How People Change 11

This chapter radically changed my thinking!

It gave a whole new depth to Galatians 2:20.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and ^[a]the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

If I am dead and Christ has completely changed my identity, that radically changes the way I see sin, Satan, my flesh, and the "power" of the three of those. Christ hasn't just changed my identity to a better one; He is my identity now. WOW! So mind blowing!

God, please remind me of that every moment of every day! Thank you for much for this reality!

Chapter 11: Cross 1—New Identity and New Potential

“The grace of Christ and the dynamics of biblical change need to be understood within the framework of our circumstances and our sinful responses” (147).

The Holy Spirit and a New Heart

Each circumstance has value because the Lord is sovereign over every circumstance, preparing us through it for what He has called us to do. “Yet, at the same time, this standard of self-evaluation misses the core of your potential as a Christian. For example, it misses how you can recognize past failures and present weaknesses and still step forward to do things you have never done….Family, education, talents, experience, success all have value, but they miss the core of our potential as children of God” (149).

Your Potential: The Indwelling Christ

Gal 2:20 and Rom 8:9-10

“The Cross of Christ determines our potential in ways far greater and deeper than the things we usually rely on” (149).

“…many believers tend to think of the Cross only in terms of a doorway into relationship with God. Paul is saying that the Cross is that doorway, but it is so much more!” (149).

“…the Cross defines our identity and potential right here and now because we are alive in Christ” (150).

Three Redemptive Truths

1.     The Redemptive Fact: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live.”

a.     “You can live in new ways amid the same old situations, because when Christ died physically, you died spiritually. This constitutional change is permanent! Do you view yourself with this kind of potential for a new life in Christ?” (151).

2.     The Present Reality: “But Christ lives in me.”

a.     The old you is not replaced with a new and better version but with Christ Himself! (151)

b.     “…where sin once controlled, Christ now rules! Our hearts, once under the domination of sin, are now the dwelling place of Christ, the ultimate source of righteousness, wisdom, grace, power, and love” (151).

3.     The Results for Daily Living: “The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

a.     “We no longer live based on our assessment of what we possess in strength, character, and wisdom (from family, education, and experience). We base our lives on the fact that because Jesus lives in us, we can do what is right in desire, thought, word, and action, no matter what specific blessings or sufferings we face. Our potential is Christ! When we really believe this and live it out, we start to realize our true potential as children of God. We start to see new and surprising Fruit mature in our lives” (151).

Three Redemptive Implications

“What will your life look like if you measure your potential based on your union with Christ? What will it look like to face life really believing that he lives within you, empowering you to do what is right?” (152).

1.     You will live with personal integrity

a.     Willing to examine yourself in the mirror of God’s Word

b.     Living in community

c.      Honest in your struggles

2.     You will create a climate of grace in your relationships

a.     Forgive and ask for forgiveness

b.     “Freed by Christ from defensiveness, rationalizing, blame-shifting, and other types of self-justification” (152)

c.      Seek to give and serve

d.     Persevere even when you are tempted to quit

3.     You will act with courageous grace and constructive truth

a.     Speak with honesty

b.     “Responses will be more shaped by the Savior’s will than by your own selfish desires, the expectations of others, or the pressures of the situation” (153)

c.      “’Christ in me,’ Cross-centered living gives a purpose and direction to all our actions and words” (153)

d.     No credit to ourselves because it is Christ who lives in us

What If You Fail?

What do you do when you fail?

            Excuse? Rationalize? Wallow in self-defeating guilt and regret?

“The Cross calls you away from [all of these] responses. It gives you the freedom to admit your sin and repent” (153).

“It is impossible for your sin to shock the One who died because of it. The Cross also gives you the freedom to seek and receive forgiveness each time you fall. We do not have to carry the sins Christ took on Himself. He paid the price we could not pay so that we would never have to pay it again….know… that each time you fail, you can experience your identity as one for whom Christ died. Each failure reminds us of why he had to die; each confession reminds us of the forgiveness that only the Cross could provide” (154).