The Gospel as the Foundation of Our Abiding in Christ
The Gospel is the foundation of our abiding in Christ, as it announces the work of Christ, His attainment, accomplishment, and entrance into His reward, which is the inheritance to be distributed to the saints. Our focus should be on Christ as our satisfaction, and on the reality of sanctification, which is our enjoyment of Him as our feast. Through understanding and participating in this economy of grace, we can experience the fullness of joy that comes from being sons and heirs with Christ.
Our Position in Christ: Joint Heirs with Christ
Our position in Christ is that of joint heirs with Him. As the seed to whom all promises are made, He has entered into His reward and shares it with the saints who are His brothers and members of His body. Through our faith in Christ, we have access to His inheritance, which is the Holy Spirit, the life of Christ, and the blessings of God. It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ’s life is multiplied to His members, who are His body.
Our Enjoyment of Christ: The Reality of Our Service to God
Our enjoyment of Christ is the reality of our service to God. It is through focusing on the announcement of the riches of Christ that have been secured in justification and made available to us, that we can abide in Him and He in us. Obedience to God and walking as He walked are natural outworkings of our faith in Him and our union with Him. It is through our union with Christ that we can experience the fullness of joy that comes from abiding in Him and living in fellowship with Him.
Scripture References for Further Reflection:
Romans 8:17 – “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Galatians 3:16 – “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
Colossians 1:12 – “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.”
John 6:35 – “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 – “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
Galatians 2:19-22 – “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
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Christ as Satisfaction – The Reality of Sanctification PAPERBACKSuggested Price: $9.00