We Won!

When Christ was crucified, you were in Christ, crucified and then buried in Him. When He was resurrected, you were re-created in Him (Ephesians 2:10). Because you are now a spiritual descendant of Christ and your old spiritual past was crucified in Christ (“Old things [have] passed away”—2 Corinthians 5:17), you have been given a brand-new (holy) spiritual past! God changed your identity from sinner to saint (2 Corinthians 5:17)! The sinner, along with his spiritual heritage in Adam, was crucified in Christ (Galatians 2:20), and the saint, along with his spiritual heritage in Christ, was born anew of Christ’s resurrection!

This is not so much to be understood as it is to be believed. It’s difficult enough for us humans to believe it, let alone understand it. Don’t let anyone talk you out of this fantastic truth, especially those of you with a painful past. You’ve always wished you could have a new beginning as someone new? Well, congratulations! You’ve just won the spiritual lottery! “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Remember, God gets to make the rules. You get to begin life with a clean sheet of paper. You are no longer a sinner by your first birth, but a saint (holy one) by your new birth!

- Bill Gillham