The Christian's Standing And The Flesh
The Word of God tells us that the moment one trusts in the finished work of Christ, he is a child of God, a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The moment one places his trust in Christ, his standing is secure. Even as the moment a child is born in the family of a king, he becomes a prince; he may not het behave in a princely manner, yet his standing is never in doubt because of his royal birth., In the same way, the Christian's standing in Christ is secure through regal birth. At his new birth, the Christian receives a new nature, a new relationship, and a new power. The new nature enables him to enter fully into his new relationship with Christ. Out of this vital, living relationship comes the strength [and motivation] to live a godly life.
Our standing is not based upon a process of improving the flesh. It will never do to take the material of the "old man" and, through fastings, vigils, and religious discipline, attempt to make the corrupt flesh acceptable to God. Consider for a moment the surprise of the owner of an old and dilapidated house who, on asking the builder how much it will cost to put it in shape, is told, "oh, it won't cost very much at all," the builder explains, "because we can use all the old material." Similarly, in the things of God that just will not do. There must be a new start with altogether new material. The apostle explains further the purpose of God, "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). The flesh was disqualified and set aside as unusable, worthless for the purpose of God. Our standing is founded upon our new life in Christ. The believer's standing in Christ is based upon grace. The true estimate of a believe is not what we are in the flesh, but rather what we are in Christ by virtue of His grace. It is not what we are doing now, but rather what Christ has done on Calvary's cross. It is not what we think of ourselves, but what Christ thinks of us, that is of eternal consequence...
Reformed teaching has so stressed the guilt, the horror and plague of sin that it has inadequately emphasized the believer's standing as a present possession in Christ. This is one of the great shortcomings of Reformed theology.
David Dunlap, LIMITING OMNIPOTENCE, Gospel Folio Press, pp. 229-230
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