It Starts Small

There are three critical elements of salvation: death, burial and resurrection. Nothing but faith in the person and work of Jesus is sufficient to reconcile us to God and save us from our sin. The key truths of the gospel are believing that Jesus was buried and was raised on the third day. Jesus was born into the race that He, Himself created to pay the price for our sin.

When we are saved by faith, we are positioned IN Christ. We are taken from being in Adam’s fallen race and transferred into Christ’s Body – a new creation in Him! We are bought and paid for by the blood of Christ and become adopted sons and daughters to our Heavenly Father. We are given a new identity and that identity is with all that He is and all that He has done. 

Paul writes: I have been crucified with Christ. He is saying my old fleshly self was crucified with Jesus when He died on the cross. Our old sin, which God’s Word often says in the “old man,” was crucified with Jesus.

We are the physical seed of Adam and because Adam sinned, we are all impute with making us all sinners. In the same way, we are now spiritual seeds of Christ’s spiritual race. Being His spiritual seed, we are imputed with His righteousness making us the righteousness of God in Christ, by faith. 

Our death in Christ, is the death of the fleshly part of us, the old man, the sin nature. The old me died with Christ and severed all the connections I have with my old sin nature. By faith, I am now apart of a new creation in Christ which means death now longer has power over me. Sin, Satan, and the Law no longer have power over me because I am dead to sin, dead to the law, dead to self, and dead to satan. I still live in this fallen body, my sinful nature lusts against my new life in Christ, but Christ as set me free!
 
For this glorious reason, we can say with Paul, I have been crucified with Christ; and no longer is it I that lives, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in Jesus who loves me and died for me. 

The more we die to self, the more we live for Him. God’s mercy for us, HIs love and compassion for us, is renewing each day when we remember who we are and who we identify with. We are His sons and daughters. No one can take that away from us. No one can take away our identity in Christ. No one can steal it or abuse it or use it. It is our own identity. 

We can find renewing in our hearts by knowing who we are in and with Christ.