alive with Christ (part 1 of 2)

Starts with Knowing and Counting On

The apostle Paul outlines three steps which lead a person from his or her 'initial moment of salvation' towards holy and righteous living. These steps can be summarised as know, reckon and yield. In exploring these steps with me, you will rediscover eternal life and be inspired to live as if that eternal life is actually yours now —which, in fact, it is, if you believe.

Have you ever wanted something that you could not have? Setting aside any questions regarding covetousness, when we want something that we cannot have, we can almost feel a "pain" at not being able to have it.

But what if we could actually have what we wanted? We would be filled with joy, correct? But what if, even though we could have it, the busyness and concerns of living distracted us so that we felt as if we couldn't have what we wanted? Or, even worse, we are distracted from doing the things that we know would give us what we want.

So, we are left with wanting something we could have if we were to spend the time doing the things that would give us what we want, but we feel incapable. What is the result? Longing, sadness, emptiness, and all because we do not do what we can to get what we want, that which has been offered freely to us.

If you have followed my seemingly convoluted logic, then you may have guessed that I am actually talking about the most fundamental of all things that we could ever want: Life.

Christians know that Jesus has promised us abundant life (John 10:10; Romans 6:11;  1 John 5:12); yet, despite our faith, we feel as though we are not experiencing all that has been promised (Romans 7:15). Unfortunately, this feeling is a consistent element of the human condition. We all know that we are not living as we should, not realising our full inherent potential. This condition is saddest of all in Christians.

Many of us, myself included, long for a deeper experience, but we struggle to find time for the spiritual discipline that we know is required. This struggle is a consequence of our busy, contemporary lifestyles. We know and accept that spiritual growth does not happen accidentally, but still we find ourselves missing the urgency to overcome our spiritual limitations. This is not as it should be.

It seems to me that we lack a sense of urgency about our spiritual growth because we have become complacent about our busy, contemporary lifestyles. We have forgotten that salvation is not just being rescued from sin and death, but salvation is also about being freed into life everlasting. So, we defend the point that we are saved, but miss all the life that Jesus intended for us to enjoy.

What makes this situation worse is that, as we fail to thrive spiritually, we actually become more prone to the temptations of sin, which exacerbates our guilt and then makes us more prone to sin, and so on … all the while we move further away from the life that Jesus died to make possible for us and to offer to us freely.

Therefore, I would like for us to explore some basics of what it means to be alive in Christ. The apostle Paul outlines three steps which lead a person from his or her 'initial moment of salvation' towards holy and righteous living. These steps can be summarised as know, reckon and yield. My prayer is that, in exploring these steps, both today and next week, you will rediscover eternal life and be inspired to live as if that eternal life is actually yours now, which, in fact, it is, if you believe.

Step One: Know

The problem that we face has ultimately to do with sin. By faith, we receive a new life in Christ, yet we are all too aware of the fact that sin remains ever-present in and around us. Why is this the case?

For starters, we become complacent in our spiritual lives when we think that faith is a static state, as if the issue is whether or not we have it. Rather, we must come to terms with the fact that the life of faith and salvation is never static, but is better understood as directional: We are either moving forward towards God and experiencing life or we are moving away from God and experiencing death.

The apostle Paul uses a number of images to explain this difference, comparing sin and death with abundant life and holiness. How do we stay moving towards God, in right standing with him, and experience the abundant eternal life that Jesus promised?

It seems that even Christians in the apostle's day struggled to know this difference, and remain true to their faith. so let's explore together a passage from The Letter of Paul to the Romans: Romans 6:1-11.

First off, let me ask what we're all dying to ask: Who in their right spiritual mind would think that continuing in sin was acceptable, as a way of making God's grace look good? Just the absurdity of that thought astounds me.

When we believe that Jesus is our Lord we quickly realise that our lives are changed, they take on a whole new orientation away from sin. So, no, continuing in sin could never be acceptable to a Holy God.

The apostle Paul reminds us in this passage that, in order to experience abundant life in Christ there are certain things that we must know. Particularly, we discover in these few verses that the followers of Jesus are to be aware of three facts:

We have died with Christ (6:1-3)

When a person confesses that Jesus is his Lord and truly believes that God did indeed raise Jesus from the dead, these are sufficient for the confessing person's salvation (Romans 10:9). He is rescued from a life characterised by sin and separation from God. The initial method of confessing such belief is by being baptised. When a person is baptised, he symbolically acknowledges his former sin-filled life and signifies their willingness to avoid sin in the future. Thus, we die to a life of death.

Baptism then provides a clear demarcation between our former life of sin and our new life of faith in Christ. The transition from one to the other is so clear as to be comparable to the difference between living and dying. There is no in-between stage between life and death; you either are alive or you're not. As far as the life lived through faith in Christ, the former life must be, as it were, killed. It no longer has anything to do with the new life, even insomuch as it is a completely different life. Therefore, as Paul declared, "how can we who died to sin go on living in it?" (:2) The answer is that we can't! Our former sinful self "dies" in baptism (:3) and no longer has any control over us.

We need to appreciate that this no mere symbol; the ritual of baptism is a symbol, but one that points to a reality that has taken effect in the one baptised. Therefore, know that your old self bound to sin dies when you believe in Jesus wholeheartedly.

We have been resurrected with Christ (6:4-5)

Such a "death" has a precedent though in the death that Christ accepted on our behalf. Insofar as Christ died for us, and we share in his death by being baptised, we also share in his life.

All of the power that brought Jesus back to life is now utilised on our behalf. We are not merely invited to "walk in newness of life", but are empowered to "walk in newness of life" because our life is renewed. Insofar as it is a reality for Jesus, it is so for us. Know that you are resurrected with Christ when you believe in him wholeheartedly.

We are now both dead and alive (6:6-10)

Herein lies a painful reality of Christian faith and lifestyle: We enjoy a resurrected life, but not one that is outside of the influence of sin. Sin remains in the world all around us and continues to press upon us.

Dead to our sin (6:6-7): We should no longer be slaves to sin, for we have been crucified with Christ. Understand what sin actually is: Sin is a refusal to accept that we have been created and to acknowledge our creator (1:28; 2:17). Sin is a destroyed relationship between ourselves and our God.

The problem is that relationship was ruined long before we were born. The apostle Paul tells us that "sin came into the world through one man" (5:12). Thus, sin entered human history because of that original sin and all humanity shares the consequences, mostly notably being the consequence of death. It has been said so well by another:

All of us are born into a human community that is overshadowed by the cumulative weight of human sinfulness, oppressive structures, prejudices and injustices. We are, all of us, more or less affected by the shadows that these clouds cast over our motives and orientations, our attitudes and priorities. (Walter C. Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, Il, USA: InterVarsity, 1997, c1996), 549)

However, even though we live in a sinful world, we are responsible for our own actions (Ezekiel 18:19-20). While the shared consequences of the original sin overshadow us, we still choose our own path, and are responsible for that choice. We accumulate our own burden of sin to add to the burden of the original sin.

But, thanks be to God, once we believe in Jesus Christ and accept his lordship over our life, we know become dead to death! Sin has no hold on us necessarily. Therefore, we do not need to be burdened by our sin because that burden has been lifted of our shoulders and our lives. We are now freed from sin (:7). Hallelujah!

Alive in the Saviour (6:8-10): Not only are we freed from sin, but we freed into life in Christ (:8). We are now to live in the resurrection power of the one who rose from the dead and is forever alive. Know that you are both dead and alive in Christ!

Step 2: Reckon

It is so very important to know that we have died in Christ, been resurrected in Christ, and now are both dead and alive in Christ. This knowledge puts into proper perspective what we know about human nature, both its guilt, its propensity to refuse to acknowledge God, and the consequences thereof. Having this knowledge is not enough. We must count on it! (6:11)

This distinction between knowing and reckoning may seem too subtle to matter, but it does make all the difference. Consider the issue of smoking: Have we not been given more than enough information that smoking is bad for you to stop smoking? Yet how many people do you know who continue to smoke despite the infomercials? Or consider the latest infomercial attack: Parents who drink are role modelling drinking to their children. That's really a 'no-brainer'. Is it going to stop adults from drinking? Is that information going to stop teenagers from experimenting with drinking under peer pressure, if they never actually saw their parents drink? The fact is that information is not enough. What we need is a life transformation!

Isn't it great that is exactly what we get when we come to the cross by faith, when we submit ourselves to the waters of baptism? We are given a new life; yet, I daresay that transformation is not be realised unless a person actually counts on that transformation as already accomplished in your life. We are to count our crucifixion and resurrection as accomplished events.

We too easily fall into the trap of thinking that salvation is a "not yet" condition. We are saved, but not yet completely. That is just not true, and it is exactly those who do not feel that they can count on their own death and resurrection who do not enjoy the abundant life that Jesus promised.

It's a vicious cycle, actually. When one cannot bring herself to believe that her salvation is actually accomplished, she does nothing to realise it, no spiritual discipline, no growth in faith. Not moving towards God and life means that she will slip backwards into the influence of death and sin. Even though we have been forgiven our sin and are no longer bound by it, the would around us is still under its influence, and we can too easily succumb.

Instead of experiencing life, we experience fear, loneliness, uncertainty, and the pleasures of sin seem like good substitutes. The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil appears mighty appetising to one thirsty for the gift of life which they have not yet opened.

Count on your crucifixion and resurrection. Reckon that life is yours now and begin to enjoy it forever!

Conclusion

While you may be struggling in your Christian faith and lifestyle to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised, be honest with yourself that it just may be due to the fact that you are finding it overwhelmingly difficult to find the time and motivation to do what you know is required, in the way of spiritual discipline. But what may really be interfering is that you have not yet come to the place of knowing what is important and actually counting on it in your life.

Know that, by faith, you are dead to sin and alive in Christ! Know that truth with certainty and count on it. Move beyond the information and begin to live as if it is real. How will you know if the promises of God are true unless you trust and even take them for granted. If you are a person of faith, then you are a resurrected person. Live like one!

In part 2 of this sermon series, we will continue looking at chapter 6 and explore Paul's final, and perhaps hardest, step: Yield. [part 2]

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