[Faith-talk] FW: [thefamilyoffaith] UNION WITH CHRIST, PART 3 of 3 ~GRACE DAILY INSPIRATIONAL~ MARCH 15, 2012

[Eric Calhoun]

Original Message: 
From: PARIS <GraceNtheTruth at Cox.net>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Subject: [thefamilyoffaith] UNION WITH CHRIST,    PART  3 of  3     
~GRACE DAILY INSPIRATIONAL~ MARCH 15, 2012
Date: 
Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:37:17 -0700

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*UNION WITH CHRIST*
*PART  3 of  3*



When Paul poses the question, "Shall we continue in sin just to prove 
the reality of grace?" he concludes, "People who go on living like that 
don't really know they died in Christ." In other words, their point of 
reference hasn't been changed. Their point of reference is still 
themselves, and they think they are no good and want to sin. 
Consequently, they are excited about all of this grace of God that they 
can keep drawing on. Paul would say, "Yes, you can keep on drawing on 
the grace of God for everything you ever do, for every sin you ever 
commit. But WHY? Why not instead draw on the LIFE of God?"

A friend of mine once said to me, "You know, until I really knew that I 
had been crucified with Christ, there was no way for me to get rid of 
me. Because I was still alive to me." It's so true. Until we know we've 
died, we're never going to be free of ourselves, and we will never 
experience union. We will still be a problem to ourselves. The spotlight 
will still be on us. That's where most Christians are living their life: 
"I've got to produce for God."

Until the full work of the cross --- our death and resurrection with 
Christ --- becomes a reality to us, we will try to produce something 
that's not required of us. Our focus will still be on us, instead of 
Christ in us. And we will neglect to be involved in the glorious 
activity of God as He lives out through us for others. We participate in 
God's life when we see that we died to ourselves as our point of 
reference. Christ in us is now our point of reference in all things.

Everything necessary for living the Christian life is provided in the 
cross, completely and properly understood. It's all in the cross. God 
hasn't omitted one thing from the cross that is necessary for us to 
allow Him to live His life through us.

We must experientially know both sides of the cross: Christ died for us 
(the blood) and we died and were raised with Him (the body). In the next 
chapter, we will look at the "raised with Him" part. For now, it's 
absolutely fundamental to know that you died with Christ. You cannot 
know your union until God has shown you that the old you died. When you 
died, you died to sin. You died to the law. You died to yourself as your 
point of reference. As far as being an impediment to God, you are out of 
the way. The old you is not a factor anymore.

It's a great victory to move into the reality of who you are in Christ. 
You have the privilege of seeing yourself the way He sees you. Your 
entire point of reference is now Christ who lives in you. You and He are 
one. He lives His life through you.

We can continue to say, "That can't really mean me, because here I am 
and I know me. I know I'm not dead." Then we'll never know union. We'll 
never know Christ as our life. We may understand the concept of our 
death, but not truly know the truth of it in our inner being.

If your death with Christ hasn't become an experiential reality to you 
yet, I encourage you to ask the Father to make it a reality: "Lord, I 
want to know. I want to know and experience the truth that I died with 
Christ. Reveal that to me and make it real in my life." He will.




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Our Purpose and Mission

The ministry of "Grace and The Truth" has the purpose of encouraging 
Christians to believe what God says.

We are dedicated to helping Christians to a fuller knowledge of Him, and 
the Grace of God. Until we all come into the Unity, Ephesians 4:13 "Till 
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son 
of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ:"



OUR COMMISSION IN THE AGE OF GRACE IS:

2Co 5:16-21  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, 
though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we 
[him] no more.  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.


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