Ephesians - All those terms: In Adam, In Christ, Old Man, New Man, part 2

Brad got you going on this last week and today I'm kind of going to, we're going to use that first slide he said, he showed last weekend. I think it's an absolutely tremendous, I've redrawn it, modified it a little bit, but I thought it had tremendous merit. Now I'm not sure where he got this. Is this a HAL diagram or is this something Brad came up with or? Well, again, I put some color in it and I kind of redesigned a few parts of it.

But what you have from last week's lesson, if you want to pick that up at the back. is really what we have here, and I've added, I think, something very important to this, and that's the Holy Spirit, because in the absence of the Holy Spirit, this whole in Christ, new man, new nature doesn't get activated.

If you think about that a little bit in Romans 7, I mean Romans 6 has all of the identification truths in terms of what we're going to be discussing today going forward that you need, but Romans 7 is what happens subsequent to all these truths being made known to Paul. And so the Romans 7 experience really reflects the sin nature moving into the pathway of the new life. So Romans 8 is there's now therefore no condemnation of those that are in Christ Jesus. And then we learn all about the Holy Spirit as to how he activates the Christian life.

So I mean I'm not being critical of what Brad put together, but I've been sensing the need for the Holy Spirit really to be lifting us up in our position and in our condition to allow the Christ life really to be lived out. So let's go through this diagram a little bit more this morning, and then what I'm going to do is we're going to drill down on each of the six terms at the top, all those terms. We're going to drill down on each of those six and scripturally support them. Last week, Brad kind of gave you the big view. and kind of describe kind of the practical applications of these terms in terms of our day-to-day lives. But today, we're going to provide a scriptural backbone for each of these terms. All right, so let's look at the diagram. What impresses you about the diagram most? What's that girl? What impresses you about the diagram most? And I'm not talking about the art. The what?

All right, you like the separated from. OK, I kind of like that too. Separated in Adam, we're separated from God. But in Christ, we're separated from law, the sin nature in the world. we could put Satan there, too. Although Satan's influence is all about us, but so is the world's influence all about us. So I think you could put Satan there, too, because his power over us is not to be demonstrated.

I think it's sufficient probably right there as it is and I didn't modify that. I thought Brad had captured that well and clearly in Adam we're separated from God but does the world who's in Adam who are unbelievers really understand that principle at all? 90% of Americans believe that there's a God? Isn't that correct? Aren't the statistics overwhelmingly saying there is a God? But yet scripturally most of these people are separated from God biblically. They wouldn't necessarily believe that.

What else impresses you about the diagram? I like the center where it says the person is the same. Your body, your personality, your identity. I would be loud whether I was... This is true. It's just part of my personality. And we don't need to talk privately about this either. No, I mean, I think Brad's example last week, or at least in the printed handout, was that if you like ice cream before you're saved, you're likely going to like ice cream after you're saved.

I mean, the idea of our identity and our personality and our physical body doesn't change by our salvation, right? That's who we are. I mean, the world looks at us as who we are based on our body, our personality, and our identity. That doesn't change once we're saved. It's just the receptacle we plugged our life into, right?

Okay, good, Mario. I like that, too. It really shows the continuity of the person exists in both environments. What else about the diagram is worthy of further discussion? I kind of like old man all of who you were and new man all of who you are. Isn't that really relevant? It doesn't say all you used to be doing and all that I'm doing now. It's who we are. And that's positionally in Adam and in Christ. And the old man is all of you and who you were in Adam, and the new man is all of who you are in Christ.

It's not what you do, it's who you are. And as I've said so many times, once you know who you are, then what you do is evidence of who you are. Should I say that again? It's not what you do, it's who you are. And once your spirit led to understand who you are and what you do is exemplary of who you are. So the life gets lived out based on who we are, not what we do and not who we were.

Okay, some other thoughts about that. where the sin nature is placed relative to the old man. Okay. Matt, expand on that. What are your thoughts? I mean, that sin nature is still this dotted line, right? It kind of gets there, and I think the diagram really so importantly demonstrates that sin nature doesn't die.

But one, it's part and it's endemic to the old man. It is. The new man has been replaced. And I moved out of this new man and it's been replaced by a new nature. Yet there's still some proximity there. There's still the sin nature in our lives. It's just not part of this new creature that we are.

Great. Roger. Somewhere in there is probably a volition switch, I guess. Actually, that's exactly what I'm saying. One of the key things is there's separation between the sin nature and the new nature. And so this is another way of not having a switch. I would have loved Hal's switch.

It said that you could hang out over there. Which might lead you to think, well, can I really? Some probably have a red button. You might think that, well, can I really hang out? This is a new man. It doesn't seem like that. It's increasing. Hal's picture had the switch that said I can kind of go there. You might have some question about that. Pictures are always somewhat lacking sometimes.

And I'm not an engineer. You know the other thing that it tells you, and you'll see this statement from a lot of folks who say we're sinners. Well if you're in Christ, that's not your identity. Not exactly. I want to challenge the concept of this switching because that's almost into this theology of I have a choice kind of deal and I'd like to portray it as a life. and a life in crisis lived by faith. It's not a choice. Let me play this out very practically.

If there's an issue that you're repeatedly guilty of and you're going to work on that, not doing it and make the right choice, you're almost kind of defeated before you go there, aren't you? I mean, the power of the spirit and the new nature lifts you up above that experience. But the neat thing is that this sin nature has a dotted line around it because it doesn't belong here and it doesn't affect our position in any way. It just influences our new nature and that walk that spirit led.

Yeah, Roger. Another thing is that, actually I remember when Hal had his picture, he would draw, sometimes he'd draw two pictures. He'd draw a positional picture, which wouldn't have a sin nature, and then he'd draw a conditional picture, which would. And when you try to draw both position and condition there, it's tough to do it. It's tough to convey that. If you look at the diagram from last week, Brad's got these two overlapping some. And I think that's conceptually the way you like it. I like this all separated from the sin nature entirely.

The only reason the sin nature gets over on the right side of the slide is that our walk is influenced by our sin nature. And that's the position and condition. Yeah. And by the way, everybody, you know this well, the sin nature never leaves us. I mean, this idea of, you know, I'm saved now, I'm going to work for God to show him that I'm a new creature. Wrong. You know, the faith is you are a new creature. What's now that walk look like? By faith. It's not let go, let God. The Christian life is lived by faith. Just like getting saved. I was saved. I'm being saved. I will be saved.

All by faith. Great diagram. It may not be perfect, but you engineers can redesign it however you want. I'm just one of those doctors and those doctor types. I have a gun with me, Roger. Would you like to use it? Yeah, yeah, Tom. On that last thing you said... The gun? No, I'm not a part of it.

There's another phrase that comes over that same thought. Better is the enemy of good. When you're trying to engineer something so perfect in such a short time, so much time in engineering so that it looks even better still, it delays everything else in the process. Amen. Tom, that in its own right is a complicated statement. It's almost engineer-like is what it is. But before we depart from the diagram, you know, I must admit, until this lesson, or at least until I think it was Nancy actually brought this to my attention, you know, these terms, I think Brad mentioned this last week, are critically important.

And you know when we say our old man, my old man made me do it, well in a sense the old man's been crucified, right? So the old man's before God is gone. Now we have a sin nature, but I think that's what we're talking about, these falling shorts of the glory of God in our lives, our lack of faith exemplified by our acts, our deeds, our thoughts are all sin nature stuff. Adam's been crucified. So the old man's out of the picture before God. So when we say it's my old man that made me do it, we may be technically correct, but before God, the old man's a done deal. So just in terms of correct theology and sharing really what scripture would suggest, the sin nature is what we're sourced in when we fall short of his glory.

And the old man is obviously wherein the sin nature is founded. But before God, the old man's been crucified. The permanent punishment of the old man, of course, in terms of the sin nature being exemplified, will not occur till we leave these bodies. That sin nature never changes. Yes, Marilyn.

I mean, you have to separate it from the law, sin, and the world. But you don't have the world and the law. And I'm just thinking if the Well, I mean, as we think about the three components of the old man in terms of the domain which he exists in, we think of Satan, the world system, and the sin nature, right? Those are the three, if you will, enemies of God in the godly life. Well, the world really appeals to the sin nature. Yeah, I mean, so we're separated from the ways of the world, the cosmos, the kind of the operational system of the world, which often and usually is anti-God.

In fact, in the book of Daniel, we're studying that in our Friday night Bible study. Now, we had a great time on Friday night. I mean, Nebuchadnezzar, if you will, is the world system represented in one man. And we're drilling down on him in terms of describing him and his mood and his thoughts and his goals and his his egotistical ways.

And so the world system is really cosmos against God in his ways. So I think all these operate together. The law appeals to the old man and we know the old man fails the legal system. But in Christ the new man and new nature is free from the law and the penalty of the law. and obedience to the law, and the sin nature obviously fits in with the old man in terms of being under a legal system.

You know, again, I didn't modify on the right. I think as Roger pointed out, we could maybe change and modify that some, and Satan could probably be there too. And by the way, Hebrews 2.14 says unequivocally that Satan's been dealt with once and for all. In fact, let's turn to that a second.

Hebrews 2.14. It's a verse that I like to go to just to know that Satan has been dealt with, even though none of us would believe that. Someone like to read that, please? 2.14.

For as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part in the same, that through death he might destroy him Isn't that great? I mean to think that Satan is alive and well. Satan is alive and well through his power over the world system and in terms of the sin nature. But before God, Satan's been crucified also.

It's just now time. God's timetable is not ours in terms of when ultimately the lake of fire will be his fate. Tom, you look like you have a question. OK. All right. So again, we could tweak this in a lot of ways, but I think diagrammatically it reasonably well represents all these terms and kind of where we're at scripturally with these terms. So now what I'd like to do is really kind of go to the word of God and look at these terms in more detail to make sure we're cementing these scripturally in our minds.

Old man, 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, both positional truth and conditional truth, right? Positionally, the old man's been crucified and we with him, our old man. And so therefore, because sin has been destroyed before God, in the Adam nature, we shouldn't serve sin. Conditionally, right? Everybody okay with that one?

Next verse, 2 Corinthians 5.17, focusing on the old man here, therefore if any man be in Christ, we're going to come back to the new man a little later. He is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. So this man, if any man, he had old things that are now passed away. That old man is history before God. All done with. So again, God sees us in Christ, not in our old man.

Next verse, Ephesians 4.22. that she put off concerning the former conversation, the old man. In other words, everything about old Adam, the old man is being to be done away with. And it qualifies this behavior as corrupt according to deceitful lusts. All right. So the old man is corrupt, deceitful lusts.

The verb here is second aorist, middle voice, infinitive mood. Before you look at your handout and answer my question, what does that technical language in terms of the verb tense mean to us here? All right. So it's each one of us as the subject performing the act upon him or herself, believing that it's true. So, second heiress generally one time. I mean, I can't really argue why heiress tense here, but what do you think, Roger?

Actually, I think that this one, there's another one in Ephesians 4 there. Actually, this is a past completed action. It actually gives the impression that this is something you should be doing, but I think in reality it's stating something that's already happened. Well, that's because the old man's been crucified, right? So middle voice is kind of that... And the infinitive move, we're believing that this is true when in fact we accept this task for our Christian lives. Put off concerning meanings, you know, believe that in fact you can put it off expecting that the results are forthcoming because by faith that's what God has revealed.

And Colossians 3.9, lie not one to another seeing that you put off the old man with his death. And this old man has shown up, you know, for the believer in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 in terms of a potential source of a life that's not consistent with God's ways. And we're being told that basically our old man's crucified. So what's this old man behavior doing here? All right? And you know what?

I will just say something I was just thinking about in that Ephesians 4.2.

The thing is that when we're saved, the second we're saved, the millisecond we're saved, whatever that is, you know, this happens to us right then. And so, even though it says that we're doing it upon ourselves, it's more believing that it's done because we didn't save ourselves. So therefore, God did the saving, and that event of the old man being taken care of happened at that very millisecond. Yeah, we go there, and so then it's really a matter of believing what the word has said about our salvation.

That's right. That's really true. That has happened. And so it's more not put on this... It's not something for you to do. It's something you realize. Yeah, it's just for something that you realize has happened to you and so you believe that emphatically that that event took place. Alright, and that's the act of faith, is it not? Right. Define faith again.

Don't go to Hebrews 11.1 for me, although I like it. Faith is simplistically believing what God has revealed. That's simple. And is all this true or not? I mean, we can't just conditionally accept that some things as being true and other things not being true. I mean, the Jew loves to accept the Lord part of the Red Sea, right? But, you know, they're selected in what they believe, right?

But we believe here that were crucified, Adam's been crucified, were new creations before God, and the old man has a behavior, but we need to believe that that's no longer relevant. Alright, in Adam. Let's go back to Genesis, that's where it all started, isn't it? And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of your wife. I love blaming the wife here.

They were parts of Genesis 3.15. And hast eaten of the tree. of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for thy sake, and sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, and all the days of our life." Right? I mean, you know, we in fact, as many verses indicate, Romans 5 is just rich in this, isn't it? 5.14, Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned, after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him. there was to come.

And then we've got these series of verses, Romans 5.15, but not as the offense, also as the free gift, for if through the offense of one man many be dead, that means the many, meaning everybody.

5.16, and not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift, for the judgment was by one the condemnation. We're all in the Adam race. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, 5.17, 18, therefore, as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation. 19, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. And 1 Corinthians 15, 22, for as in Adam all die.

I mean, is there any question that we're in Adam? And he's the source of human existence in terms of our relationship to God, well-founded scripturally. And boy, you know, I don't know how many times you've conversed with the unbeliever who's carrying out, to some extent, an intellectual conversation with you.

He or she might say, why do I have to inherit the Adam nature? What's that all about? What did I do to deserve this? Have you ever had that conversation with people? In a sense, from an intellectual perspective, it is a real question. So how do you answer that?

Why do I have to inherit Adam's nature? Is that fair? It's not fair, it's just genetic. Well, is there a gene for the atom nature? Let's clone that gene and mutate it, right? Yeah, knock it out. My work relates to genetically modifying mice, so we knock out that sin gene. All right. Well, you know, the thing about...

See, the world, I think, views God as being so unjust and unfair in this kind of situation. But where does that thought process come from, from the world? That we deserve something. Or a sense of entitlement. That we're worth something. Because they don't understand that they have a sin nature. They think everybody's inherently good. And what else is it sourced in? One of the three great sins of 1 John 2.

Yeah, it really is. We want to bring something to the table, don't we? We think we have some worth. And in a sense it ties into entitlement. But, I mean, my brother lived to the very end feeling he didn't need a savior because his life reflected a good life. It's pride. Our pride separates us from the Lord. Lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. I would say all three of those are easy to fall into, but that pride of life is something we all carry to some extent in that old man, new nature, or old nature scenario.

Sin nature. I found it very interesting. That exact term is not found in scripture. The term sin nature is not there. We use that, we have it on the diagram, but that was the title of the class I was given here today. I didn't make this up. I just want to put out that this is sourced from the old man. In the diagram we see in Adam we have a sin nature that's part of the old man and his ways. That all fits very nicely and conceptually into the diagram that's been nicely worked out. And so let's go to scripture and see how this might be defended.

So Romans 2.14 says, for when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature, their own nature, things contained in the law, these having not the law are law unto themselves. That's a beautiful verse if you think about, you know, the legal system was written for whom? For Israel, right? Not the Gentile. But here it says, when the Gentiles themselves put themselves under a legal kind of system, and that could be any kind of legal system, ultimately they're falling into that nature that would allow them to respond legally. So in a sense, that nature is consistent with needing to be condemned and needing to carry out a behavior that's pleasing to God.

That nature is the sin nature. Basically all sin comes from pride. All sin comes from pride? All sin. You think you can handle it. It doesn't matter what it is, you can get back to pride. Would anyone like to argue with that statement? All sin comes from pride. Well, in Adam, so we're born in Adam in the pride, so that six-week-old baby is proud?

He thinks he can get what he wants from his parents. Yes. It only takes him about three hours to figure that out. It's amazing. I think it comes with patience. Yeah, you know, those of you who are parents, many of you are, I mean, it doesn't take you very long to sense that your kid's in Adam, does it? I mean, within sometimes hours or the first day of their birth, you know, this whole self-serving behavior. Of course, they're very dependent. It's hard to really claim they're guilty in Adam, but in fact, that's scriptural. I mean, they're born in Adam. They have to naturally be demanding or they wouldn't get enough attention. There you go.

Galatians 4.8, how be it then when we knew not God, we did service unto them by the nature are no gods, which by nature are no gods. So kind of a verse that I think supports it to some extent. When we didn't know God, we in fact did service unto them, which by nature are no gods. You probably have to look at this in context, but it's kind of the fact that the nature that we have really is naturally disobedient. to God Almighty.

We'll go back and look at that in detail. Back to the book of Ephesians. Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath. So even though sin nature, the term sin nature is not in scripture, we kind of have verses like this that kind of ultimately allow us to comfortably... Let's go back for a second to sin nature.

I've always liked the way to approach sin nature is looking at the sin singular versus sin plural contrast. And even though that doesn't say sin nature either, it does help you to say that the sin You could equate, like in Romans there, Romans 6, 7, and 8, where you see the sin, the definite article, you could say, well, I could actually put in the sin nature in place of that, because that's talking about the... So there's another way to... This is really great with the nature, but there's also another way to do it, looking at the sin singular as well.

The sin. Good point, Roger. That's all. That's all I want to do. I should have called you yesterday. All right, and now we're going to transition into the right side of that diagram, the new man. So plenty of support here, particularly in being in Christ. And we'll just look at verses that exemplify that biblical truth.

So here's the other part of 2 Corinthians 5.17. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things are becoming new. So that's the new man in Christ.

Ephesians 4.24, and you put on the new man which after God's created in righteousness and true holiness. Positional truth, but here enacting our condition.

Colossians 3.10, and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Now, in Christ or in him, it's interesting when I started to get into these truths about in Christ and in him. In Christ or in him is like 170 some times in the New Testament, and for Christ or for him is like three times. Most Christians think they're working for Christ, but in fact the preposition is totally trumped by in. And so we're going to just look at a glimpse of these today, ones that I think really exemplify this truth.

Mark 9.41 I found kind of interesting, because this is obviously a synoptic gospel account. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And this, I suggest, is the true reward, isn't it? the things done in him.

And I think this is almost prophetic. I mean, because at that time, you know, people were not in Christ. I mean, that's a post-cross term. But yet here this implies that in my name, because you belong to him, and that doesn't mean just simply being a disciple, I think. I think it has much more prophetic implications.

He won't lose his reward. That doesn't mean I'm doing something for Christ to give somebody a cup of water because I'm going to get a reward. This is that nature played out in the life of the individual believer. The true reward are the things that are not wood, hay, and stubble. By the way, I believe this sincerely. I think the true rewards in our lives are not things we're paying attention to in ourselves because when we're starting to take credit for our good deeds, ultimately that may be wood, hay, and stubble and the power of the old man.

Romans 8.1.2, I've said this already. There's therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. In Christ, not in Adam. In Christ, no condemnation. And remember God sees us in Christ. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and death. So that right side of the slide, separated from law and sin.

Romans 8.10, and if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. In Christ, the body being dead, meaning Adam crucified, and the spirit bringing righteousness through us.

But of him, I love this verse in terms of the relationship, the identification, But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Boy, talk about identification truth, right? In Christ were wise, righteous, sanctified, and redeemed. In him. 1 Corinthians 15, 22, for as Adam all die, but even so in Christ shall all be made alive. We're alive. Eternally.

2 Corinthians 2.14 Now thanks be unto God which always causes us to triumph in Christ and makes manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place.

2 Corinthians 5.17 Again, therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new preacher. All old things are passed away.

I will end here shortly. Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. Back to Ephesians, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Boy, how far short we sell this one, don't we? I mean, again, we're seen entirely in Christ. Our sin is uninfluential before our Heavenly Father.

And positionally, we really can lay our head on this pillow of just rest and peace. That's where the Christian life really begins. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 John 5.20 We know that the Son of God has come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Ephesians 1.3.4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. So that takes verse 3 and continues it further. that we've been chosen in him before the foundation. I could have just put that entire two verse section earlier. And Philippians 3, to be found in him and not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. And these sections, by the way, are just loaded within him repeatedly. So Colossians 2, 6-10, 1 John 2, 4-10, 1 John 3, 3-9, and 1 John 4, 13-16. In him, it's just there. In those four sections of Scripture, you'll probably find it 20 to 25 times.

So we could go on and on and on. But aren't you amazed about, despite the repeated emphasis on this important truth in scripture where organized Christianity is today on this. It isn't amazing. I would suspect if we were in 90% of churches right now, these truths are if not dampened, unexistent, right, in terms of what's being taught.

Bob, I'm almost, as you were going through the in-hymn, there's also the word with, and I think it's also a very revealing of our identity, or how we're brought through the process, Colossians 3, you know, if then we've been raised up with Christ, by Christ, and there's a lot of with there, so I would say that's only scratching at the surface of this idea of what our identity is. So this theology of in him, in Christ, with Christ, how does that theology play out in terms of our Christian life? What is the importance and the benefit of having this type of view? All right, so the in Christ reflects the way we deal with the calamities and trials and tribulations that come our way.

Okay, that's good. What else? One term that Jeremy said is very freeing. Freeing. There's no chains, right? There's no bonds. What else? Well, you begin to understand your your position. I mean, you realize that you have a different position than what your condition is.

And I think so many Christians that I know don't have a clue. And sometimes I'll say, you know, we're seated with the Lord at the right hand right now. We're there. And so all of this that's going on down here, people are so upset about all the political stuff that's going on there. I mean, they're almost making themselves sick. worrying about all of this and I'll say, you know, I'm worried about it too, but we got to understand what our position is. All right.

And they don't get it. Play that out in terms of how that influences your view of the world and your walk. Well, you don't have to be, you know, you've got to realize the Lord's in control and We can't necessarily change. We can be involved, but we can't change it because that's our home. This is only our business address. You know, I love that because it's true. It sounds like what you're describing is rest and peace, right? Are those terms applicable to this theology? What else? Relax more. Relax. That's rest, Doug. Yeah. OK.

I think how many times you see in him, we don't see our fingerprints on this at all. It really takes the pride aspect away, doesn't it? Again, it relieves us from condemnation. What else? Come on, what else is important about this theology? My kids would accuse me, guess what I'm thinking, Dad? But doesn't it give you joy? Aren't you encouraged and lifted up by the fact that positionally we're in Christ and he doesn't see our sin anymore? I mean that makes me want to live by faith. It's freedom. It's Reaganomics applied infinitely. I mean I'm serious about that. It's a motivator.

It's motivation because you say, if the Lord cares for me so much and has done so much for me, why wouldn't I want to... Just like a parent with a child, why wouldn't I want to know if somebody cares for me so much? It gets rid of this burden of paying God back, doesn't it? It just is so encouraging. It makes the Christian life so uplifting. I think it's absolutely essential.

Because when you think you're doing something to pay God back, it's all old man, sin nature driven. It's all under legal guard, right? Anybody think of anything else about this, in Christ, in him, thanks Matt, with him, all those prepositions that are so incredibly important.

But yet, again, it was funny at a church Sharon and I used to go to that ultimately we were dismissed from for other reasons actually. Never mind. I can tell you that story some other time, but anyway, that wasn't a theological issue. It was something else related to the school system, but all this aside. When Sharon and I went to that church, and by the way, we went to that church that sent our kids to school there, so we had a motive to go to that church because we wanted our kids in Christian schools, and so this was the place where we went.

We met with a senior pastor there. Sharon and I were just kind of getting into these identifications, just a little bit at that point, starting to get a glimpse of them and how important they were for the Christian life. So we met with the senior pastor and really went through this with him and we got some head nods and things like that. We could tell there wasn't much ownership there. But anyway, he was acknowledging what we were saying. We went to service that next Sunday. We had not made a decision yet as to whether we were going to attend there and or send our kids to school there.

The sermon he preached was on Jacob obtaining a new nature after wrestling with the angel. He preached the sermon that would ultimately, I think, bait us. Now, I'm not accusing him of trying to bait us, but it was interesting that that sermon that day was Old Testament inappropriately applied. to Jacob's new nature. Then we'd gone to this church and school for a number of years, and ultimately this issue came up with the school system that ultimately led to our being dismissed. So we went to the senior pastor about this at that time, and basically we got back into the Christian life and in him and kind of the exchange life kind of thing.

And he said, well, that's fine. He said, you can think that way, but you know, we've got to work to do for God and it's obvious that you're not into that pathway. I said, well, isn't it interesting reflecting back on the conversation we had many years ago? And he said, yeah, I remember that conversation. I said, but you don't have any ownership for this, do you? He said, absolutely not. Absolutely not.

This whole aspect of scripture was irrelevant as far as he was concerned about living the Christian life. Hard to believe, but this is some kind of a major fundamental church. The Bible is taught there, by the way. It's just obviously the way it's interpreted.

But you know, if you go back under law and you live the Christian life to please God, you're always defeated, are you not? Have I done enough? What about that bad thought I had the other day? I mean, you're always being condemned. There's no freedom. There's no joy. There's no being lifted up. There's no rest. It's all not there, but yet scripture repeatedly and repeatedly demonstrates this important truth.

New nature. Again, exact term not found in scripture, but just indicated here, this is a source from the new man in Christ Jesus, and I just chose one verse, 2 Peter 1, 4, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. By these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. So this is just one verse. I didn't find too many that really related the divine nature of the Christian walk, but I think it's really repeatedly, ultimately illustrated throughout the scripture. The term nature in terms of divine is not often found, but I think we could probably take in context many aspects of New Testament scripture.

Remember, Paul has used the first part of all his epistles to found you in good doctrine, and then after the doctrine is presented, ultimately the life as to what it looks like is demonstrated. So, Ephesians is a great example of that. The first three chapters are hardcore doctrine and all positional truth, and then four through six is what does that life look like? It's not like what you have to do, it's who you are in Christ, and this is what a spirit-led life appears like once you're founded in good doctrine and live by faith.

So my last diagram, the cross is the beginning and end of all history. We're with Christ, risen and seated above. And there we're perfectly content, smiles on our face, rested and happy. And ultimately, the view that we have is not from here up, but the message is always keep looking down. So when we kind of reflect on the verses we've been through today, we begin with the positional truth and ultimately our condition is influenced by the sin nature, but never before God, just never before him, he seizes all in Christ. Accepted among the beloved, right?

No sin, no old man, and even in Hebrews 2.14, no Satan.

Any further thoughts about all these terms? I have two terms. You want to add to the complexity of this? A very concise version of this. The crux of the matter is, are you doing or is it done? You can't be in both camps. Either the work is all done or you're constantly doing to try to accomplish it. Okay, that's well said, but I think if I were going to, you know, play the devil's advocate role, I would say, is it just let go and let God? Then it's all been done. Should I just throw up my arms and say, God, go to work in me, right, Al?

That's why we're to grow in grace and the knowledge of God. It's not just grow generally, it's grow in grace, which means the more we understand of grace, our position, our identification with Christ, we will grow. Okay, and what's the vehicle? Word of God. Well, it is. It's still faith.

To me, the let go, let God thing is a possible criticism of this type of theology because then it says, well, if everything's been done and we're positioned above, if God's just going to zap us, we just sit back and wait for him to zap us. I think the important principle is our faith must be active. And our faith is active by the power of the Spirit working through the new man and the new nature to make it active. And that activity really does reflect learning him.

I mean, it's not let go, let God. I guess I don't have to be in the Word. I don't have to be in fellowship. I mean, you know, there's a life that can be accepting of this theology, but totally abandoning oneself from it, just thinking it's all been done. Let God do what he's going to do. That's not it.

An act of faith is one that's in the Word, fellowshipping one with the other, and promoting the excitement that ultimately we share in the Lord Jesus Christ. Cheryl? I believe that the doing and the done refers to salvation. And it's already been done, it's taken care of on the cross, in the resurrection and all that.

So there's nothing that we can do to get salvation. It doesn't refer to anything beyond that. So again, the three verb tenses, I was saved, I will be saved. Those are easy, aren't they? Any Christian, if they can't say, I was saved, then he may not know the exact date, but I know I'm saved based on this. I will be saved.

My life eternally is for the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't know about all you, it's that being saved, this constant working out of those truths in our life is the tough one, right? I mean, we walk day by day by faith. that ultimately our lives may be constantly demonstrating these truths of who the new man is in us.

You know, it's funny, share with what somebody said at Bible study, in fact Holly, we met her by the way, share what she said the other night about this aspect of her own walk. In what way? Well, you know, her friends. Oh, yeah. And you can share that from your own life, and I can too, by the way. Well, everybody can.

I mean, you know, when you become saved and if you that are walking with the Lord, and then all of a sudden, the friends that you've had, or whatever things that you've done, activities or whatever, and pretty soon, people that are in your life, they just kind of start to fall away.

It's not a conscious thing. There's no big fight that happens, and so Holly was saying that she's noticing that since she's become a Christian, that she's she's not as close with her friends and things are starting to happen in her life that she's not sure she likes that. You know, I mean, this is a new thing for her. And so we were all saying, well, you know, this is it's sort of kind of what happens because you begin to find other friends and you have fellowship and you begin to realize you have no fellowship with this person. I mean, it's not the same as with this other person that you just met. And it really is true. I mean, when we would go visit Bob's brother, you know, after we talked about sports and the weather for two days, pretty soon you have nothing else to talk about because you have no fellowship, no fellowship with the person.

And sometimes we think, well that's our choice to separate ourselves from the ways of the world, but in a sense we're a light under darkness, are we not? So we continue to interact with the world on a day-to-day basis. And what they're seeing as the spirit continues to enact the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in all of us, they're seeing something a bit different.

And that's not something we're trying to do. This is who we are, which is gradually, by God's great grace, Alan, exemplifying itself in our lives, day by day. So that's neat. And again, I'm going to rest on this fact that my citizenship's above, so keep looking down as appropriate for Miles, for Hal, for all those great saints we've loved that have gone on to be with the Lord. And when we look down, we have rest and peace, and we know he's about his business working in our lives on a day-to-day basis. It makes Christianity not only a life, but a lot of fun. So encouraging to be a believer, isn't it?

Let's close with prayer. Doug, could you close this prayer this morning, please? We thank you for your salvation through your son. You saw fit to send him to this earth to pay the penalty for us. We thank you and praise you for that. We thank you now for the opportunity to gather together and to learn from your word the truths that you have for us. We thank you that we have salvation. We thank you that we have that, that you've given our new life. We pray that we might continue to use it in our everyday experience, we might realize who we really are. I would pray for the service to follow. We thank you in Christ's name. Amen.