To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Date sent: Tue, 8 May 2001 17:23:03 -0500
Subject: HF032 - The New Adam Race (Part Four)

Hebraics,

This is part four of Bible Study HF032 - The New Adam Race. This
part will complete the study. You are certainly welcome to ask
questions or give observations. I would encourage you to use the
Scripture references that I provide in the study.

I concluded part three with the question, "Are you interested in
learning how to develop your spiritual life?" In this part of our study I
want to cover a particular area that has to do with the maintenance
of our spiritual walk. Follow this study carefully. You may find
some keys to where you are right now.

When a believer is born from above, he or she does not discard
their humanity. The change is inward, not outward. We simply
become partakers in a new kind of human. And though we are
citizens of heaven, and share in a heavenly humanity, we are still
human. Understanding your humanity will help put balance into
your covenant walk.

While I've shared with you about the 'eagle' life of the believer, we
need also to know that a believer can and will have failures in their
Christian walk. In fact, most every believer at one time or another
will have a heart-breaking failure in their life. It is when they come
to their senses, they often wonder, "How did this happen?" Or they
ask, "Was I not a true Christian to begin with?"

The answers to these questions are found in understanding our
humanity. And the answers are, "Yes, what happened to you, has
happened to the greatest of God's children." And, "Yes, you were a
true Christian, and you are still a true Christian." You simply need
to come to an appreciation for what God has provided for you in
Christ.

Paul deals with this area, when he says, "Wretched man that I am!
Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24)
Can you imagine? Here is a man who teaches us awesome things
about our new life in Christ. But now we hear him groan over the
struggles of his flesh.

Paul is actually setting the stage for believers to understand the
awesome provision that God has made for our new covenant walk.
He wants believers to know that their victory has already been won
in Christ. And this victory most surely includes God's answer for
every failure we may have in life. But it is not a matter of justifying
our failures. It is a matter of understanding God's eternal covenant
in Christ.

It is here that the great apostle opens up the door to heaven, in
explaining the very heart of the new covenant. Suddenly Paul
exclaims, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So
then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of
God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:25)

The apostle is letting us know that there is a principle of sin in our
bodies that will be there until we receive our glorified bodies. The
ancients referred to this as 'yetzer ha ra', or 'the evil impulse.' But
Paul explains how God has disarmed the power of the sin principle
through two great spiritual truths. One is a positional truth, and the
other is an experiential truth. The experiential is based on the
positional. And both make up part of the believer's inheritance that
comes out of the cross.

The first truth is absolute. It simply states, "Therefore there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin
and death." (Romans
8:1,2)

The positional truth is that there is not now, nor can there ever be a
'damnatory' sentence against any person who is in Christ Jesus.
Paul later explains this in saying that "Nothing can separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus."

This is what is being expressed in the Greek. This is also known
as the law of identification. The point being, that when a person is
born again, they are identified fully with Jesus Christ.

In another place, Paul explains that God takes our life, and hides it
in Christ Jesus. Therefore, His life is now our life. His standing in
heaven is our standing in heaven. What He is, we are. (Cf.
Colossians 3:1-4; 1 John 4:15-19)

But this has to be more than head knowledge. We can know all the
facts about our great salvation, and yet feel a lack in our lives.
Once again, this lack can be overcome by the experiential side of
our redemption. God never intended our salvation to simply be a
thing of the mind. He wants us to experience Him fully.

The other side of the coin is that God has provided for our constant
victory, and for our recovering from a fault, by placing in our spirits
the very Spirit of Jesus Christ. This is where the experiential side of
our walk with the Lord becomes known. Over the years the believer
will accumulate a testimony of, "Jesus met me there." Or, "The
Lord turn everything around there."

And it is here that the awesomeness of the new Adam walk is
revealed. Every single believer has with him or her, Jesus as their
walking companion. He supplies inward power. But we do fail at
times. Yet the Lord is always present to arrange for our recovery.
Certainly there can be many consequences to our failings, but
restoration is the work of the Lord. He will restore us. David said,
"He restores my soul."

There is more - Jesus sings songs of victory over us. (Yes, you
heard me correctly.) How many times have you gotten up in the
morning, struggling in your thoughts over a situation, over a
decision, over a problem, and in a moment of time, you begin
singing. Where did that song come from? It is a song of
deliverance. Jesus is singing victory into your life. He is a personal
Savior! He saves us personally.

The Psalmist said, "You are my hiding place; You preserve me
from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance." (Psalm
32:7)

It says of the Lord, "I will proclaim Your name to My brethren, in
the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise." (Hebrews
2:12)

Then we need to remind ourselves of another awesome part of our
new covenant experience. This part pertains to what the apostle
calls 'the mind of Christ.' (I'll touch only briefly on this. Cf. 1
Corinthians 2:16)

How does the mind of Christ work in a believer's personal life? It
works on this order. While you can get lots of opinions, advice, and
counsel from other peoples, and even from believers who love you
deeply, no one can give you the perfect counsel that Jesus gives.
His counsel if perfect. And He supplies perfect peace with His
directions for your life.

Jesus can and will give you the perfect solution to whatever
problem you may be facing. And this is a primary reason to learn
to spend time with the sacred writings. Remember what Peter
said? "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which
you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." (2
Peter 1:19) Peter is telling us that we will find the God of the Bible,
in the Bible. He will fill our hearts with the light of Jesus.

The Bible can be compared to a beautiful garden, where the Lord
meets with us to share His thoughts. Its not that you have to have
the Bible in front of you for this to happen. It can happen in prayer,
and often it does. But the Bible is designed to be God's primary
speaking place for our lives.

With this in mind, I'll complete the study. There is much more to be
said. I hope you have received some insights from these studies.

If there is a subject you wish a study to be presented on, let it be
known.

The Lord bless you.

Shalom in Christ,

Buddy

Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org

"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)