33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 1 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man Chafer said – “The essential doctrine of union with Christ appears as the basis of many of these riches of divine grace.” –‘–‘Many’ to my examination = 32/33 –R–Rom 6:1-10 is critically important here! What does this passage not address? –S–Self-judgment by self-crucifixion –R–Ritual baptism Why then does it say? –T–The  was not sins only, but our sin nature was also crucified –‘–‘God is now righteously free to deal with that nature as judged’

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 2 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man If the sin nature was crucified and God sees the old man as dead, then why are we not more victorious in our walk? –We still seem to think that the Adam nature has some value Is this conscious or sub-conscious? How’s your self improvement project going these days? –But, Adam never changes! Working on improving Adam returns us to the ways of Law –Rom 3:19 – ‘Now we know that what things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.’ –So how does the Law (or law system) relate to us? Gal 3:23,24 – ‘But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.’ –The same principle is there for us as believers today –What next then?

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 3 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man –Rom 6:11-14 – ‘Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.’ –The Holy Spirit is given to us both to reveal and express the Christ nature – Rom 8:1-4, John 15:12-15 This is an act of faith – do we believe it? –We believe our sins have been forgiven and that we will be with the Lord

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 4 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man –Jesus Christ eternally, but what about now when we so often fall short in living the life? How should being free from the Law be applied? –We are to no longer be under a schoolmaster – Gal 3:25 –And, we are married to another – Rom 7:4-6 To be conjoined reflects our position –Phil 3:20 – ‘For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,’ – If this is where we have our citizenship, then what next? Col 3:1-3 - ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.’ So now how is this walk carried out and what does the life In Christ look like?

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 5 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man –Recognizing that in Him all things have been made new II 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.’ –And, that we are created unto good works Eph 2:10 – ‘For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.’ –And, that the works of the flesh are not justified Gal 2:16 ‘Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.’ The ways of the old man and law are worthless before God –“As conviction of guilt goes before known justification, so the experiential knowledge of self before sanctification. No effort clears the guilt; no effort effects the growth.” – HHS Feb 16

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 6 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man –But both to and in Him we are a sweet fragrance II Cor 2:14,15 – ‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;’ –And the walk is not ours - but His Phil 1:20,21 – ‘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. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ –So does that mean we need to let go and let God? NO, NO, NO, NO!!! – what happens then? –Good old Adam shows up – remembers he never changes! We need to quit focusing on ourselves to examine our walk –i.e. How am I doing today?

33 Riches of Divine Grace Feb 17, 2008 Bob Eckel 7 Conjoined to Christ for the Judgment of the Old Man It’s not what you do but who you are, and once you know who you are then what you do is evidence of who you are! We need to respond actively by faith and let Him do the rest –II Cor 3:17,18 – ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ –I John 5:4 – ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.’ ‘Conjoined’ - 1 Cor 6:17 – ‘But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.’