Identity Crisis

Monday, March 24, 2014

For several weeks now I have been teaching from the book of Ephesians on Identity Crisis. It seems to me that far too many Christians really do not understand who they are in Christ. Because of His victory over death, hell and the grave we are now victorious. This is not the work of our determination or the basis of our intelligence. It is the work of Christ by Grace. It is the gift of God to us through Christ (See Eph 2:4-10).
Satan is trying to usurp God from His kingdom and blind you and me from the truth of the gospel. If he can get us off the hope or ground of the Gospel then he can make it easy for us to fall into various sins. If however, we remain steadfast and secure in Christ, then we can withstand all the attacks that Satan and his kingdom brings to us.
The Apostle Paul takes the first three chapters of Ephesians to emphasize the point of our rest in Christ. He then establishes how this rest will look as we walk in wisdom and the Spirit in this present world. At the end of the letter he talks about spiritual warfare. The truth is, if we have not had the revelation of our 'seated position in Christ' then we cannot walk in wisdom in this earth. If we are not walking in the Spirit, then we are no match against Satan in a spiritual battle.
Most are defeated, at the outset, because they are trying to gain a victory that is already won. Satan has already gotten them off the ground of Christ's completed work. Through their own efforts, many sincere believers are defeated because they are not resting in Christ's work, but setting out to war against Satan in their own energy and determination. That is why most of the warfare armor that Paul mentions is defensive. We must stand firm on the ground of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We war from the victory not to the victory! We are not fighting to win a battle - we are fighting to defend the battle that Christ  has already won.
I pray that God will open our eyes to this tremendous truth. Jesus Christ has won the war - it is finished. We are invited into His work - we are His workmanship.

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