#6~ Col.2: 13 -17 ~ALL BELEIVERS ARE FREE IN CHRIST JESUS~ 12-29-13
9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10And ye are complete in him, -- since we are complete in Jesus there's nothing that any one can do that would make us even more so, this should put a stop to the folks that think that they need to do something else, that Jesus needs our input to help us be saved, -- we're complete in Him.
10And ye are complete in him, -- which is the head of all principality and power: -- Christ is the head over all spirit beings ("rule and authority").
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~ Christ's COMPLETENESS is evident in three things that God has done for us in Him:--
~11In whom [Christ] also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
"spiritual circumcision"
~ Our spiritual circumcision took place when God saved us.
Gal. 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections [passions] and lusts. "Longing of evil desires"
-- in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
~ It involved Christ cutting off the domination of our sinful nature (flesh),
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@@@ Romans 6:6-14 Knowing this, [we know] that our old man is crucified with him, -- that the body of sin might be destroyed, -- that henceforth we should not serve sin.
~The believer now has the power to serve Christ instead of his old master, sin.
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7For he that is dead is freed from sin. ***
8Now if we be dead with Christ, [He paid our sin debt, which was death' v-23 For the wages of sin is death] --
8Now if we be dead with Christ, [our old man was crucified with him] -- we believe that we shall also live with him:
9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. -- Or us now that we're dead to sin.--
10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11Likewise reckon [consider- count] ye also yourselves to be dead indeed [truly dead] unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12Let ** not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts [desires] thereof. -- Believers are to stop allowing sin to rule over our life.--
~Notice, Paul didn't say that we'd never sin again; we'll be battling the old nature until we depart this life. -- but sin shall not have dominion over us, if sin was no any longer present with us, there's no way it could possibly have dominion over us. -- Even Paul said twice in Romans 7: that sin was present with him. -- 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
20--- but sin that dwelleth in me.
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13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
~In the day-to-day run-in's with sin, we need to stop giving in. -- stop yielding-
~ Since we are now justified, we are not to allow our members (our hands, our feet, our tongues, etc.) to become instruments or tools of unrighteousness.
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14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
~ Why did Paul mention the Law here? ~ The purpose of the law was to show man that he was a sinner, when man broke Gods law it revealed that he had sinned, no one could keep Gods Law, therefore, Jesus died in our stead, we're saved by grace through faith in Him, not through the law, we keep Gods Law through Him. -- When man realized he had broken Gods rules, Gods Law, he understood he was a lost sinner, he needed a Savior.
>1st. John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
~~ In the New Testament every occurrence of the word "transgression" is a translation of a Greek word that means "a deliberate breach of the law"
> 1 Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
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„« Ps. 32:1- Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
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~In the O.T. -- Leviticus 16: 33-34 And he [Aaron] shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.
~ Under the Law, Israel's sins, transgressions, were covered from year unto next year. - Every year this had to be carried out.
~ Under grace, in the N.T., our sins, our transgressions are washed away by the blood of Christ. -- Not simple covered, but washed away.
>Hebrews 10:12 & 14 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; --- 14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
~ The reason He set down was because His work was complete, finished.
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~Listen as I read these two verses again;
>Ps. 32:1- Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
>Ps.32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, --
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„« What is the difference between "SIN" and "INIQUITY"?
~ The word, sin, emphasizes the wrong action itself.
~ The word, iniquity, emphasizes the true character of that wrong action.
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~ "Sin" covers all wrong doing of any sort.
~Sin deals with the action or lack of action that is wrong.
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"Iniquity" deals more with the character or nature of the act.
~ The word, "iniquity", comes from in-equity and it refers to that which is unequal, unfair, or unjust.
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"Iniquity" in its more narrow meaning "consists of violating the law of right between man and man."
~The Oxford English Dictionary says that it is used especially of "wrongful or injurious actions towards another, infliction of wrong, injury."
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~To practice "iniquity" is to be unjust and unequal in our dealings with others.
„« This side of iniquity is often seen in the scriptures.
>Psalm 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
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Psalm 28:3 Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
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* It's safe to say that all sinful actions either treat others unjustly or they treat God unjustly.
~ The word, sin, emphasizes the wrong action itself.
~The word, iniquity, emphasizes the true character of that wrong action.
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„« BACK TOO Colossians.
12Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
~ This demonstrates that Paul understood that the power of regeneration was not in baptism or received by the act of baptism, but received through faith in the working of God.
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13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened [made alive] together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, [against us] and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And you, being dead:
~This is the place of every person, before they are raised with Him through faith in the working of God as Paul described up in verse 12.
~ Before we have new life, we are dead -- before a person comes to new life in Jesus, they are not a sick person who needs a doctor; --- they are dead people who need a Savior. --- We are not only made alive, but made alive together with Him. -- He gave us imputed righteousness.
> Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;--
~ Before we have new life in Jesus, we are dead in our trespasses. -- A trespass is a specific kind of sin: it is overstepping a boundary. --- We are dead because we overstep God's boundaries in our sin and rebellion.
He has made alive together with Him: -- We can't make ourselves alive, but God can make us alive together with Jesus. -- We can never be made alive apart from Jesus.
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15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
~ Another part of Jesus' work on the cross is that He disarmed principalities and powers. -- These hostile fallen angels don't have the same weapons to use against Christians that they have against those who are not in Jesus.
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~Rome, the greatest governmental power at that time and Judaism, the greatest religious power - conspired together to put Jesus on the cross. -- Jesus took the spiritual powers along with these earthly powers and publicly triumphed over them.
~ We can only imagine how Satan and his demons attacked Jesus as He hung on the cross on our behalf, as if He were a guilty sinner. -- They were defeating themselves and they didn't even know it.
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>1st Cor.2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
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~Demonic spirits only have power towards us that we allow them to have, and that's mostly their ability to deceive and to create fear. -- The weapons are in our hands, not theirs. -- We'll one-day see how afraid they were of us.
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~Jesus said; Matthew 16:18--- upon this rock [what Peter said] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
~We, the Church are the aggressor, not Satan and his demons.
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„« Paul in verses 16-17 is applying the truth of Jesus' victory in light of the Colossian heresy.
16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
17Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
~Because Jesus won such a glorious victory on the cross, we are to let no one judge us in food or in drink or in other matters related to legalism.
~A life that is centered on Jesus and what He did on the cross has no place for legalism.
~ It makes no sense at all for people who have reaped the benefit of Christ's victory, to put themselves voluntarily under the control of the powers which he had conquered.
~The Old Testament law had certain provisions that are done away with in Jesus, regarding such things as food and Sabbath days.
~Certain days, and foods, as observed under the Mosaic Law, are not binding on New Covenant people. --- The shadow has passed, the reality has come.
So for the Christian, all foods can be ate if they so desire, they can if the want to, but they don't have to.
>1st.Tim.4:4-5 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: -- 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
