we were foreknown of God, we are now the elect of God, and then Ephesians 1.11, 8, 29, and 30, and then Ephesians 1.5. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.

Romans 8, 29 and 30. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the image of the Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, then he also called, and whom he called, and whom he justified, and whom he justified, and whom he also glorified.

Do we have a theme through there? Okay, in him, also we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined. In love, He predestined us to adoption. And the theme is? Predestined us. Okay, we're predestined. And then the last one. Matthew 22, 14. And Ephesians 1. Three and four. And the theme is? Yes, Erica? Chosen. Chosen, yes. I want to go back now.

One of the things, and this has been one of those deals that had just kind of rocketed in my brain for a long time. How do you, and Mike and I have battled many a time on this, but I think we've come to, he's helped me out a lot on predestined, elect, chosen, called, all these different things. We'll get to actually the last one is called, but chosen, predestined, elect, And I struggle with that, because I see we're to believe, and I don't think, this is my own, how do we balance these verses that clearly say, predestined, selected, chosen, all these things, foreknown, and when you look at it in Ephesians, and when you look at a lot of those things, and in a lot of the verses, the way I reconcile it is, It's the in-him part that allows us to be predestined, selected, chosen, called. And the way I see it, the way I reconciled it finally was, in-him.

Okay, once we are in-him, all those things are true. Predestined, foreknown, all those things that, you know, called, selected, chosen, in-him. It's kind of like once we enter into him, All that is true of Christ is true of us. Well, we always look to the front, but what about backwards? If that's the case, we've been foreknown in Him as much as Christ has been foreknown by God. So, once we're in Him, we're predestined, we're selected, we're chosen, we're all these things.

Mine is that once you believe, and we'll get to actually kind of a deal, I think the Lord brings you to a point where it's right there and you almost have to believe. But you still have to believe. And once you do that, you enter into Him, and then all that's true of Him, and that's what we've been going through, all that's true of Him is true of you. in the future, but everything in the past. So that's why all these verses about chosen, the eternal plan of God, all those different things, apply to us. Because Christ was foreknown. Christ, the predestination, all the things that were destined, all those different things, are true of Him, now become true of us. struggle with from time to time too.

Our mutual friend Bob Strachan kind of talked through that with himself. Because what balances for me is God is not willing that any parish at all should come to Christ where that church is located. And so once we are, there's others that say we are predestined ahead of our being in Christ. It's like we're predestined that we will accept Christ. And that's the element I've struggled with, balancing it with God's not willing that any should perish but all come to Him.

So, once we're in Christ, all like you're saying, that's how I balance that. See, and I think that's key. That's why all this thing about identification is so important to us. It's the same concept. that we were crucified, buried, risen, and seated. There's a verse a thousand years ago that says that. Yeah, but it applies to us. But it applies to us now, after. See, and that's why, again, I just go back to why the importance of this class.

You know, our identification in Adam, but the important part is our identification in Christ. You know, the first fuma of the month was, you know, how ugly we are in Adam. And our identification, we can't wash it off, as I said, you can't choose not to be an Adam when you're born. But then our identification in Christ, what that means and what that entails.

Everything that applies to Christ applies to us. What's true about Him is true about us. So all that happened in the same day that we're looking back 2,000 years ago and all this other stuff. To him, all that applied to me. And yet the other one on the cross, he died alone.

I was thinking about your discussion with your friends about how tough it is to get away from the law. We're so attracted to the law because it keeps us alive. As we enter into this position in Christ, it eliminates the old man, which eliminates the law, and therein lies the struggle. It would betray, in my own mind, my desire to stay, my Adamic old man, to stay alive by being legal. I am in Christ, and I I accept by faith predestined calls and all of that. It means that I have to abandon God to live in that. There isn't a metric for you. There isn't a thing for the old man to do. And that is what's key.

And it is interesting to start talking to people when you start really gravitating into getting a hold of this and the identification and the Roman study. I think Romans are just really key in finding more and more bring us back to the cross. And I could just see that in him.

I mean, I got a lot of yes, I understand, but. Yeah, I understand, but. Yeah, I understand, but. And the only one given the buts is the old man. All I can say is, I'm here, I'm alive, let me live. I just could sense that. As we got into the discussions, it got more and more that it was like, I can just see how the old man wants to stay alive, and the only way he stays alive is through the law, and some kind of thing, merit or something, that gives him something to be alive. And as we become more conformed to Christ, You know, the old man just, I think, screams harder and louder. But as you realize who you are in Christ, you can begin to identify the old man, I think, more and more, and that need for survival. And like I said, when you talk to people and he really gets into it...

Wow, that's the bell already? Man. Yeah, yeah. You know, I got it. We got to crack. I got to tell you, Mike, it's so funny. It angered, angered. She's quiet over there. But we always crack up. Was that the second bill? And here the first one was the second one. There is no there is no bill. So I was trying to figure out how I could do that. Is it time now? I know.

Anyway, a lot of those things about the predestination, all that, I found in Ephesians, in the first chapter alone, the term in him is found six times. And that really helped me. When you look at it, everything is related to in him, our identification with him. And that's why it's so important while we're going through this, in the identification, all those things are true of us.

And from Lewis Perry Chaffer, he has, as far as New Testament terms have been traced, the words predestination, elect, and chosen, are not used of those whom God has selected for salvation when still in their unregenerate state." So it's for those who are in Christ. And so it's not for, as many people apply, there's just a select one. I don't know if it was him or somebody else who said if that was true and God put a yellow stripe down the back, you'd go in London and lift every coattail See, if it was already selected and elected, you just go to find whoever has the mark or whatever and that's fine.

But there's still, I think, this combines that element of what we have to do. We have to believe. Ultimately, we have to believe this is true. And then once we do that, all that's true of us. and all this predestination selection. That really helped me as far as trying to kind of weigh that balance between predestination, selection, chosen, all those different terms. And Lewis Barry Chaffer agrees that those aren't for the unregenerate. That's for those who know Christ and are in Him.

Last one real quick. E, First Thessalonians, who are we up to? Okay, First Thessalonians 524. First Thessalonians 524, I think, number E. Oh, I didn't have E. Well, I have E on here. I guess this was a late-breaking one. Yeah, I told Ingrid to tell me. This is the reverse. I said it last time. You know, I missed a question. I kind of went by it. And now this is the reverse. I added one. So I told her, scream if I miss a question. Well, this is worse. Last one was 1 Thessalonians 524. Faithful is he who calls you, and he also will bring it to pass. So you are called also. That's the last, add one, e, called.

And also from Lewis Barry Chafer, reference in all this discussion is to an effectual call, such as indicated in Romans 8.30, implying that God not only gives an invitation, but inclines the heart to glad acceptance of it. So again, with that predestination and all that, this is where the call, you're brought to that point where you ultimately have to believe in Him and then being called. All right, now I think of down to number three.

From 2 Corinthians 5.18 and 20 Colossians 1.20, Romans 5.10, what is the believer's position, possession, what's the second thing?

And who are we up to? We're over. Are you there? Okay. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to which that God was comprised, reconciling the word unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

And last one, therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as through God we're entreating this, or through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. The next zip, Colossians 119 and 20. Yeah, that's why I do it electronically up here. It's a whole lot easier. through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross. Through him I say, for the things on earth are things in heaven. Okay. Mike, 10-11. For if when you were enemies you were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, you shall be saved by his life. Okay. Do we have... And the word is? Reconciliation. Bingo! We have a winner.

Now, you know, I try and do this in my test animals, Ingrid and the rest. In question number four, for position possession number two, which is reconcile, What are the different aspects shown in 2 Corinthians 18 and 19 and Colossians passages versus the Romans and 2 Corinthians passages? It's a subtle difference. Did anybody look at that or get that? Ingrid failed on the way. So I'm thinking many have failed here. The 2 Corinthians 18 and 19, the Colossians passage, it's reconciled.

And like I said, it's just a subtle difference, but it's kind of an interesting one. There are two different aspects of it. The Corinthians and Colossians passage, it's reconciled by God. We are reconciled by God. And then the Romans and the 2 Corinthians 520 passages, we're reconciled to God. So it's just a subtle difference. We're reconciled by him, but then once we're reconciled, we're reconciled to him. So it's just kind of a subtle difference on the two. And now the million dollar question. What does reconciled mean?

Sort of. You know, I looked at it. Anybody else? Thoughts? To make true, if you reconcile your books, for instance, you make them true. Right. In fact, I think, wasn't that, I think it was, was this the one that was like a manifest, was this Reconciled or is it, she would talk about it at some point, it's like a reconciliation is like an accounting or something, but I looked up, do you have? No, that's Reckon. Reckon, yeah. Sort of. Any others? Yeah, that's, I think, getting close, right?

The Greek is katalagne. Horrible, you know, long time since we had Greek. It's to exchange or restoration to. is the Greek. There's also katalaso, which is another one, to change mutually. So, it's basically restoration or bringing back to, Webster's Dictionary, to cause to be friendly or harmonious again, adjust or settle differences, or to bring to submission or acceptance. So, it's basically restoration or bringing back to, I remember one of the important things about this word is that God is not reconciled to us. Right. Well, yeah, and that's why the two differences were reconciled by God and were reconciled to him. Yeah, so yeah, it's not us bringing God and that's why the subtle difference between those passages, one reconciled by him, but were reconciled to him.

And that's the key, we'll restore to Him. Alright, position, possession number three, redeemed. Now we do it again. What does redeemed mean? I thought that was kind of interesting, actually, from the Webster's Dictionary. I went up and looked at this one. What does redeemed mean? Yes? Which one is it, buy back? Which one is it? Yeah, sort of. Ransom. Because the opposite of it would be condemned. Yeah. So we're accepted and saved. Doing it without the Webster. Yeah, I just looked up Webster. I kind of look at those and the Greek and all the different things. And I was fascinated by the Webster's. Mike, did you have? Right.

It's a ransom or payment for. And Webster's is kind of interesting when you read in Webster's. To recover property by discharging an obligation to ransom free or rescue by paying a price. I thought that was a very good one. to ransom, free, or rescue by paying a price. Third, to free from the consequences of sin. I was in Webster's. I was kind of impressed by that. To remove the obligation of by payment. Or the sixth, to atone for. So, kind of interesting in Webster's that they had to free from the consequences of sin in there. Now, is this redemption? were redeemed. Is this the redemption talked about?

Is it universal or individual? Does this apply to Mike's friend across from the White House over here or just to us? Deafly silent. What was that? So it's universal? Is it individual? Bingo! It's both. My coach brings out the guy in the White House next door. Is it for him? Yes.

For the universal, I just picked up John 3, 16 and 17. Then if you look in Romans, 323 and 325, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. Again, so all, it's the all characteristic, so it's universal.

Then the individual side, in Colossians 1, 14 and 15, in whom we have redemption, who we, individually, have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. And then 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19, knowing that you, individually, were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood as of a lamb, unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. And then the last one, Galatians 3, 13 and 14, Christ redeemed us individually from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. So again, the concept of the redeeming, it applies to the world, but more importantly, it applies to us individually.

And there's also, I'll point it out too, there's also a third kind of aspect of it. There's a future redemption for the believer when we're redeemed. Wow! I heard the first bell. So there's also a future redemption too, a redemption when we shirk these shells and step into eternity.

Is this a position to be sought or secured by faithfulness? Redeemed. Is this a position to be sought or secured by faithfulness? It is secured by faith. Yeah, by faith. But, you know, basically, is it anything we do? No. No. It already happened. It's done. That's the thing. It's done. Redeemed. Wow. Number seven.

From Romans 8.1. Well, let's see. Who are we up to? Are we in the back there? Erica? Erica? She loves public speaking. 8-1.

John 5, 24. 1 Corinthians 11, 32. We will not be condemned in this world. And John 3.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And our fourth position, possession. No condemnation. Yeah, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

You know, how many times do we put ourselves back under condemnation? I do it all the time. You know, I'm the poster child for that, I think. You know, I think many times how, and again, I think this puts us, who does that is the old man, by putting us back under the law and condemn. What was the law brought here for, or why was the law? here for? To condemn us. So, if we're not under condemnation, we're not under the law, it fits. What do we typically do? Man, I think I've told you this several times.

I beat myself up so many times because I just cannot memorize scripture very well. I just cannot do it. My little engineering brain, just for some reason, it doesn't do it very well. And I used to just beat myself up, thinking I'm not spiritual because all these great brothers go and they can quote verses left and right and I can't do it. I know verses but I don't know where they are. I mean, I can quote them but it's like, yes, I think that's Galatians, I think 1, 2, 5, I don't know.

So I used to beat myself up a lot and then I started to think about it. Why am I doing that? And a lot of this is that condemnation. It's the spiritual push-ups. I think I have to memorize. It's not that I don't spend time, it's just that I can't memorize. It used to beat me up so much. To me, I just kept going back to, this is the condemnation, this is the law, this is the old man screaming at me, going, you need to do that, you need to do that. Well, if you're in the Word and doing it, and I just can't memorize it, I got off this beating myself up. There is no condemnation. There isn't that condemnation. That's just in my personal life, that's this no condemnation.

Everybody has things that they, the laws that the old man tries to put them back under, that metric, that little thing you have to do or you think you had to do. You know, gee, I should have gone down to the soup kitchen this week and helped. Or, you know, I think of when Mike talks about going down to the mission, you know, downtown and all that, you know, you just have to do that. Well, you know, missionaries, some are called to do that and that's what they want to do and that's their calling.

You shouldn't feel guilty. Like I said, we watched this movie, End of the Spear, if you've watched that movie. It's about the missionaries down in Ecuador. More power to them. That's their desire and what they want to do. I don't have a desire to go get speared by somebody in Ecuador. That wasn't my calling. God bless them, that's what they do. But I shouldn't beat myself up for the fact that that's their calling, what they want to do.

And I think this whole thing of condemnation, we always put ourselves back under condemnation. And these verses, we've got to believe what we're reading. Therefore, there is now no condemnation. And I'm just afraid that most of us put ourselves back under this condemnation repeatedly. and therefore there is no condemnation now. Last question, we made it to the finish line here, I think.

It also comes along with life in Christ. Life in Christ includes no condemnation. Right, is there any condemnation? It's not just no condemnation. It's in Him. The new creation, is there condemnation for the new creature? Condemnation is under law, or is a new creation under law?

No. So yeah, I go back to, and I've said this a bunch of times, a lot of the verses we read today have in Him, in Him, in Him, in Him, in Him, in Him. That's our identification with Him, and everything that's true about Him is true of us. Exactly. If it's true of Him, it's true of us. So is Christ under the law? Is Christ condemned? No. So if Christ isn't, our identification with Him says we are not either. And like I said, I just find a lot of times the old man is the guy who just wants to keep jumping under the law, condemning, guilt, all these different things.

And in Christ, there is no condemnation. Last one. This is an easy one. Are any of the four position possessions attributed to us when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ above based on our merits or behavior? And the answer is no. This is the thing we receive immediately by identification with Christ. It's not something that we have to do. I want to close here. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time. We thank you for all the time that we can spend in your Word.

We just thank you again for all these possessions that we have. in Christ, and that's what we have right now. We don't have to wait. It is something that you have given us as soon as we believed in your Son. We thank you for your love, your care, your grace, your mercy, and just your intimate knowledge of us. Father, we thank you that you've left us with the Holy Spirit and your Word so we can come to know you more and more. We thank you just for that ability to look in your word and just to see your son. Father, we just commit this day to you in Jesus' name. Amen.