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LIVING VICTORIOUSLY in CHRIST! a Study on Christ-Centred Faith by KEN CHANT
INTRODUCTION Christians are bothered by many sins – Fornication, rampant thoughts, greed, anger, jealousy, selfishness, addictions...
... a critical spirit, unbelief, drug abuse, quarrelling, pride, foul language, gossip, gluttony, cruelty, laziness, etc.
Around the world, the cry goes out from entangled saints –
A.HOW CAN WE BE FREE? Christians have turned to several different methods in their struggles to overcome sin and to serve God –
Sacramental Penitential Prevenient Fiducial
We recognise the value and necessity of the other approaches. But this study will concentrate on the fiducial method.
B.FAITH – THE KEY TO VICTORY THREE WAYS TO USE FAITH Christians have used faith to overcome sin in three ways –
1. Sinless Perfection some have thought that faith could bring them to a place “sinless perfection ”.
2. Personal Struggle sins must be eradicated one by one but this is like trying to kill a tree by plucking off its fruit.
3. Word Revelation Here faith is used to bring first, pardon, then victory, based upon a revelation of the word of God.
C.HOW FAITH WORKS That third method of using faith can be summarised as –
1. a revelation of the word of God, which 2. creates an identification between me and Christ, so that 3. I become all that he is.
The remainder of this study examines those powerful victory principles -
a) A Revelation Of The Word This is more than just a “head knowledge” of the promise. Rather, it is an inner perception of the irresistible truth of all that God has spoken.
This should be the main theme of prayer. Note Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:16-19a. Two major mistakes –
Passages of instruction in the NT can be taken out of context, to produce a doctrine of righteousness based upon good works.
But this is a distortion, if the people are not first brought to a place of security in Christ.
Therapy that depends heavily upon knowledge of one’s self, past life, hidden memories, etc, may or may not be helpful; but it is certainly not the gospel!
This revelation comes by – i. acceptance of your need of a “word”
ii. submission to the truth of the “word” iii. prayer for illumination of the “word” cp. 2 Kings 6:8-17
b) IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST The Bible shows that God wants to bring us into union with Christ at each point of his passion.
This requires us to believe three things, solely because God declares them to be true –
i. B elieve That You Are DEAD With Christ SSSSee Romans 6:6- 7,11.
ii. B elieve That You Are RISEN With Christ WWWWe are not content to stop at mere pardon nor even at victory; rather, we want to serve God in righteousness.
So we are challenged to believe that we are alive with Christ (Romans 6:4b,5b,8b)
This too is a faith- reckoning. See vs. 11b.
This “reckoning” leads you to see yourself, to speak about yourself, as being more responsive to righteousness than to sin.
You cannot claim to be free of all sin, but in the face of sin you can do four things –
a. confess it as quickly as possible. Claim the pardon of God, and at once re- assert your union with the death of Christ; then
b. banish any attempt (whether by tears, suffering, or works) to try to atone for sin. However, you may need to repair any damage your sin has done to another person.
c. refuse absolutely to be turned aside from your affirmation of your union with Christ in his resurrection. And then continue to –
d) reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God. This state rests upon the finished work of Christ, therefore...
It cannot be either enhanced or diminished by any action of yours – except that you can lose the benefit of it if you allow yourself to be separated from Christ.
But, though pardoned and victorious over sin, we are still discontented, for we now yearn for authority to live supernaturally and to do the works of God.
Therefore we are confronted with a third challenge, to –
iii. B elieve That You are ENTHRONED With Christ BBBBy faith you should identify yourself with Christ –
in his ascension, and with all the authority of his glorious throne See Ephesians 2:6,7,10.
from this place of limitless authority you can – a. assert all your rights against Satan and you can
b. gain an entitlement to do whatever work the Father has appointed for you.
In the beauty of holiness, to the glory of the Lord, for ever.