“therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we should walk in newness of
life.” “Romans 6:4”
So you travelled to the
village for Christmas. Whilst there, you notice a young boy whose life is so
hard it makes you cry. You talked with his parents and convince them to permit
you to take the child back with you to the city where you live.
On arrival at your home
in the city, you prepared a room for the young man. The room is fully
furnished. You make sure nothing is missing. You get him new clothes and shoes,
enroll him in a school and get a teacher to teach him privately after school
hours. You changed his diet and make sure he eats the same kind of meals you
eat. You register him at the local recreational centre where he has full access
to all the facilities. You generally make sure he is totally fine and has
absolutely no need.
Then you go on a two
week business trip. On your return, you go to the boy’s room and find him
sleeping on a mat in a corner of his room. By the mat is an earthenware bowl
that he has been eating from. All the clothes you bought for him are nearly
folded and stashed in the suitcases you gave him. He is wearing the old clothes
he came from the village with. You are shocked to your bones!
You are not shocked that the boy has the old
clothes. You know that before he moved in with you. You saw them before you
gave him all the new stuff. You are shocked because he has dumped the new
things you provided for him at such a great cost and has reverted to the old.
His attitude makes a mockery of the great effort you went to in order to give
him a new life, and you feel like crying.
This is how the Lord
views many of our lives. We know we were crucified with Christ and we have been
raised with Him. However, many people live like they never really died with the
Lord, but just hung around the tomb of Jesus Friday till Sunday. They have
continued to ignore and live below the provisions of the new life in Christ.
When Christ died, you died. When he rose. You were seated with Him RIGHT NOW.
Not later; not in the future, not after the resurrection. You are seated, at
this very moment, with Christ far above all principalities and powers.
What you get out of
Christianity is entirely up to you. God has provided a new life for us, but it
is up to us to live it. God has made abundant provisions for us, but it is up
to us to enjoy them. The Lord has provided a new path for us, but it up to us
to walk that path. We cannot continue to live our lives as though we expect
that one super preacher will show up and wave a wand and everything will simply
change. We cannot continue to live like it is God’s job to force us to live in
His will. The work of redemption is finished. The manifestation of its realities
is now dependent on our willingness to receive what Christ has done and live
the life we have been given.
The Blessing of Abraham:
“therefore we
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we should walk in newness of
life.” “Romans 6:4”
There may be clear
issues in your natural lineage. The issue may be so glaring that even a child
in your extended family can point them out. But you must understand that you
have switched lineages. Now, you belong to the Abrahamic lineage through the
work of Christ. What was obtained in your natural lineage cannot overrule what
Christ has brought you into. Don’t be too attached to the old that you ignore
the new. The old is gone, but the new is here with better promises and
experiences.
Understand that Christ
has already redeemed us. He is not planning to redeem us. It is not something
that will happen in the sweet bye and bye, it has happened already. From
Galatians 3:13,14- it is clear that the purpose of redemption is to make sure
we who are non-Jews by natural descent can plug into the blessings God released
on Abraham. The same way the blessing on Abraham was activated in the lives of
Isaac, Jacob and ultimately, the Jews, is the same way that blessing can be
activated in your life. In times when people are complaining about a financial
meltdown, you can testify about a financial build up because the blessing is
activated in your life. However, it is one thing to know this; it is something
else to walk in it.
The Righteousness of God
When you understand
that the new life you have received is not dependent on your works but on the
grace made available by the finished work of Christ, you embrace His
righteousness wholeheartedly. When you truly embrace the righteousness of God,
you flow in the power of the Spirit that has placed you above sin and its
consequences. You are no longer sense ruled but your life is ruled by the word
of God. When you know this and walk in it, you will see that your life begins
to take a different turn. The things that used to appeal to you no longer
appeal to you because you are led by the Spirit and ruled by the Word of God.
You begin to enjoy the newness provided by the finished work of Christ.
There is a lot your new
life has brought to you. Discover them by studying the Word and listening to
messages on this subject matter. Acknowledge and enjoy those things you
received through your new life by confessing and doing the Word. As you do
this, you will experience less and less of the old life and more and more of
the new life in Christ.
You will do well.
Author:
Rev.
Biodun Fatoyinbo
Snr
Pastor of: Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA)
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