The Great Exchange
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20
We were chosen by Christ and in Him before the foundation of the world.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love … ~ Ephesians 1:4
If we are believers, we are in Him now. So, if we were in Him before the foundations of the world and we are in Him now, is it any surprise that we were co-crucified with Christ at Calvary? Our old nature was taken to the cross at Calvary and on Resurrection Day, when He arose, we arose, part of His New Creation! Our old nature was taken to the cross and extinguished, crucified! We have His nature, perfect and holy. We are seated together in heavenly places in Him.
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:5-7
In short, Jesus gave us His nature and discarded our old nature. What an incomparable blessing was bestowed upon us! Our old nature died at Calvary in the co-crucifixion.
Having faith IN God is wonderful thing! But Jesus gave us another fantastic dimension of faith by freely giving us the faith OF God as we now live by the faith OF the Son of God. It is not man’s faith but God’s faith that operates in us, enabling us to believe all things.
So what has happened with the believer’s righteousness? Isaiah said of man’s righteousness,
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. ~ Isaiah 64:6
Isaiah paints a disturbing but accurate picture of man’s self-righteousness before our redemption by the Messiah. Isaiah was talking to ancient Israel, a people who knew about God, offered sacrifices, and tried to keep his Law – not yet understanding that Jesus would take the Mosaic Law to the cross with Him.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;… ~ Colossians 2:13-14
The Law did not redeem, but it did make people aware of their sinfulness. A solution was needed and that is found in the sacrifice of Jesus who exchanged our sinful nature for His remarkably holy and righteous nature, the free gift of God, and took our nature to the cross, rising as the Victor three days later.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: ~ I Corinthians 1:30
That’s right! Jesus is now our righteousness! In Christ, we are made righteous in Him. It is not something we have to work for or even could work for – it is the free gift of God purchased with the blood of Jesus.
Receiving the Gift
At the River Jordan at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, we find:
And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. John 1:32-33
Jesus came to redeem us and baptize us in the Holy Spirit. What is the Holy Spirit? The Spirit of Christ, the nature of God as God is Spirit. Jesus came to immerse us in His Spirit. Jesus is the Baptizer. Jesus came to make us one with Him, part of His Body, the body of Christ. The nature of God into which we are baptized by Him is righteous!
How do we receive His wonderful Baptism? We ask for it!
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:9-13
Do we see this gift being given in scripture? Yes, in many places. After the Resurrection, Jesus was seen by many of his apostles over a forty day period, speaking to them of matters pertaining to the kingdom of God.
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. ~ Acts 1:4-5
And what was the promise of the Father? The Baptism in His Spirit!
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ~ Acts 1:7-9
Luke also records mention of this great promise:
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49
Note that Jesus was speaking with believers. These people believed He had been crucified and raised from the dead. They loved Him. They were there, witnesses to the awesome events of those days. Many of them had walked with Jesus, laying hands on the sick in His name and seeing the power of God demonstrated. Yet they had not seen what was to come. The apostle Peter had participated in such demonstrations and yet he cowered and denied Christ during the time of His great suffering. Yet, when the power of God fell on Him in the Baptism in God’s Spirit, a new and holy boldness came upon Peter and he preached a fearless sermon, leading thousands to salvation on the day of Pentecost.
Scripture records:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.~ Acts 2:1-12
Foreigners were speaking in languages they had never learned. They were speaking by the power of the gift of God and the people knew something extremely important had happened and sought understanding. Peter explained what was taking place by quoting from the book of Joel:
Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ~ Acts: 2: 13-21
In the same passage, Peter makes it clear that this Baptism is the great promise of God.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. ~ Acts 2:32-33
In the days that followed, others received the Baptism in the Spirit even as on the Day of Pentecost and as believers still receive this promise of God today by asking and receiving. In the eighth chapter of Acts we see where Philip went down to Samaria and preached in power with many coming into belief in Christ. Many were delivered of demonic spirits and others who were palsied or lame were healed. Believers were baptized in water in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Christians in Jerusalem heard about the events in Samaria, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. ~ Acts 8:15-17.
Note that these Samaritans were water-baptized believers in Christ Jesus who had not yet received the Holy Spirit until Peter and John ministered to them. Many have referred to this great gift as the second blessing, the first blessing being salvation.
In the tenth chapter of Acts, we see Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, and his household receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit whereby Peter learned that God was no respecter of persons and that His great promise was for everyone who wanted to walk with Him. Peter knew the Centurion and his household had received the gift because the spoke in tongues (languages), magnifying God. Peter knew this was supernatural or he would hardly have been impressed.
In the nineteenth chapter of Acts, we see the apostle Paul ministering the gift of God to believers in Christ who were not familiar with this great promise of God. These men had been water baptized through the ministry of John the Baptist.
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve. ~ Acts 19:1-7
Paul saw the evidence that these men had received the Baptism as they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Paul knew that what he was observing came from God, not the mind of man.
The Great Gift
Thus God has a great gift for all of us! If you, as a believer, have not yet received the Baptism in His Spirit, ask and ye shall receive! How will God deliver the gift? That is between you and God. You may immediately have the evidence of it when you ask or He may send one of His own, or send you to one of His own, for the laying on of hands. Be open and know that Jesus is the Baptizer, not any man. The gift is utterly free, a faith gift. There is nothing you can do to earn it. The blood of Jesus has already paid the price. The disciples asked God what we must do to do the works of God. Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent (John 6 29).”
Joseph Gaut 06/13/2011