WHAT IS MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST JESUS Josimar Salum

WHAT IS MY IDENTITY IN CHRIST JESUS

Josimar Salum

“And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham." Matthew 3:9 

“Abraham is our father,” they answered. “If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 

You are doing the works of your own father.” 

“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only Father we have is God himself.” 

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:39‭-‬44 

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:11‭-‬13

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister." 1 John 3:9‭-‬10 

1. Children of God, heirs and joint heirs

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:14‭-‬17 

2 - Washed, sanctified, justified

“nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:10‭-‬11

3 - Justice of God

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 

4 - We are also God in this world.

The biblical text says, “As God is, so are we in this world.” Not that we are God and cease to be men. We become like Jesus.

“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it is not yet manifest what we shall be. But we know that when he appears, we will be like him;  for as it is we shall see it.” 1John 3:2

We are like Jesus who, being God, did not cease to be God, but became man.

“For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29

“And we know and believe in the love that God has for us.  God is love and whoever is in love is in God, and God in him.  Herein is love to us perfect, that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment;  for as he is, so are we in this world.”  1John 4:16-17

By being born again we do not become God, but we become partakers of his holiness.

“For those indeed, for a little while, corrected us as they pleased;  but this one, for our benefit, that we may be partakers of his holiness.”  Hebrews 12:10

5 - Kings and Priests

“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5‭-‬6

“And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:9‭-‬10 

Conclusion

 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:29‭-‬30 

Apocalypse = Revelation

“For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the children of God.” Romans 8:19

"For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed (Greek apokalypsin)" Romans 8:19 

The coming of Jesus is the manifestation, revelation and apocalypse of the Body of Christ, the Church.

Imagine the image of the only Son of God glorified, now multiply this indescribable, exuberant, powerful image by billions of beings like Jesus.

#ASONE

WHO ARE YOU? SAINT OR SINNER? Josimar Salum

WHO ARE YOU? SAINT OR SINNER?

Josimar Salum

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:8‭-‬10 

“For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Romans 7:5‭-‬6‭, ‬15‭, ‬17‭, ‬24‭-‬25

“Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:13‭-‬16 

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." Romans 8:1‭-‬2‭, ‬9‭-‬10‭, ‬16‭-‬17‭, ‬29‭-‬30 

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9‭-‬11 

You were predestined, called, justified and also glorified to become like Jesus. To be transformed into a child of God, because Jesus is a son. You were transformed to be called, justified, glorified, righteous, holy, a priest and king as Jesus is.

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God." John 1:12‭-‬13 

How could you have been born again to remain as you always were? God has no sinful, unclean, lost, ungodly children. God only has holy and righteous children!

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 

“Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Revelation 22:11‭-‬15

#ASONE

Can an Omniscient God not to remember anything?

Josimar Salum

I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22

When God did sweep away our sins, now at the present time, or before eternity?

In Jeremiah 31:34 “declares the Lord: “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

In Hebrews 10:16-17 “the Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says: “This is the Covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

God did not say He will forget our sins. God said He will not remember our sins.

If God had a registry of our sins before eternity, He is not an unchangeable God. 

The words in Hebrew and in Greek for “no more” can be also translated “since that time, yet more, even now, yet, still and in addition.”

The verb remember means properly, recall, bring to mind, remind oneself actively (purposefully); to remember, have in mind and “be mindful of."

When the blood of Jesus cleansed all of our sins does it means we still have our sins hidden under His blood or does it means He removed our sins completely like we have never committed any of them?

Has His Blood cleansed our sins only in our future and present or equally has cleansed our past and even before the ages?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

If our forgiven sins were never committed because of the Blood of Jesus the signs of His sufferings and His crucifixion cannot be a reminding to God of our sins, instead they are the eternal marks of our Sonship, Holiness, Righteousness and Purity in Him.

I do believe that the mystery of the Cross fully involves the fact that God can’t remember anything that He doesn’t have knowledge about it.

Is He not Omniscient? Yes, His is, but not towards our sins.

We perfectly know that we were sinners and we have practiced all kind of sins. Jesus died exactly to save us from our sins. No doubt about it.

We were cleansed and forgiven through the blood of Jesus in time and throughout eternity. Also, there is no doubt about it.

Certainly for us always God will forgive and cleanse our sins, though yet for Him, He already did even before the foundation of the world when His Lamb was beforehand known.

If our forgiven sins were never committed because of the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus the signs of His sufferings and His crucifixion cannot be an eternal remembrance that we were sinners, instead they are eternal marks of our Sonship, Holiness, Righteousness and Purity in Him.

In order for us to become like Jesus is (I John 3:1-3) and He has never sinned, we also should not. But, how is that possible?  It is because of His blood.

The failure in believing that the atonement of Jesus was not sufficiently able to remove all of our sins and in making us really like He is, Pure, Holy, Righteous and Son of God, it is downsize  the Gospel of Grace and Love into a religion of men and His sacrifice on the Cross a mere staging.