Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? (Romans 8:33)
One of our adversary’s favorite methods of warfare is to wage an attack against us by using the weapon of condemnation. Regardless of how close to God we have been living or however good the intentions of our heart, the enemy wants to tell us that it is not good enough and that we have fallen short. He would load us down with feelings of guilt and inadequacy in his efforts to hinder our walk with our Saviour. Many Christians carry just such loads of guilt about with them, sapping their joy and strength.
In matter of fact, however, our enemy is a defeated foe. His methods are bluff and bluster, lies and deception. Jesus stripped him of power at Calvary. If we know the truth of the matter, it will set us free.
We need not to listen to this voice of condemnation. It comes from the Accuser of the Brethren (Ref. Rev. 12:10) and his time is short. Often his method is to tell us we’ve violated some point of law, whether such law is Biblical or just part of some modern tradition.
Thank God, Jesus has set us free from bondage to the law and has freely given us the grace of God.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1)
No condemnation! None at all. We know that the very strength, the very power of sin is the law. Therefore it is not surprising the enemy of our souls would try to buffet us with condemnation in his attempt to sap the joy and peace of our salvation.
But:
…we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin — because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6)
And again:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)
So who or what does the devil have left to accuse? Our old nature, the only thing worthy of condemnation, went to the cross with Jesus. It’s been dealt with. We’re in the beloved. We’re in Him for all eternity. And we were in Him when He arose from the dead. (Ref. Col.3:1)
The verdict is in. The Judge of the Ages has rendered His final decision. NOT GUILTY!
So rebuke that accusing devil and tell it to stay out of your life. You know the verdict. You know the truth that he cannot lay anything to the charge of those who belong to Jesus.
Many Christians have feelings of inadequacy stemming from past experiences — rejection experiences in childhood errant teachings and so forth. We need to understand that rejection and failure are all part of that old carnal nature and accept by faith its crucifixion at Calvary. We need to see that God does not condemn us. We need to understand that in Christ we have become new creatures, all things made new. Our life is now hidden in Him. In Him, there is no rejection, no failure. Condemnation is not part of His new creation. God looks on our hearts and knows our intentions. And our hearts are new, hearts He Himself has given us. We are now His children, sons and daughters. In Him is the healing balm of Gilead to mend all past hurts and injuries and make us whole.
May we be ever conscious of who we are. It is so valuable to us to see that it is now Christ living His life in us and through us. We are part of His new creation. May we know our identity and accept no substitute. And let us follow this new heart in all that we do for He dwells there and will not lead us astray. He tells us we are His.
Jesus had to fight the battle before us to make the way for our redemption. He was tempted at all points but He overcame. It was no mock battle for Him, but a very real struggle with blood, tears, persecution, and immense suffering.
He was able to overcome because He knew who He was. When the enemy tempted Him with If thou art the son of God . . ., there was no if about it to Jesus for He knew the truth of who He was. He knew He was of the blood line of the Most High God. He knew that He was born from Heaven above of the Holy Spirit. He knew who His Father was. He knew His own true identity. He knew that He was God manifest in the flesh.
And today He wants us to know who we are. We should grasp that God is truly our Father. We are no longer of this earth but are now from above. Though we are in this world, we are not of it. We should understand that even now we are seated in Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus. (Ref. Eph. 2:6)
Understanding this is important to our leading a victorious overcoming life in Christ. God’s people . . . overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Rev. 12:11)
Our overcoming by the Blood of the Lamb certainly involves our acceptance of His sacrifice for us at Calvary. But we should also recognize that we are of His blood line. We should accept that our identity is found only in Him. And we should let this be part of our overcoming testimony. Yes, we need to know in our hearts and in our minds who we are and acknowledge before men that we indeed know who we are.
We should confess with the sincere words of our lips that the Accuser of the Brethren also knows who we are and has no power over us for Christ has given us power over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Let the enemy know that you know you are a blood member of the family of God, that the blood of the Lamb of God now flows in your veins, and that your real identity is found only in Christ. As a Christian, you are part of Christ’s Body and empowered by His Holy Spirit to live for God. The enemy has no claim against those who are in Christ Jesus. Indeed, who can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?
Continue reading Flee Into Galilee
Post a Comment