Bible Study: I am Intimately One with God in Christ

Hi Everyone

We are continuing in the “Who I am in Jesus Christ” series. This section is called

“I am Intimately One with God in Christ” and this is the first part – “Born Again, A New Creation, A New Man”

The notes are designed to work with the audio, so do have a listen if you were not at the Bible Study.

Pray this blesses you as much as it has blessed me putting it together.

Do share it as you are!

Chris

We Are New Creations

There cannot be such a thing as a Christian who is not born again:

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (NKJV)

God is spirit and the only way to Him is through spirit. For as long as our spirits are dead in sin, we cannot relate with Him. This is why Jesus came, that with His finished work, the Holy Spirit might be not just with us, but in us, treasures in earthen vessels. This is why we must be born again of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;

We see Christ’s love for us in dying for us that we too are dead to our old selves, the sin nature. No more again are we slaves to sin – that has been taken from us and we have no more excuses for sin, save an un-renewed mind that does not realize this truth for a fact.

15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

This is about realizing the finished work – we now live our lives for His sake, that in dying to ourselves, we live.

16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

We have to see each other in the spirit as what Christ has made us to be. Some of the Corinthians had seen Christ in the flesh, but that’s not Him anymore. We know Him according to the Spirit, and we see each other similarly, as those made new by His Spirit. We are not who we see with our five senses – as our minds are renewed, we must expect to become different, transformed into the image of Christ. We must never give ourselves an excuse to not live up to the hope of calling. We must never curse each other by declaring that brother so-and-so is always like this or sister-so-and-so is like that. We can have certain attributes while being renewed, but as long as our minds are being renewed by the Word, we must never expect to stay in the sample place very long. Seed in good ground will always grow and we who are fervent in the things of the eternal, the things of Christ, will bear fruit. This is what the Word itself says.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We ARE New Creations. That must dawn on us – we must realize this and the gravity of it. We can walk away from this verse with a casual “Hallelujah” or we can explore this in detail to seek out what this New Creation is all about.

Jesus died that we might be these New Creations for a purpose. If we walk through life not knowing this nor understanding its implications, we miss the very purpose of life on earth!

One New Man

Ephesians 2:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, (NKJV)

There is one new man from two. God and us are one again, the finished work of Jesus. Again, this is something we need to meditate on a lot, to consider the implications of.

Put Off the Old, Walk in the New

Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

The Gentiles, those who do not know Jesus, have no choice. With only the soul and the body, the mind and the flesh, their decision making will always be based on the needs of the flesh, which is subject to the Law of Sin and Death. Corruption is inevitable; outside of the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we would similarly have no choice but be slaves to sin. Paul is exhorting the Christians in Ephesus here that they no longer have to live like these.

20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (NKJV)

We are taught by Christ, who is in us. As we delve into the Word, our minds are renewed and we are able to put off our former conduct, that of the old man that the World without Christ is condemned to live with. Those of us in Christ have the right to put on the new man, created according to God, made in His image, to will and do as He does, in true righteousness and holiness.

The New: God’s Image

Colossians 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, (NKJV)

This passage of Colossians says a similar thing – we have the right, the ability to put off all these characteristics of the old man, and the ability to put on the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to God’s very own image. We are made in His image, but we have to be renewed towards it.

Walking in Truth

1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, (NKJV)

Truth is a person. The Word is also a person. His name is Jesus. When we obey what Jesus has taught us, we obey truth. His Word planted in us is incorruptible seed. It will grow and it will bear fruit.

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (NKJV)

We are all parts of the vine. As we abide in Him, we will bear fruit. This is His promise to us. As His words abide in us, we can walk in His power and provision and the World can see that we have a God who is with us, and the Father is glorified. These are the hallmarks of being a disciple.

We cannot be a disciple without the Word of God dwelling in us. Keeping Jesus’ commands keeps us in His love and when these happen, His joy remains in us.

The Take-Away