Living By Faith

DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS

Christ took me to the cross with Him, and I died there with Him. Now it is not my old self but Christ Himself who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20 Laubach)

Whatever is in Christ is in you.
Mark Hankins

The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ can be studied from a number of different viewpoints. Many times people see Jesus on the cross, but they identify with one of the thieves or the Roman soldiers, who were saying, “Crucify Him!” They may identify with some of the disciples who ran off or with the crowd. What God saw in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is that you were identified with Christ Himself.

What happened to Christ happened on your behalf, so you were crucified with Him. You died with Him. You descended into the grave with Him, but on the third day you were declared righteous with Him. You were made alive with Him. You triumphed with Him. You were raised with Him. You sat down with Him. You reign with Him. He is the Head and you are a member of His body. Whatever is in Him is in you!

Confession: Christ lives in me! I was declared righteous with Him! I was made alive in Him!

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UNFOLDING THE WAY GOD SEES

…the spirit of wisdom and revelation…and the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know… (Ephesians 1:17-18)

Revelations knowledge unfolds the way God sees you and what God says about you.
Mark Hankins

Revelation knowledge is different than sense knowledge. Revelation knowledge unfolds to you the way God sees you and what God says about you. It is not what your parents said about you, what you have said about yourself, what other people have said about you, or even what your own natural experience says about you. Revelation knowledge simply says, “I am who God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do.”

You can have a sentimental view of the cross. You can have crosses on your wall and Bibles all over your house and still never really know your identification with Christ. But once the eyes of your heart are flooded with the light of the glorious Gospel, you see what God did in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. You see that God did everything for you.

Confession: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. (Galatians 2:20)

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HE GAVE US THE SAME LIFE

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins…Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. (Ephesians 2:1,5)

The same spirit of faith, the same life, the same Holy Spirit, and the same power that quickened Christ also quickens us.
Mark Hankins

God has quickened us with Christ. What does the word, “quickened,” mean? The word “quicken” means He made us alive together with Christ.

The Gospel is not the good news that God wants to help you; it is the good news that God has already helped you! God gave us the very life of Christ Himself: the same new life with which He quickened Him. Whatever that life did in Christ, it does in you.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “We having the same spirit of faith.” The same spirit of faith, the same life, the same Holy Spirit, and the same power that quickened Christ also quickens us. When you discover that you have the same life in you that is in Jesus, the devil becomes very afraid of you! You really cannot be defeated in life when you understand the same, identical life that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you!

Confession: The same life, the same spirit, and the same power that quickened Christ dwells in me!

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JESUS IS THE HEAD, AND WE ARE HIS BODY

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that fillet all in all.
(Ephesians 1:22-23)

You are one with Christ-joined to Him.
Whatever is in Him, as the Head, is also in the body.
Mark Hankins

Remember that Christ is the head, and we are His body. Your head and your body go together, right? Jesus is not decapitated! His head and His body go together!

If He is seated in heavenly places, you are seated with Him, and if He is blessed, you are blessed.

Your head and your body go by the same name. You do not have one name for your head and a different name for your body. When you go into a bank, you do not open up different accounts for your head and your body. No, you are one.

1 Corinthians 6:17 says, “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” You are one with Christ, joined to Him. Your identity is wrapped up with who you are in Christ and what you have in Him.

Confession: Everything God did in Christ He has also done in me. I was made righteous with Him!

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THE “AND YOU” GOSPEL

And you hath he quickened… (Ephesians 2:1)

If you are the little toe on the body of Christ, you are still seated with Christ far above every principality and every power. Mark Hankins

Most churches will talk to you about Jesus. He died; He was buried; He arose from the dead; He is triumphant. He is raised; He is seated, and all power in heaven and earth is given to Him. Many churches will tell you all about Jesus, but they will make you think Jesus is way up there, and you are just a little worm down here struggling to get along.

Paul lifts Christ to the highest pinnacle in the universe and then says, “And you hath he quickened.” (Ephesians 2:1) He lifts up Christ and you with Him. Then Paul says, “Christ is the head; we are His body.” We are His body, and He is the head. Everything is underneath His feet! If you are the little toe on the body of Christ, you are still seated with Christ far above every principality and every power.

Confession: Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:5-6)

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