THE NEW CREATION IS COMPLETE IN HIM (Colossians 2:9-19; 1 John 3:2)
Colossians 2:9-10, “for in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are complete in him, which is the head of all principalities and powers”. In Christ, you cannot lack anything: as for wisdom, the bible says,” Christ has been made unto us wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:30), as for health, the bible says, “by his stripes we were healed” (1 Peter 2:24), as for wealth the Bible says, “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians 4:19).
THE NEW CREATION HAS ETERNAL LIFE (John 3:16, John 5:24; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; 1 John 5:11-12)
What is eternal life? Is it possible for a man to live forever and not see death? These are the questions we need to ponder on as we discuss Eternal Life?
Eternal Life is God’s kind of life, an everlasting life, a life that cannot be cut short by anything like disease, sickness or death. It is not acquired after a man is dead like some people think.
Eternal life is a gift from God
The bible says in Romans 5:21, “That as sin hath reigned unto death even so grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ”. Romans 6:23, says, “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ”. Eternal life is a gift of God. It is imparted into our spirit the moment we got born again. God’s love for man brought about the gift of eternal life and this life is in His son Jesus. (1 John 5:11-12).
Death has been abolished.
The bible says (2 Timothy 1:10) Jesus Christ abolished death and hath bought life and mortality to light, through the gospel. Immortality here means “eternal life” or “everlasting life”. Legally, death has no hold on the New Creation. Death reigned over the fallen human race and the ordinary man had a life span of 70 years or at most 100 years span. But the recreated human spirit has an everlasting life. Jesus brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, He lets us know that in John: 5:24, that he that hears His Word and believes on Him that sent Him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life. He says, “HAS PASSED not WILL PASS”.
This lets us know that the moment we get born again we pass from death to life; everlasting life, a life above sickness and death. We do not work for it, just as a newborn baby does not work for its life; we inherited God’s kind of life because we are born of Him. WE ARE BORN OF GOD. God is immortal (1 Timothy 1:17) and Christ has brought life and immortality to us.
GOD’S REASON’S FOR SALVATION (Gen 12:1-2; Matt 28:18-20; Acts 1:8)
In Genesis 12:1-2, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and shall be a blessing”.
The call of Abram can be likened to our translation from the kingdom of darkness into God’s kingdom. Abram was told to leave his country and kindred where there was idol worship unto a place where God alone is to be worshiped. God also promised to blessed Abram and make his name great and we through Christ have received this promise for the bible says in Genesis 13:16. Now to Abraham and his seed was the promise made, he did not say to “his seeds” as of many but as of one, to thy seed which is Christ.
To be blessed is to be empowered to prosper in all things: health, wealth, relationships or friendships etc. Also from Genesis 12:3, God said that “through thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”. Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-20 commissions us to bless the families of the earth by preaching the Gospel.
We are saved for the following reasons, amongst others:
a) That we may be a source of blessing to all.
b) That we may escape the destruction that is to come, etc.
WHAT IS TRUTH (2 Corinthians 5:7; John 17:17)
John 17:17 makes us know that the Word of God is truth. Sight is anything we can perceive with our physical senses i.e. smell, touch, sight, hear and taste.
Sight and truth may not always agree e.g. a Christian may have all the symptoms of malaria but in truth he has been healed by the stripes of our Lord Jesus (Isaiah 53:5). Jonah speaking in Jonah 2:8 said, “they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” Lying vanities here refers to things that can be seen, perceived, smelt and touched etc, but don’t align with God’s Word (the truth). However it is also possible for the sight to align with God’s word e.g. a Christian full of health, wealth and wisdom.
CONCLUSION
The Christian is the one who is born of God, by confessing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour. This process of rebirth is what is called ‘born again’.
CLASS REVIEW
Who is really a Christian and how is he related to God?
How can you describe the New Creation: power, dominion and authority?
What is God’s reason for salvation?
What is truth?
What is Zion and how is it related to Christians?
What is the total relationship of the New Creature with all other beings on earth (both converted and the unconverted), all the terrestrial beings.
What does dominion mean to you?
Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour he is immediately given power to become a son of God.
Discuss: