We Have Received a New Position (2)


	We Have Received a New Position (2) Introduction - Our Wonderful New Position When we were born again, we received an entirely new position. According to the Bible, God has "delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:13). We have been delivered from our old position and transferred into a wonderful new position. 1. We Are No Longer Condemned The very first item in our new position is that we are no longer condemned. Romans 8:1 tells us, "There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus." 2. We Are Justified After being born again, we are justified. To be justified means that God approves us according to the standard of His righteousness. The Bible makes this clear: "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). 3. We Are Delivered from the Authority of Darkness Before we were born again we were in Satan's kingdom, under the authority of darkness. When we were born again, God "delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:12). 4. We Are Joined to the Lord In our new position we are joined to the Lord. "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). When we were born again, we were born of the Spirit of God. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). After being born again, our new position is that we are joined to the Lord in our spirit. 5. We Are in the Triune God The next eight points all concern what we are "in" after being born again. Firstly, we are in the Triune God. When the Lord Jesus was still on the earth He prayed to the Father for all of His believers: "That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me" (John 17:21). 6. We Are in Life Our new position after being born again is in life. "Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has passed out of death into life" (John 5:24). 7. We Are in Light Before we were born again we were in darkness, but now we are in light: "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light" (Col. 1:12). 8. We Are in Grace Formerly we were in sin, and therefore under the law. But after being born again, we are in grace: "Through whom [the Lord Jesus Christ] also we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand and boast because of the hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). 9. We Are in Hope Before we were born again, we were those "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). But "we were saved in hope" (Rom. 8:24). 10. We Are in Resurrection We have seen that formerly we were in death, but now we are in life. This means that we are in resurrection. Not only was the Lord Jesus raised from the dead, but we were raised with Him: "But God, being rich in mercy... made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together with Him" (Eph. 2:4-6). 11. We Are in the Heavenlies By being born again we have been seated in the heavenlies, the highest place in the universe. Many Christians are waiting to go to heaven, but the Bible tells us that we have already been seated with Christ in the heavenlies: "And raised us up together with Him and seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). 12. We Are in the Kingdom of the Son of God's Love By being born again we entered into a new kingdom. Formerly we were in the kingdom of Satan, but God "delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love" (Col. 1:12). 13. We Are Set Free from Sin The next five points all concern being "set free." By being born again, we are set free from sin. This means that sin cannot bother us anymore. The Bible tells us that we are free from sin: "And having been freed from sin, you were enslaved to righteousness" (Rom. 6:18). 14. We Are Set Free from Death Formerly we were in death, but by being born again we are set free from death: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:6). 15. We Are Set Free from the World We have also been set free from the world. The Bible tells us that the world is Satan's kingdom: "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one" (1 John 5:19). 16. We Are Set Free from the Flesh Formerly we "conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts" (Eph. 2:3). But in our new position we are free from our flesh, so that it can no longer bind us: "But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts" (Gal. 5:24). 17. We Are Set Free from the Authority of Satan Formerly we were under Satan's authority. We were set free from Satan's power and authority by being made alive. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in offenses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Eph. 2:4-5). 18. We Are Slaves to Righteousness When we were born again we were set free, yet at the same time we became slaves: "And having been freed from sin, you were enslaved to righteousness" (Rom. 6:18). 19. We Are Slaves to God Even more wonderful than being a slave to righteousness is being a slave to God: "But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end, eternal life" (Rom. 6:22). 20. We Have Peace toward God In our new position we have peace toward God. "Therefore having been justified out of faith, we have peace toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). To purchase the book Born Again