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Face to Face:You Are Alive
by J. Ross Greer of The Place of Grace Ministries (about the ministry)
[Note: If you'd like to read more from J. Ross Greer, be sure to subscribe to his daily e-mail list A Word For The Church.]
6:8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Is it possible to be dead and alive at the same time? It is not only possible, but it is the reality of every believer in Jesus Christ.
Remember that as we walk toward intimacy with the Father, we must see ourselves as He sees us. God the Father views all of His children as being a part of the Son. We are in Christ, and therefore, we have died with Him. Death has no mastery over Jesus, and sin no longer has the right to reign in our lives.
However, we are also alive. Just as Jesus Christ was raised from dead to live for His Father, we also have been empowered to live righteous lives. The same power of God that called Jesus from the tomb on the third day now lives within us to enable us to follow Him in obedience.
If this concept is difficult for you to grasp, note that the text says to "consider yourselves". This is an accounting term. We are not to rely upon our feelings or circumstances, but upon the sum of Biblical facts. The fact is that the Father, who wants an intimate relationship with us, has freed us forever from the power of sin.
Therefore, it comes down to our choice. We now can live righteously through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Or, we can choose to please the flesh. The devil cannot make you do it any longer. Will you choose to please the Father, and live as He has empowered you to?
Copyright 2001, The Place of Grace Ministries. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About The Place of Grace Ministries: In 1992, God interrupted the well-organized life of J. Ross Greer through a study called "Experiencing God". This encounter birthed a passionate vision for local churches that has become The Place of Grace Ministries. Through teaching, music, and writing, we call believers to return to the basic principles of God's Word and participate in the work of God. For questions or scheduling information, please contact us at: theplaceofgrace@att.net Or visit our web site at: http://home.att.net/~theplaceofgrace |
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