Our human action is a purposeful behavior, our will put into operation, and then transforming us into a form of existence. This is our minds[soul,spirit] meaningful response to stimuli and self perception incurred by information received and contemplated. Therefore it is our conscious adjustment to the state of our internal spiritual knowledge gained, that determines our Christian life.
The doctrine of position and identification in Christ are well established schools of theology, but unfortunately not presented to the Christian audience in a challenging formant very often, by the institutional church. The reason, I believe, is because the church leaders do not comprehend its significance, as they, as I once did, are working out their salvation understanding in the old Adam personality "the flesh" not understanding the Bibles teaching and true meaning regarding us in our Christ identity, in their perceptual understanding when it describes us as hidden in Christ to mean; all that we can and will ever be to the Father is represented by the Son in His person hood both in His suffering and death unto the sin of the unacceptable old man here, and in His Resurrection and standing by that death before the father representing us. Knowing this in a intellectual way is of little value, but when trusted by the saint as a truth, applied by faith, to define our very being, it results in the beginning of a wisdom and faith in full trust of life eternal, spiritually reckoning [counting as true] our life both here and hereafter as that which can be only identified and positioned in Jesus Christ. As Christians we are seen by the Father, in no other way, according to the Bible.
In order to help us see our position, we might look at it in terms of objective and subjective. The Bible says, "Abide in me, and I [Christ] in you." This is a divine order. The subjective is our Faith, to abide [live our life's only true eternal value and reality] in Him, Christ. The object is of course Himself, our Lord. The Bible also shows us this positional /identification concept truth in 2nd Cor. 3:18, " We all beholding the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same image". Our beholding is subjective, and the image we have become by Gods divine will is The Object Christ. That's position perceived, when contemplated and understood. The more clearly we see by faith into this objective truth, or that which is true of us in the risen Lord the more experiential and practical will be the subjective growth in us.
It is by the objective reality of us in Christ, that we walk in His Spirit and realize our position there." this I say walk in the Spirit and you will in no way fulfill the lusts of the flesh" Gal. 5:16. The lusts here are not only our sinful natural propensity to desire worldly sensual objects. No the subject here is our walk, the object is The Holy Spirit, the lust of the flesh, is us living our reality outside of a defined and know position, or identifying in our Christian understanding with the natural mans mind. Walking in the spirit is NOT a feeling that arises at a moment of charismatic delight. The Holy Spirit does not come and go. He is in us and of us, and was always there, even before the foundation of the earth, for those predestined to be in Him. We are positioned and identified in Him, the Holy Spirit is Jesus Christ alive in our minds[spirits] in us, and only our worldly attitude, remaining in the old Adam personality keeps us from realizing it. Then walking in the Spirit is to be in communion with the Father, in dependence upon the Spirit, identified in the Lord Jesus Christ, as my one and only object which defines my Christianity, entered into the very mind of God. Position perceived.
The Question I might ask myself; is that which we call real, nothing more than the external confirmation of ourselves and of our expectations, in the visible world? Or is there a deeper invisible reality not defined by my form and function, and if I believe there is, how must I approach it? A Biblical definition of faith is" the evidence of things not seen." So we know to please God we must have a faith in that which is non visible, the very opposite of my former perceptions of my Christian condition, which was mostly feelings based, on seen and experienced evidence impacted and defined by my natural man [works], which failed to provide lasting joy and peace. Now before me, by the Word of God, is provided a hope given by grace in a life not visible, but by faith of my Christian identity being hidden in His presence before the Father, and by that faith, in Jesus Christ, a position perceived
When we perceive the position we hold, we enter into God's rest. " Come unto me all you that labor [under law ,works, duty and satisfaction in the visible] and I will give you rest." When we enter into that rest we are ceasing from all self effort, and we are yielding to full faith in God's mind working in us.
In the following I will quote from Miles Stanford [somewhat condensed and paraphrased] regarding the rest we must come to rely on. " We are positioned in glory before the Father; not in the flesh, not in the body, but in spirit [ our mental consciousness] a new creation in Christ Jesus. By faith we must learn to actualize this truth, God chose us to be in that personalized position. In our faith we need not depend on any sense of His presence in us, but we by the Word, gain knowledge of positions facts. Thus faiths facts draw us into His presence not our own works or feelings. Our fellowship with the Father is now a oneness, by faith in His life and nature, human-divine newness re-birth; beloved of God, fully accepted in His Son. We have a responsibility by this knowledge, to rest in His presence. We have no other place, the world is not our home, we sit in a heavenly place in Christ, Who is our life. All this was given to us the moment we received Jesus.We must now develop a sound doctrinal foundation of our identification with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death unto sin and life unto God. The basis upon which the Holy Spirit carries on the subjective work in us, is the objective truth of eternal completeness in the Lord Jesus, crucified, buried, risen, and ascended."
And finally I will end with a direct quote from my friend and brother J. B. Stoney. "When I look at this place, He is not here; and when I look at myself naturally, I am not fit for Him. How happy then to know that I belong to the place where He is; and that through grace I have been made suited to Him in that new position; so that I set my mind and affection there, as a place where my deepest joys are realized."
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