If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Work out your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling

• Examine Yourselves, whether ye be in the Faith - God admonishes each of us to conduct a soul-searching examination of ourselves with the Word of God, to evaluate our spiritual condition to determine if we are truly “in the faith”, if we truly have received the gift of eternal life based on what the Bible teaches about salvation. Am I really in the faith? Have I been born from above? or Have I been deceived? This is not an idle question given the fact that deception is not only the hallmark of the human heart (Jer 17:9), but the very essence of the time period we are now living in, known as the Great Tribulation as Jesus so emphatically stressed three times in Mat 24:5, 11 and 24: “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. It requires that each of us soberly examine ourselves in the light of God’s Word, according to 2 Cor 13:5: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”. Even in this, we need God’s help, as Psa 139:23-24 acknowledges: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”. And what is the evidence of being “in the faith” or the Salvation? It's the Obedience to the Word of God. In light of the gravity of this question, we would do well to heed the admonition of Jam 1:21-25: “... be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. 1 Cor 1:12 makes this serious warning: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” These and other similar verses in the Bible highlight the enormous importance of honestly assessing the spiritual condition of our souls.

1 Kin 8:39 “Then hear thou [LORD] in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men)”

Jam 1:21-25 “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

• Work out your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling - Reverential fear of God is a characteristic of the Lord Jesus Christ and of each true believer. The chief characteristic of the child of God is that of steadfast obedience to the Bible out of love for His Savior. Only true believers are qualified to obey God’s commandments as He works in the lives of His people (Eze 36:26-27). The indwelling work of God the Holy Spirit (by the gift of God’s grace), is a dominant factor both as God draws us to Himself and after we have become saved. Even after we have become saved, we are admonished to live out our lives in the fear of the Lord as Php 2:12-13 points out : “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Those whom God has saved, or reconciled, have a deep fear and sensitivity to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, because they are fully aware that His Word is an extension of God Himself. Everything in the Scriptures shows us that God is not to be trifled with or lightly esteemed. The child of God fully comprehends the ominous warning of Gal 6:7: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. Heb 12:28 alludes to how this new life in Christ is to be expressed: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire”. We are commanded to glorify God with our lives, with our bodies, and all that we have – our time, our talents, our money, our speech, and our actions. Yet when all is said and done we can only humbly say in the words of Luke 17:10, “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do”. May God give us the respectful “fear of the Lord” – if we do not already possess it – according to His infinite pity and compassion. May each of us, by God’s mercy, examine ourselves to see if we can identify with Isa 8:13: “Sanctify the lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread”.

Eze 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

1 Pet 1:17 “And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear …”

2 Cor 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

1 Cor 11:31-32 “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”

Ecc 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

• We are more than Conquerors through him that Loved us - As we have seen, Matt 10:28 warns, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”. Another very helpful verse that can aid in our understanding of the “fear of second death” is 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love”. Why does “fear” have “torment”? Mat 25:46 describes the end of the world and the final destinations of the unsaved as well as the saved: “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”. Now we can see why “fear hath torment” (or “punishment”), and why unsaved man fears death because of what awaits him – the trial of the last day and the sentence of eternal damnation in Hell. 1 John 4:18 also indicates that “perfect love casteth out fear”. What is “perfect love” and how can it “cast out fear”? 1 John 4:16-19 gives the answer. The Christian has “boldness in the day of judgment” because his salvation is totally dependent on the work and faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, “We love him, because he first loved us”. Wonderfully, he can rejoice in what 2 Tim 1:9-10 proclaims: “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel …”

1 John 4:16-19 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”

Rom 8:31-39 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Bear Witness to the Light as Ambassadors for Christ

• Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet, and a Light unto My Path - Since God’s Word is Truth, and the only Truth, it provides the only hope for escaping from our slavery to sin and the penalty we deserve, which is eternal Hell, and reveals mankind’s only possible hope of eternal life. Since faith (which is a synonym for salvation) “cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God”, (as we read in Rom 10:17), God saves His people through the truth of His Word. We also read in Jam 1:18, “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures”. The word “begat” means to be “brought forth”, or to be spiritually “born from above”. God gives His children a love and a hunger for His Word, as we find in Mat 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God”. The Bible must be our sole guide for life and godliness as we read in 2 Pet 1:3: “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” and we are to flee to the Bible in all things. This is why Israel was told to bind the Law on their “foreheads”. This symbolized that God’s Word was to be in front of their eyes (on their minds) at all times – in their personal lives, in their marriages, in raising children, in their vocations, in their “spare time” activities, in their use of money, in their social relationships – in every area of their lives. May God give us grace to hunger and thirst after God’s Word for truth.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

Psa 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”

Psa 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

2 Pet 1:3 “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things [the Bible] that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue.”

Deu 6:6-9 “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.”

Isa 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

• I [Jesus Christ] am the Light of the World - One of the most marvelous truths of Scripture is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “incarnation” means “in the flesh”. We read about this in John 1:1 and 14: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. After all, would we expect anything less from the One Who proclaimed Himself to be “… the way, the truth, and the life…” according to John 14:6? In John 3:19-21: “that light is come into the world”,  is a dual reference to Christ, Who is the Light of the world, as well as to His Word, the Bible. These verses also illustrates man’s sinfulness – as he hates the light. Man, who hates the light and loves darkness, is spiritually dead. Because he loves sin and his deeds are evil, he absolutely does not want to consult the Bible, which alone exposes his sin and reveals the God of Light and Salvation. Thus, one of the main functions of God the Holy Spirit is to use the Scriptures to “reprove”, or convict, the people of the world of their sins and the judgment to come, as we read in John 16:8, “… reprove the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment”.

John 1:1-5, 9 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

John 3:19-21 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Luke 1:78-79 “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

• Ambassadors for Christ - Sent to Bear Witness of that Light - The “darkness” and “power of Satan” underlies an unsaved person’s life. Prior to salvation everyone is spiritually blind and under Satan’s authority, as 2 Cor 4:4 indicates: “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds ... lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ ... should shine unto them”. Salvation occurs when God shines the light of the true Gospel into the souls of those He came to save and dispels the spiritual darkness. The believer recognizes that God has saved him to serve – that is, to be a witness to those around him who remain prisoners in Satan’s kingdom. God saved and commissioned Paul, as an “ambassador for Christ”, to be the apostle to the Gentiles, as we see from Acts 13 and Acts 26: “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God”. God has not only commissioned Paul but every believer and commands to “go ye into all the world”, to the lost by being a witness, or an “ambassadors for Christ” and proclaiming the “Gospel of Christ” or nurturing them spiritually. Born-again Christians, as recipients of the Holy Spirit, would be qualified to be ambassadors for Christ in accordance with God’s plan to evangelize the world. May God also use each one of His children as humble ambassadors of His glorious Gospel. May God grant us His grace to uphold the truth of the Bible in these last days of great apostasy!

2 Cor 4:4, 6 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 6For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

John 1:6-8 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”

Acts 26:17-18 “Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee [Paul], 18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”

2 Cor 5:18-20 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Walk as Children of Light in this Perverse World

• Thanks unto the Father, who has Delivered Us from the Power of Darkness - The “darkness” and “power of Satan” underlies an unsaved person’s life. Psa 107:10 reveals the sinful nature of all who are unsaved: “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron”. This verse is also quoted in Isa 9:2, Mat 4:16 and other New Testament passages as well, and adds that there is genuine hope in spite of man’s sinfulness: “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined”. Prior to salvation everyone is spiritually blind and under Satan’s authority, as 2 Cor 4:4 indicates: “In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not ...”. 2 Cor 4:6 highlights the necessity of salvation, by the Lord Jesus Christ who is the “light of the world” and the only Savior for sinners. 2 Pet 1:19 declares, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts ...”. Salvation occurs when God shines the light of the true Gospel into the souls of those He came to save and dispels the spiritual darkness, as we read in John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. True believers are “translated” out of Satan’s kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Christ at the moment the spiritual “first resurrection” of their souls takes place, according to Col 1:12-13, and pictures the transfer of power and spiritual metamorphosis that occurs when one experiences birth from above to become a servant of Christ. The spiritual “everlasting light” spoken of in Isa 60:19-20 will one day be fulfilled literally in the New Heavens and the New Earth. It is His glory, indeed, that was the source of light when He declared in Gen 1:3 “Let there be light” even though He had not yet created the sun; and it will be His inexpressible glory that will illuminate the “New Jerusalem” for eternity, according to Rev 21:23, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof”.

2 Cor 4:4 “In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

2 Cor 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Col 1:12-13 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”

Isa 60:19-20 “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.”

• Walk as Children of Light in the Midst of a Crooked and Perverse Nation - John 3:21 teaches, “… he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought [worked] in God”. Here the true nature of the Christian becomes apparent. Notice how the verse says, “he that doeth truth cometh to the light”. Truth is not merely a principle to be believed, but is intended to be lived out, as 1 John 3:18-19 explains: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him”. Jam 1:22 repeats this vital axiom: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves”. John 3:21 says that the one doing truth does so openly, letting his light shine as a witness – to demonstrate that his good works are done by God, who is working to will and to do of His good pleasure in the believer’s life. Isa 26:12 maintains: “LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought [worked] all our works in us”. The sacrifice of Christ, in paying the staggering price of eternal damnation for His elect children, that God constantly highlights, compels the true Christian to a life of greater thanksgiving and illustrates the chief characteristic of the child of God is that of steadfast obedience to the Bible out of love for His Savior, according to Php 2:12-15: “... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world”. The terms “crooked and perverse nation” vividly portray the depths of man’s spiritual depravity. This verse underscores the preeminent quality that characterizes true service to God is faithfulness to the Word of God. The injunction in Rom 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” is given to all believers, and underscores the true Christian’s desire to be obedient to the Word of God in thought, word and deed. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices involves giving of ourselves – our time, talents, and finances – as a visible expression of our heartfelt gratitude to the Lord for His marvelous salvation. The task of spreading the Gospel to the lost and personal growth in God’s grace is of utmost importance in a believers life. Dan 12:3, speaking of the believer’s mandate to send forth the Gospel: “And they that be wise [saved] shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever”.

1 Pet 2:9-11 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”

Matt 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

1 John 2:8-11 “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

Php 2:15-16 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

• What Communion hath Light with Darkness? - Whatever is of utmost value to a person will receive the greatest amount of attention in terms of time, labor, and money. It is that which consumes our thoughts, is the object of our words, embodies our hopes, shapes our goals, molds our future, and ultimately gives meaning and purpose to life. In essence, one will either be serving Christ in the Kingdom of God or Satan and his kingdom. Another factor that affects all of us who have been redeemed is the body of flesh that we inhabit, and that has not yet become saved. 2 Cor 6:16 informs us that believers “are the temple of the living God” and 1 Pet 1:15 remind us “he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation”. The world is anything but holy, yet to live a “holy” life in this world means to just simply obey God and Keep His commandments. A true believer recognizes that he is a “pilgrim” and a “stranger” in this world and separates himself from the World. These verses are in no way suggesting to be judgmental towards others but rather to be a good witness to them. God tells us to have our “conversation”, the way that we live, “honest”, in agreement with what we are professing. We need to “put on the armour of light”, to fight this spiritual battle always praying and watching for the judgement day. “The whole armour of God” according to Eph 6:14-18 comprises of spiritual weapons “truth of the Word of God”, “breastplate of righteousness”, “preaching the gospel of peace”, “the shield of faith”, “the helmet of salvation”, and “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”.

1 Pet 2:9-11 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; 10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;”

Luke 11:34-36 “The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.”

Rom 13:12-14 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”

2 Cor 6:14-17 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”

If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Dead unto Sin, Alive unto God

• Being Made Conformable Unto His Death - Rom 12:2, admonishes all believers: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. Tit 2:12 also exhorts, “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. And 1 John 2:17 proclaims, “And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever ”. Who does the “Conforming”? In both the phrases “… be not conformed to this world” and “… but be ye transformed”, God is the One Who both restrains conformity to this world and initiates spiritual transformation, or salvation. This is why a citation such as 2 Cor 5:17 is so vitally important as it pinpoints the fact that a dead soul has been regenerated – or given eternal life – by the work of God, and by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. Repentance has to do with a “change of mind”. When a person becomes a child of God he is transformed spiritually. All three Persons of the Holy Trinity are intimately involved in an individual’s redemption and transformation. Rom 8:29 says, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”. To know God is to be known of Him, or to be saved, as we find in Gal 4:9, “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God …”. Paul’s desire was to “know” (or experience) God in the most intimate way possible. Of course, such a desire is the direct result of God working both to will and to do of his good pleasure in Paul’s life , as Php 2:13 says, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” . To be thus “conformed” is to be wholly identified with Christ. The elect are “… conformed to the image of his Son …” and “… fashioned like unto his glorious body…”. The first verse refers to believers' receiving the Spirit of Christ and the desire to obey God’s commandments, patterned after the Lord Jesus Christ and describes the salvation that God has orchestrated, according to 2 Cor 4:3-4. The latter verse refers to believers’ receiving their glorified spiritual bodies on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which will be the end of this sin-cursed universe and the end of time. May God so conform us to His will as 1 Pet 5:10 affirms, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Php 3:10-11 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

Rom 8:28-30 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Php 3:21 “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned [confirmed] like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”

Php 1:4-6 “Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ”.

• The Fellowship of His Sufferings - We learn from Psa 66:10-12: “For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place”. Notice the role of suffering that God is highlighting in this verse. This is a divine pattern established by the Lord Jesus that the Apostle Paul wanted to emulate, as we read in Php 3:10: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. Suffering is an important part of a christian’s life but it brings to light the fact that God uses adversity as a means for the child of God to “grow in grace”. Refinement hurts! naturally, this process is by no means easy, as Heb 12:11 underscores: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby”. Yet, Rom 8:18 gives us much hope: “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”. 1 Pet 4:13 adds, “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy”. It is noteworthy that even the Lord Jesus had to suffer both physically and, more importantly, spiritually as He endured the equivalent of eternal damnation in Hell for His people, as Heb 2:10 reminds us: “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”. 2 Cor 1:5-7 also reveals that God uses our own hardships to encourage others, who will one day face similar trials.

2 Cor 1:5-7 “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”

Rom 8:16-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 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.”

2 Cor 10:9-10 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

• Reckon Ye also Yourselves to be Dead Indeed unto Sin, but Alive unto God - But why does Php 3:10 state, “… being made conformable unto his death”? After all, don’t we read this in John 5:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life”. While this is certainly true, we still need to discover why God uses the specific words that He did in Php 3:10. I believe that Rom 6:3-11 provides the answer. Just as Christ died and rose again, someone who has become “born from above” experiences the same as what Rom 8:10 clarifies, dead to sin but alive unto God: “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness”. This is the reason a child of God is instructed in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”. We discover another aspect of fellowship, or salvation, in 1 John 1:6-7: “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin”. Here God highlights a vital facet of the Christian life as walking (or living) in “the light” as opposed to walking in “darkness”, which was our spiritual status prior to salvation. “… being made conformable unto his death …” relates to the fact that the believer is to follow the pattern outlined in Rom 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

Rom 6:3-11 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Col 3:5-11 “Mortify [or put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: 6For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”

• I might Attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead - Thus far as we have been studying Php 3:10-11, we have learned a number of things: 1) To “… know him …” has everything to do with salvation, as Luke 1:77 states: “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins”. It also implies a willingness to be obedient to the Bible, according to 1 John 2:3: “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments”. 2) To know (or experience) “… the power of his resurrection …” has to do with the greatest display of God’s power as He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, even as He raises His elect from the dead spiritually. Rom 6:5 concludes, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection”. 3) To identify with the “… fellowship of his sufferings …” is a prerequisite of the Christian life, as Rom 8:17 reminds us, “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”. 4) “… Being made conformable unto his death …” relates to the fact that the believer is to follow the pattern outlined in Rom 6:11, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Now we want to consider Php 3:11, “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead”. Nearing the end of his life, Paul, under divine inspiration, utters the words in 2 Tim 4:6-8, “... there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness ...”. It should be noted that a “crown of righteousness” is not an additional reward of some sort; but it is a reference to the precious gift of eternal life. It is God Himself, Who is both a believer’s hope and reward. The resurrection of the dead will occur on the Last Day, or Judgment Day, which coincides with the end of this world, the end of time, and the ushering in of eternity for both the saved and the unsaved, “... they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation ...”.

Php 3:10-11 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

2 Tim 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

1 Cor 15:20-24 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Glorify God in Your Body

• Buried with him in Baptism, wherein also Ye are Risen with Him - The thoughts of one’s heart reveal a person’s true nature, as the Lord Jesus proclaimed in Mark 7:21 – “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders”. Notice how God is emphasizing the heart of man, as the source of all sin. All sin emanates from a dead soul and subsequently affects our thoughts, words, and actions. Yes, the heart of unsaved, natural man is “desperately wicked” as stated in Jer 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”. Gal 5:19-21 itemizes the works of the flesh. Even if a person were to refrain from committing these particular sins outwardly, they would still remain guilty for having committed these in their minds. However, the true believer, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, can overrule his evil nature and focus his thoughts on the things of God, as we read in Php 4:8-9. A Christian can have victory over evil and wickedness. The second-person plural pronoun “ye” here can only stand for all true believers whose hearts God has circumcised through the “circumcision of Christ” – that is, His atoning work at the cross. Everyone whose heart God circumcises is a spiritual Jew – “he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart” (Rom 2:29) – a spiritual seed of Abraham and an heir according to the promise – “if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29). That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” mentioned in Col 2:10-11. Rom 6:5 concludes, God’s power as He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, even as He raises His elect from the dead spiritually: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Gal 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Col 2:10-12 “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.”

Rom 6:3-5 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Php 4:8-9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

• Now Ye are the Body of Christ - There is an intimate relationship between God and His people – He is in them and they are in Him. They are considered the “body” of Christ – “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Cor 12:27), which is a living “temple of God”. The Bible pays tribute to the priceless value of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is the Head of the eternal church (or body of Christ), as Col1:18 affirms: “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”. Rom 7:4 explains that each true Christian has been freed (or delivered) from his previous “husband” – the Bible as the Law of God – in order to be married to Christ – “ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead”. As the divine institution that God established, marriage mirrors the spiritual union of Christ and His eternal church. When one has become saved by God’s grace, God likens this “new birth” to a bride who is being presented to her new Husband, the Lord Jesus Christ – “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body”. Furthermore, the true believer has been given eternal life, and the Holy Spirit now resides within his soul - “now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit”.

Eph 5:25-32 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Rom 7:4-6 “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

• Your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost - A “born-again” believer has been given eternal life, and the Holy Spirit now resides within his soul. Php 1:20 sums up that which is of paramount importance to those who have become “born from above” – “Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death”. Such a statement exudes a confidence in God that can only be attributed to the astounding work of God in saving a soul from sin and eternal damnation. However, once God has redeemed a person, his body is to be utilized as a tool in God’s service and for God’s glory. 1 Cor 6:19-20 underscores this great privilege that God has afforded to His own – “ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body”. Mankind in general has been intensely interested in his temporal body while neglecting his immortal soul. Because he thinks that his body is “all there is”, he attempts to focus his time, energy, and finances in satisfying and maintaining the needs and desires of his body, or flesh. However, the motivation for the believer is different, as reflected in Rom 12:11 - “ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service”. One who has experienced the “new birth” wants every aspect of his life to be wholeheartedly devoted to the service of His Master. We must remember that the essence of our service is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in the most faithful manner possible. 

Php 1:20 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.”

Cor 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

2 Cor 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.”

Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

• Glorify God in Your Body, and in Your Spirit, which are God’s - We cannot serve God in a manner pleasing to Him without being saved first. In Gal 6:8, we are introduced to the principle of sowing and reaping and the outcome is also spelled out. This principle is inherently active in the life of any person. They will either be sowing and reaping “to the flesh”, or they will be doing the same “to the spirit” – “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”. Even after a person is redeemed he struggles with sin because his body still remains unsaved, even though in his soul he has received eternal life. This is clearly seen in a number of verses like Rom 7:20, “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me”. With God’s enabling, the true believer increasingly yields to the dictates of Scripture instead of his flesh, as 1 Cor 6:20 exhorts, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s”. The price Christ had to pay was equivalent to eternal damnation in Hell for each of His elect children. In the face of such incomprehensible sacrificial love, the true believer exclaims along with the Psalmist in Psa 116:16, “O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds”. Even after we have become saved, we are admonished to live out our lives in the fear of the Lord as Php 2:12-13 points out: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. Heb 12:28 alludes to how this new life in Christ is to be expressed: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear”. Notice how these verses emphasize that the indwelling work of God the Holy Spirit (by the gift of God’s grace), is a dominant factor both as God draws us to Himself and after we have become saved. 2 Cor 7:1 also addresses this vital principle, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”. We are commanded to glorify God with our lives and all that we have – our time, our talents, our money, our speech, and our actions. Yet when all is said and done we can only humbly say in the words of Luke 17:10, “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do”.

2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Col 3:1-5 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 5Mortify [that is, put to death] therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:”

Rom 6:11-13 “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”

1 Cor 6:18-20 “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

If Ye then be Risen with Christ - Ye Shall be Free Indeed.

• Freedom from Sin and Satan - Jesus tells us in John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”. What is it that enslaves us, so that we need to be “free”? The Jews of Jesus’ day responded by asking Him a similar question in John 8:33. In this account, we immediately sense the Pharisees’ blindness to their own sinfulness. Such hard-heartedness is evidenced in many places in the Bible and is a characteristic of everyone who is not saved. The Bible clearly reveals in 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”. These same enticements are the bases for our sin, which is rooted in our own selfishness. They also form the foundation of how unsaved man thinks, speaks, and acts. That is why the Bible states in John 8:44, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do ...”. Jesus continued to explain that they were in bondage to their own sin; but in spite of this, they remained incapable of seeing their wretched spiritual condition. The most fundamental deception of sin denies the very existence of sin itself. 1 John 1:8 declares, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us”. The Biblical notion is that all sin is based on deceit, or based on a lie. Deceit is the opposite of truth and is, therefore, the opposite of the Word of Truth, the Bible. The Lord Jesus makes the point twice in John 8:32 that it is the Truth that makes one free and in John 8:36 He states that it is the Son that sets a person spiritually free. Here Jesus is emphasizing the fact that He is the Truth, as He clearly states in John 14:6: “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”. God saves His people through the truth of His Word, as we read in Jam 1:18: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures”. The word “begat” means to be “brought forth”, or to be spiritually “born from above”. When that happens, the new believer goes from being a slave of sin to being a slave of righteousness, or a slave (servant) of Jesus Christ. Rom 6:18 declares, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness”. Eph 6:10-13 explains who the real enemy is in this spiritual warfare, and states that a believer is to “put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. 2 Cor 2:11 tells why this is: “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”. Eph 4:14 also highlights the deceptive teaching that is rampant in our day. Eph 6:10-18 highlights the objective for wearing the pieces of armor, which are defensive in nature – except for the Sword of the Spirit (or the Word of God) which is the only offensive weapon in the Christian’s armory. This weapon – the Truth as revealed in the Word of God, the Bible – along with all the rest of the armour of God can overcome Satan’s Deception.

John 8:32-36 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Rom 6:14-18 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

Eph 6:10-18 “... take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day [judgement day], and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”

• Freedom from Second Death - We see in Jam 1:13-15, man is enticed by his own lust, and it is lust that “bringeth forth” sin, and sin “bringeth forth” death. Actually, these verses highlight man’s enslavement to sin and to Satan and, unless saved, his final destiny – eternal damnation in Hell. That is why the Bible has so much to say with regard to our sinfulness. From even a casual reading of the Bible, we are brought face to face with not only our innate weaknesses and inadequacies but, more importantly, with our sins that are sending us pell-mell to eternal damnation. We read in 1 Cor 15:56 that “the sting of death is sin …” In this verse, as well as many others in the Bible, we notice that God is linking death to sin. Because of this fact, we know that God is not referring to physical death but to spiritual death, which is ultimately the eternal second death”, in Hell. Rom 7:5 declares, “For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death”. To be “in the flesh” signifies that we are not saved; however, to be “in the spirit” is language that refers to somebody that has become a child of God. In John 3:6 the Bible declares, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” and verse 7 continues, “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again”. This “new birth” is referred to as “first resurrection” in Rev 20:6. It is God’s grace that provides salvation for every child of God through the work and the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Acts 20:32 affirms. We must never forget the enormous price that the Lord Jesus had to pay to secure salvation for each Christian. In reality, the Lord Jesus voluntarily became sin; and, consequently, He was guilty of us violating the Laws of the entire Bible and had to endure the penalty of eternal Hell, which is demanded by the Law of God – the Bible. Christ’s death served to free the true believers from their bondage to sin, the world, and Satan as Heb 2:14 declares, “… that through death he [Christ] might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”. Rev 20:6 declares, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection [born again]: on such the second death hath no power”.

1 Cor 15:54-57 “... Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead [spiritually dead] , yet shall he live [have eternal life]: 26And whosoever liveth [born again] and believeth in me shall never die [shall not taste second death in hell] ...”

Heb 2:14-15 “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

• Freedom from Law of Sin and Death - Rom 4:15a informs us that “… the law worketh wrath”. In other words, the wrath of God abiding on a person can also be described as being eternally “under the curse”. This means that because we cannot obey every commandment in the Bible perfectly (Jam 2:10) – only Christ did that – we are subject to the greatest curse imaginable unless God, in His great mercy, grants us everlasting forgiveness. I cannot emphasize enough that the Lord Jesus Christ had to become sin – He had to become cursed – in order to pay the punishment that the Law of God, the Bible, demands – eternal damnation in Hell. Think about this: God the Son, Who is perfectly holy, harmless [innocent], and undefiled became unholy, guilty, and defiled in paying for the sins of each Christian. Thus, God was forsaking God at the Cross! God was cursing God! God was punishing God in Hell! The reason the Law (which is the whole Bible) is called “the strength [power] of sin” is because the Bible, as the Law of God, is designed to expose our sin and guilt before God and condemn our sin, “... I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom 7:7). Moreover, it drives God’s elect to see their overwhelming need for a Savior, as Gal 3:24 explains. In essence the “Law”, or the “book of the Law”, refers to the whole Bible – the “sword of the Spirit”. The two edges of that “sword” signify its roles of either inflicting eternal damnation by the law of sin and death, or providing eternal life by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, as seen in Rom 8:2. These are the two main messages of the Gospel of Christ. Rom 8:2 declares, “...the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”.

Gal 3:11, 13 “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:”

Gal 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster”

Rom 7:4 “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.”

1 Cor 15:54-57 “… Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• Saved to Serve as Servant of Christ - Our spiritual bondage to sin and subsequent salvation by the work of Christ is illustrated by the Israelites, who were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years until God delivered them out of Pharaoh’s hand using Moses as chosen instrument. The Christian, by God’s grace, has been set free from that bondage: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Col 1:13). Acts 26:18 pictures the transfer of power and spiritual metamorphosis that occurs when one experiences birth from above to become a servant of Christ: “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. In the incisive passage, Rom 8:5-8, God is making the distinction between the two kingdoms we have been discussing. The phrases “after the flesh” and “carnally minded” describe the nature of one who is unsaved and in the kingdom of Satan. On the other hand, the language “after the Spirit” and “spiritually minded” illustrate the nature of a true Christian – one who has become a citizen of God’s kingdom. The words of 2 Cor 5:17-21 depict the wonderful salvation that God has provided by His infinite mercy and grace. Those who have been redeemed are the servants of God, and they live to do His divine bidding, to be “ambassadors for Christ”. True believers have been raised from spiritual death to life and have an insatiable desire to be obedient to the Word of God. Rom 6:12-13 becomes part of the new “marching orders” (the whole Bible) the believer now follows.

Rom 8:6-9 “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”

2 Cor 5:17-21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Rom 6:12-13 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”