The attitude of your mind, as to being open to a new identification in Christ, is everything! But if that is true then what does it mean for the Christian? And.... if I indeed have a opportunity for a new and specific Godly identification, a conscious assessment of a personal and intelligently biblical faith based newly actualized world view, reflecting a new character, as a result of that new identification; then what am I to do with it? How do I act? These and many more questions have been the bane of my existence this last few years. Since I began that is to identify with the bibles [Paul's] teaching as to the all important need for the Christian to think of himself in a radically new way, as to his personal being. None other than the very identification of Christ Himself. As we are told by Paul of our new creation status; "And having put on the new man [our identity of/in Christ Jesus], that is renewed in knowledge [as we take to heart His Word] after the image of Him [Christ] that created him [the Adam man]" Col. 3:10.
After having discovered myself once again living a defeated Christian life I prayed for God's intervention, give me death or a new life I cried out. He answered with life. I found I just had to work harder at its maintenance in my thoughts of my newly discovered Christian life's identity, in order to take advantage of God's Grace. Seek to see the man who He has made me to newly be. The need for this continual pursuit may be the result of my Adam nature as a committed earthling always suffering loss, therefore always in need. Or maybe just my great propensity toward sin is the cause. No matter the motivation, lo and behold I found within my search, something hidden but there all along, a biblical teaching, a truth that is; "God is Spirit and true worship of Him must be done in spirit" John 4:24. It is now my souls pursuit to gain a self explainable life, within my personnel new creature identification, just as His Word directs, so I must as we all.... " Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth" Col. 3:2. One in spirit with Him by simply knowing His personal identification applied to me, as commanded for us by Himelf. But how will this be manifested in my earthly physical life's expatiations is always a difficult to process?
It is not a emotion or a feeling I have learned, but a longing inspirited by faith and the Words promise. I must find Him. He must define my life. We all know that in human life we take great pleasure having concentrated on and achieved something in the pursuit of goals. This is somewhat the same as my spiritual Godward pursuit. Only the motivation I've discovered is not a mental or physical reward to enjoy here, but a all consuming faith in a current life of being one with God regardless of the circumstance on earth. This I learned can be done if one will rest in the biblical declaration to be obedient to faith as in the "law of life found in the Spirit of Christ Jesus". Really our only rule if you will. It is a spiritual life not a life of form although there are moral and constructive physical results emanating from my new attitude. But the Spirit life can never be defined by physical resulted actions alone even though our current Christian culture seems to tells us it is. As we tend to seek a reward.
Then what does this spiritual life consist of? That's just it, it's formless and its entirely of the mind. We humans have a very hard time with this concept as we always want felt results. Yet it is the biblical true thought we are described as being in as new creations in Christ by His Word. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" Phil. 2:5. When we associate the spirit life with form we are instantly defeated as we have identified with the physical, remember God is Spirit. God had done away with form as to our presence before Him, in His Son's representative work upon the cross. " That I may know Him being made conformable [God's defining image of us] unto [just as if] His death Phil. 3:10. I know its hard to take this sort of concept to the bank as we are trained constantly to engage the physical. We all identify with results and feelings. That's why spiritual thoughts as structure and definition of our Christian life are usually not discussed in a institutional environment like churches. No one can easily identify to a formless concept of the Christian life, as their actual true life as a Christian. Simply put we are ignorant of Paul's teaching on the subject by default to the deep human need for ego fulfillment. In other words we do not trust God's Words to Christians long ago, which also apply today. When He tells us of some, perhaps much like us, who He dealt with quite directly when He said: "for I bear them witness that they have zeal for God but not according to knowledge". Rom. 10:2.
Then we might ask what am I to do? How do I serve Him, even know Him. There are two things which must transpire in our mind first. One, we must come to know that we are made suitable to His formless life by the degree of separation we have from the order and influence of things here: a mental acquiescence to His truth; a knowledgeable observation of who we really are in God's mind. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" Phil. 1:11. Secondly our minds new conformity to Christ must dominate our perceived being. A position which is acquired in His presence only; by faith in the Word's proclamation of this very truth. "Unto Him be glory in the church by Jesus Christ throughout all ages, world without end" Eph. 3:21. This heavenly place is found by a intelligent faith only, toward our acceptance of our suitably to God, made by His Son in representation as our very person before Him where He is in Glory. A heavenly or spiritual existence he has given us in grace, a formless manifestation we my partake of in our mind. A new concept or identity He has prescribed for us in His very thoughts of us. But will we accept His view of His Son as the Christian life and be satisfied? Few do! "But rejoice, inasmuch as you are a partaker of Christ's suffering" 1Peter 4:3.
The thing that sets man apart often is the showing of moral superiority. Others recognize those who display a different attitude, perhaps by there countenance, quietness and passive rest, but most often their gusto. And that is well and good. But for the man of the earth he has lost his former communion with the Father as flesh, and his attempts to show a life of faith defined by the natural i.e. works and tradition will never do as a godly qualification. We so easily fall victim to the natural life in our Godward pursuit. We were made for God but we tend to turn away. But now through grace we are all new despite ourselves. We and others may now see that new creation, as we are before Him, by being, "renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created us". As we maintain that image, not in figure or imitation, but defined in Christ the new Man as our object and life. Shown us by His Grace in Spirit occupying our self image. We must always seek to be renewed in knowledge of Him to gain His Spirit life. That is in growing intelligence as to recognition of our new being just as the Father see us in the Son. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" Heb. 10:22
Few Christians can see clearly beyond their natural needs enough to understand that what took place upon the Cross and later in their mind/spirit in accepting Him was a result of a strictly Judicial action by God, not a mental/physical transformation to be applied to man. We were pronounced renewed judicially not changed as men. Yes changes come, feelings are exposed. But many unfortunately suppose the new freedom, feelings and peace in them is the defining quality of the Christian life alone. Also many do not know that by service and works alone nothing is or even can be accomplished for God ever; as Adam in the flesh is beyond redemption. No our true life is "hid in Christ in God" the only place where we can by made acceptable. And we know it and show it in thought or identity by a attitude of a new life of a intelligent faithful perception. Our life is to be dominated by the knowledge of Christ Jesus and what and who He is to the Father in our stead before Him in Glory. A judicial application that changes us in God's perception is our new position we hold in His Glory. All else [works, service etc.] to follow. Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" Heb. 10:19.
It is only through awareness of the position we have before God that the Christian can see the all consuming spiritual totality we are held in in the Son. We have been transformed into the Person of Christ Jesus in the Fathers judgment. All else is a limited perspective binding the Christian to his natural needs and the earth's systems. We will find that it is in Him, not ourselves, that we have a life of joy and freedom in the very place of the Beloved One, in the very heart and presence of the Father. Conscious communion with God made dependent by a practical abiding or conscious positional identification in Christ accomplished by keeping His commandment to have faith in the new creation we are in Him, and thus the opening to the judicial recognition that the old self, the flesh, must be reckoned as dead just as the Word declares. "Without faith [in a specific truth] it is impossible to please God". "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding".
"The flesh", in scripture, is a expression meaning the whole of our Adamic nature in its present condition under the power of sin. It include our whole being, spirit, soul, and body. After the fall God said man is flesh [Gen 6:3] and that is our condition today. But the Word says "They that are in Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh". This is a thing that has been done not a thing to be done. Simply put, the thing we are to believe about ourselves is that our Adam man is dead in God's eye's. The accomplished position we hold in freedom from the flesh is God's placement of us within His thoughts in the work of the Cross. In other words God has arranged it so that we may by; " Knowing this, that our old man [flesh Adam man] has been crucified with Christ" be free from sin and it's egocentric internal compus. Our only hope for the Christian life as life is living in the faith of these Words. Held there by the Grace of His identification in which we are positioned in, in Him [Christ Jesus] before Him, [The Father] in Glory. No feelings/ego involved. It is not us or anything which we might do or believe that make us heavenly spiritual creatures in His thoughts of us, it is all of Him! Only a intelligent faith will find His heavenly positional life in this place as a life here.
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