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—OUR
GLORIOUS SAVIOR —
Dale Rumble
This article has been written to build up the faith in those, who by the grace of God, have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is one thing to experience the joy of sins forgiven, but it is another to begin living a righteous life that pleases the Lord. How does one walk with God? Where does one begin? These are questions that I will seek to answer.
Our call as Christians is to know Christ, to proclaim Christ and to live Christ. To live Christ requires us to willingly lay down our lives and allow Him to live His life within us.
The centrality of Christ must become the most important truth in our lives, testimonies and ministries. His preeminence should be the primary emphasis in our vocation as Christians.
The following five bodies of truth are pillars of the centrality of Christ.
Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood, as of a Lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19)
The blood of Christ is very important in God’s plan for salvation. In the Old Testament era of animal sacrifices, God required that the blood of special, unblemished animal sacrifices were to be offered on the altar to atone for the sins of His people. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and it was the blood by reason of life that made atonement possible (Leviticus 17:11).
Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. The blood in His veins was the blood of God! Although the animal sacrifices atoned for sins, they could not cleanse the conscience of those who had sinned. However, the perfect blood of Christ totally forgives our sins so that they are never remembered again by God (Hebrews 10:1-22). For that reason, we need not bear a burden of past sins since our conscience has been wonderfully cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:13-14). This is important, for our conscience is the bridle by which the Holy Spirit guides us. For this reason our conscience must be kept tender and pure so that we will be sensitive to His gentle voice and leading.
Satan continually seeks to defile our consciences by accusing and condemning us of past, or imagined, sins and failures. He is called, “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). We are to stand on what God’s word declares about him and resist his thoughts.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)
If we do sin, we are to quickly repent and confess our sins so that they are immediately put under the blood of Christ.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
Impure thoughts and wrong heart attitudes, such as a spirit of unforgiveness, can corrupt the spiritual witness that flows from us in our relationship with others. We have to guard our hearts with all diligence and reject any condemnation or accusations that Satan attempts to bring into our minds. We must rule our thought-life (2 Corinthians 10:5)! An important precaution is to always keep our eyes focused on our Lord Jesus for we stand in His strength, not our own.
. . . If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
The importance of the blood of Christ cannot be over emphasized in our Christian faith. It is the foundation truth for being righteous in the eyes of God, for having the confidence to come into His presence, and for receiving grace to walk in fellowship with God and His people. His blood provides the power for us to resist and overcome the temptations of Satan (Revelation 12:11).
All believers face the following question, “How can I cease the practice of sin and walk in righteousness?” The answer lies in receiving by faith all of the victory that Christ purchased for us on His cross. This great victory is expressed by the following three truths that make up the gospel: Christ died for our sins; He was buried; He rose from the dead on the third day. Let us examine each of these truths.
1. Christ shed His blood in death on the cross, for only His blood can forgive sin. It makes no difference how terrible our sins may be, the blood of Christ washes them away, and we become innocent in the eyes of God. Should we sin, the remedy is always the same: to instantly repent and confess our sin, turning anew to our glorious Savior.
2. Christ was crucified and buried as a man to deal once and for all with the corrupt, Adamic nature which is so prone to sin. When Christ was crucified, our fallen, sinful nature was crucified with Him. Paul expresses this truth in his epistle to the Galatians.
I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Paul declares that his sinful nature was crucified with Christ; therefore his “old self” is now dead and by faith he can live righteously through the new life he received in Christ at his spiritual rebirth. In other words, it is an exchanged life. We have died, and now Christ is living His life in us! Clearly, it requires faith to consider ourselves to be dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:11). How does one begin to walk in this truth; what is the first step? It is to identify with Christ in His burial; we do so by burying our “old self” in the waters of baptism. The act of water baptism is a testimony that says, “I believe my Adamic nature was crucified with Christ on the cross, and I now identify with His burial by being buried in the waters of baptism. By faith I believe the Holy Spirit will cut away my old nature by circumcision, so that I can arise out of the water to walk in newness of life (Colossians 2:11-12).” Paul expressed this truth very clearly in His epistle to Rome.
. . . do you not know that all of us who have been baptized in Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life . . . knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. (Romans 6: 3-4, 6-7)
The waters of baptism by themselves can do nothing; what takes place is a work of the Holy Spirit. This work is not baptismal regeneration, nor does it provide sinless perfection. However, by exercising faith in the word of God, one can begin to walk in victory over habitual sin! We do not have to continually fall into sin. Sin shall not have dominion over us! The truth of water baptism is especially important for those who have been saved out of deep depths of sin such as homosexuality, addiction to drugs, pornography or witchcraft, etc.
In summary, the death and burial of Christ promises not only the forgiveness of our sin, but also since our old self was crucified with Christ, we can rise from the waters of baptism to walk in newness of life. All by faith!
3. Jesus died and was buried as a mortal man, but He was resurrected with an immortal, glorified body. In His resurrection, He was the firstborn from the dead. He is the first of a new company of individuals of which He is the head. This company is the church, the body of Christ. We who are saved have been spiritually born,not into a religious organization, but into a spiritual organism, the body of Christ. We identify with our Lord’s resurrection by receiving the Holy Spirit who is the power by which we bear witness of Christ, and in whom we serve and relate to one another. It is within the collective spiritual relationship that we have with others who are also in union with Christ, that we find our individual calling and place of service in His body. There is a unique deposit of His life with each one of us that determines our anointing and gifting in the Spirit.
Successful body ministry requires more than gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit. Members must be clothed in humility, willing to forgive and defer to one another. The goal is unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
In summary, all that believers will ever need is to be found in the victory of Christ on His cross! God bears a threefold witness of His Son’s sacrifice; it is the witness of the blood (His death), of the water (His burial) and of the Spirit (His resurrection) in the lives of those who, by faith, believe and obey the gospel (1 John 5: 7-9).
Because of His great victory on the cross, the gospel is referred to in scripture as “the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4: 4). The church has been given one message to preach, Christ crucified, risen and reigning!
Everything that God has purposed to accomplish on earth is centered in His Son; all began with His Son at creation, and all will end in Him.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13)
Consider some of the things that almighty God has declared in His word concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11: 36)
These truths, and many more, call us to a disciplined study of His word and to a constant seeking of His face. His presence in us is our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27)!
What a glorious Savior we serve!
That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Jesus is rightly the Lord of each individual believer. His Lordship should never be separated from His role of Savior. If He is our Savior, He is also our Lord.
In all the decisions that we make as believers, obeying the will and commands of Jesus must have first priority. “Will my decision glorify Him?” This is the question we must always ask ourselves.
God declares in His word that all who are led by the Spirit of God are His sons (Romans 8:14). The Holy Spirit doesn’t drive us; He gently leads us. God gives us grace and faith to obey Him. We are not called to walk in a religious obedience to laws, but in a divine balance of God’s grace and our commitment to obey Him. His will for us can be summarized in two words, “Follow Me.”
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. (Matthew 16: 24)
At the completion of God’s purpose, every living being will confess His Son as Lord. It is our privilege today to recognize Him as Lord of lords and King of kings!
. . . God highly exalted Him, and bestowed upon Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 9-11).
A central and essential truth is that we cannot go our own way, do our own thing and direct our own life. The kingdom of God is based on only one will, the will of God governing all things. Salvation is the process of embracing this truth. It is very easy to become busy with ministry endeavors that are not the will of God. We can only obey Him if we understand His will. This is made known to us in His word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to seek Him, to spend time in His presence with His word, and to yield our will to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. The issue is not simply one of service, but also that we are being changed into His image (2 Corinthians 3: 17-18).
The goal of obedience is that Christ lives His life in us; this expresses His lordship. We are dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3: 1-3). This wonderful relationship of life is described in scripture as “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8: 1-4). It is the only law we can walk in that will please God!
The protection that each of us have from going our own way and from doing our own thing lies in our submission to the lordship of Christ. A willingness to obey Christ will mark those who are truly His disciples.
Just as Jesus is the Lord of every believer, He is also head over all things in the church, which is His body.
And He put all things in subjection under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)
Maintaining the centrality of Christ is an essential requirement for ministry in the church. He must always be preeminent for His headship concerns all ministry.
Believers in union with Christ are anointed to minister to the lost or to others who are in relationship with them. This is what body ministry is all about! Unity and godly character should undergird all ministry (John 17: 18-23). The essence of ministry is the Lord expressing His heart to His people, and He has a purpose for every time they meet.
The headship of Christ is the divine authority over all issues of ministering in the church. All unction, all prophetic utterance, all directions, all revelation begin in Him and flows out to members of His body as He desires. The headship of Christ is what makes an assembly to be a spiritual organism instead of an organization where men control what takes place.
In order to worship Christ and to hear from Him, we are commanded to not forsake assembling ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25). Each of us are to be committed to a local church. As we gather together we are to love, edify, forgive, encourage, admonish, comfort and strengthen one another. We are to recognize the gifting of others, including those who oversee the gathering and are responsible to ensure that meeting environments have freedom for the Holy Spirit to move.
Programs and human agendas are poor substitutes for the headship of Christ! If Christ is not preeminent, then creeds, doctrines, opinions, traditions or the charisma of a leader can take on an inappropriate importance that eventually becomes a source of division in the local body.
The early church did not recognize two classes of believers: clergy (performers) and laity (spectators); every member could have a place of ministry.
What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14: 26)
It is within a committed fellowship to a local church that each believer finds his, or her, calling and place of service. There is a unique deposit of the Holy Spirit within each child of God that determines how the Lord will use them in His body. The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts as He desires (1 Corinthians 12: 1-17). God places each member in His body just as He desires (1 Corinthians 12: 18-28). Thus, ministry is largely a matter of grace and anointing (Ephesians 4: 7).
Since we have gifts according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly . . . . (Romans 12: 6)
There is great variety in spiritual gifts, in the ministries of Ephesians 4: 11 and in ways or effects of ministering. Meetings should not be dull or boring; worship and ministry should be new, fresh and exciting when Jesus is truly head of what takes place. He has promised to be in the midst when only two or three believers are assembled together.
Mistakes will be made and there will be times of uncertainty as members learn how to share. Some of the goals of good ministry are: spontaneity, simplicity, being accountable, willing to defer to others, and being quick to forgive when mistakes are made. Believers are to be subject to one another in the fear of Christ (Ephesians 5: 21).
Small groups are the optimum place to hear and develop these qualities of body ministry. This is apparently the reason why the early church was largely built in homes. This is the ideal environment for new church plants.
The present church age will end with a great harvest (Matthew 13: 30, 39). The Lord is preparing and equipping His body for this task. Every member will be required including women and children. However, the most important requirement is for the headship and glory of Christ to be manifest in the church (Isaiah 60: 1-7; Romans 8: 18-21; Joel 2: 23-25). Great changes are required, and it is not the Lord who must change, for He is the same yesterday, today and forever! The first step in change is to pray for a divine visitation of God’s glory.
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