Christ is our Exchanged Life and Nature at the Rebirthing
Christ is our exchanged life and nature at the rebirthing of the Spirit."
Does the Body of Christ fully know what makes up the "new creation" life? Satan first came to Adam and deceived him to live his life by separate thinking and living from the Word of God. Christ, the Living Word, now lives in us as our very life and expression to the Father and others.
Does the Body of Christ not see that Satan is still attempting to get them to live their life apart from Christ, the Living Word, who lives in and through them? Did not Christ say, "Without me you can do nothing"? (John 15:5). Let us see John and Paul's emphasis on Christ being our only life.
SATAN'S DECEPTION OF SEPARATISM THINKING
"And He (once then) gave some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building of the Body of Christ, until we all (once then) arrive into the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, unto a complete man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ " (Eph. 4:11-13, author's translation).
First, Christ is Life Source Expression in the New Creation Race in Truth
Throughout his epistles, Paul emphasizes our relationship with Christ in us as our life, fellowship with the Father, and expression to others. Why has not the Body of Christ once then arrived at the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God? Perhaps it comes from a lack of preaching and teaching the truth in a most important area to the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ does not yet seem to fully know what makes up the "New Creation" life (II Cor. 5:17). Why isn't it emphasized to the Body of Christ that Christ has been birthed in them to be "their only" new creation life – that Christ will "actually" be living His life in and through them as their "exchanged" life and nature? That is what Paul clearly taught, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20), or "for me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). Both John and Paul tell us the Holy Spirit is the teacher and revealer of Christ to the mind (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13-15; I Cor. 2:9-16). Both John and Paul tell us that Christ is our life (John 1:4; I Jn. 5:11,12,20; Rom. 5:10; Col. 3:4; II Tim. 1:1). Man and religion would like man to retain his life. Christ being the "life" and the "expression" in man denies the "control" of man by religion. "In truth," Christ is the Life source expression in and through every member of the New Creation race by the will of the Father.
Second, Man's Pride of Worldly Living is Thinking Separate from Christ
Satan first came to Adam to deceive him to choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and live separate from God. He promised man would know and be as God, contrary to God's Word and direction. Satan came to Christ in a like manner to offer Him all the kingdoms of this "world." Christ refused Satan's deception to serve him and live separate from God (Matt. 4:8-11). Satan's deception to the Church is still the same – to follow him and think and live separate from God. Satan still uses the lust of the eyes – the lust to have (I John 2:16), to attract "man's pride" to think and live separate from Christ within him. Rebirthed sons need to be one with Christ our sanctification.
Third, Man's Selfishness of Fleshly Living is Thinking Separate from Christ
Satan uses the unrenewed flesh-thinking mind to deceive us. Satan appeals to "man's selfishness" and gets him to think and live "as if" he has a life separate from Christ. Satan uses the lust of the flesh – the lust to do (I John 2:16). Christ refused Satan's deception to turn stones into bread to satisfy the hunger of His flesh (Matt. 4:2-4). Christ refused to think and live separate from His Father. Paul says that we should, "let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). Rebirthed sons need to be one with Christ our identification.
Fourth, Satan's Greatest Deception to You is Thinking Separate from Christ
Satan's greatest deception to the Body of Christ is to keep telling them that they are "separate" from Christ in their thinking and living. That "deception" keeps you doing things on your own separately from Christ. With you as the source, there will be eventual falling and failure. The deceiver knows this truth, and he gets the rebirthed sons to live a lie. He just simply gets them to live with his "doctrines of separatism." Christians who have everything through Christ within them, live as if they have nothing in Christ, just simply due to this "separatism thinking." The devil plays upon "man's arrogance." Satan basically tells Christians that now that they are saved, they "are" somebody in Christ. Listen to me carefully. Do not misunderstand what I am saying here! If the focus is on "us," it is so easy to cross the line into the "pride of life" – which is the lust to be (I John 2:16). This deception is so "subtle," that this spiritual trap of the enemy is not easily discerned. The genuine truth of the matter is that Christ is the somebody within me. Without Christ I can do nothing (John 15:5). I need "illumination" of the Holy Spirit to stay focused here. God didn't save us by putting His Son in us so that we could think and live separately apart from Christ our everything.
Fifth, Christ and the Cross in Me Defeats the World, the Flesh, and the Devil
The "genuine truth" of all matters is that our Father took care of every problem we would ever face in life through Christ on the cross. He put the death of the "old man" (the Adamic nature) to death on the cross (Rom. 6:6,11). Fully satisfied with His eternal sacrifice, the Father then raised Christ from the dead (Eph. 1:20). The Holy Spirit put the Omnipresent Christ in total within every son at their rebirthing – His Person, Spirit, Seed, and Nature (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 8:9; I Pet. 1:23; II Pet. 1:4). Our Father sent the Holy Spirit to seal us by giving us the Spirit of Christ in our hearts as a deposit (II Cor. 1:22). The Father "has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying out, Abba, Father!" (Gal. 4:6). Christ in us is the overcomer of the world (John 16:33). Christ, the overcomer of the world, now lives in me as me. Christ, who put to death the old Adamic sin nature, now lives in me as my very life and "New Divine Nature." Christ, the Living Word, defeated Satan in the Wilderness, in the Garden, and by the finished work of the cross. Christ in me now defeats Satan's lying deceptions.
Sixth, Union is The Whole Body of Christ Letting Christ Be Expressed
Unity or union is not a one-world religion agreed on by man. Unity or union is not all denominations getting together in some organized fashion by man all over the world. Union is the whole Body of Christ coming into the revelation of the Holy Spirit that Christ indeed is "their life." "Separatism thinking" causes our deviation from truth and unity with Him, and puts us in a "vulnerable position" for defeat. Genuine union is every member of the Body of Christ letting Christ truly live in spontaneous expression of Himself to the Father and for others (Eph. 4:13-16).
Seventh, Christ and Him Crucified is the Wisdom and Power of God
This is why Paul "determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). Christ is the wisdom and power of God (I Cor. 1:24). The message of the cross is the power of God (I Cor. 1:18). It is not me being better, stronger or anything that solves my battles. Christ is the overcoming One and the victorious One. Christ is the head of all principality and power, and He lives in and through me as me. Christ is our whole focus.