Living By "God's Unspoken Yes"

A 3-Part Series By Arthur J. Licursi

Part 1 of 3 - "Christ, Who Is Our Life"

I'm writing pragmatically in this series concerning what I call "God's Unspoken Yes." I thereby refer to an understanding of how we, as the genuine, literal, rebirthed children of God, have been freed to live and have our daily walk in accord with the automatic inner sense we have of Christ's indwelling "Spirit of life." First we'll discuss the basis of that liberty we have "in Christ."

We are to live in absolute spontaneous freedom, in accord with the indwelling Christ.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty (freedom) wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

We are free from the bondage of religious law and have NO need to follow any outer religious laws or Old Testament precepts. Christ in us regulates our living. He is the living law that indwells all believers. Paul calls this "the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus."

Romans 8:2 For the law (operative power) of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from (operative power) the law of sin and death.

We today learn of this relationship from the epistles of Paul, "the Apostle to the Gentiles"  (Rom 11:13). Paul says Christians who are "led by the Spirit (of Christ)" are the grown "sons of God" (Rom 8:14), otherwise they remain as the "children of God" (Rom 8:16).

Few of us come to recognize the simplicity of the Christian life I'm discussing here until after many years of frustration, trying to abide by religion's endless fruitless dictums and precepts. Eventually, Lord willing, we may give up on the works of religion; only then are we receptive to seeing and receiving the truth the "Christ, who is our life" ( Col 3:4a). He is all-sufficient for us.

How is it that we as believers are to simply live by the indwelling "Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" and have victory over "sin and death" (Romans 8:2)?

The fact is that we as believers today are to live under the new relationship terms of Paul's "gospel of the (pure) grace of God" (Act 20:24). This was Paul's message of the "dispensation of the grace of God" (Eph 3:2) that the ascended Lord Himself gave Paul for the mainly Gentile "body of Christ" (cf., Eph 3:1-5).

We are not to walk by any outer Law because we are "not under the Law but under grace" in Christ. Thus we cannot be condemned.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 8:1 (NIV) ... there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

"The Law" is what empowers "Sin in the flesh" (Rom 8:3, cf. Rom 7:18-23).

1 Corinthians 15:56 ...The Strength (Gk., dunamis, Power) of Sin Is The Law. 

Being free from "the Law" and "crucified with Christ," we are thereby free also from "the power" of "Sin in the flesh" (Rom 8:3). Our "Old Man (soul-self)" died in and with Christ's "body" (Rom 6:3, 6-7, 7:4).

Romans 8:3b ...God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned (Gk., katakrino, judged and condemned) Sin (located) In The Flesh:

Romans 6:6-7 (AMP)  We know that Our Old self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] Body Of Sin might be Made Ineffective and inactive for evil, (so) that we might no longer be the slaves of sin. ⁷ For when a man dies, he is Freed From [The Power Of] Sin [among men].

Romans 8:1 There is therefore NOW No Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,

By our co-death with Christ we are made free from the power of "Sin in the flesh"... and by our co-resurrection with Christ we have "newness of life" (Rom 6:3-4). Thus we are free and also equipped to live in and by Christ's life as our only legitimate life.

Paul tells us we as believers were "baptized by one Spirit" into Christ's body, and thereby into death with Him... so that we might then live by His resurrection life as our new life.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body (Christ's body), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

Romans 6:3-4 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized (immersed) into Jesus Christ were baptized (immersed) into his death? ⁴ Therefore we are buried WITH HIM by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in Newness Of Life.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God...

All Christians, are the rebirthed offspring of God their Father. This birth came to us by Christ's death for us. Yet also we have Christ's death "as us" (cf., Rom 6:3, Gal 2:20), making us absolutely free "to live, move and have our being in Christ" (Act 17:28); He who is now "our life" ( Col 3:4a).

We as believers have been crucified and died as to our "old" Adamic life with Christ, so that "the last Adam," which is Christ, is now our only genuine life and indwelling "nature" (2Pet 1:4).

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Christ) was made (became) a quickening (life-giving) spirit.

Now we are free to "walk" in union with the "Spirit of Christ" as His co-operators. Having received His "grace" and "gift of righteousness" we may now "reign in life" (Rom 5:17).

Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of (Christ's) righteousness.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Romans 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Paul tells us we are to "walk" according to the indwelling "Spirit" of Christ.

Romans 8:9b-10 ...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust (desires) of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in (since we have life in) the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Christ, by His Spirit abiding within us, guides us in our walk... as we abide in Him. Thus this walk consist of a mutual abiding. He is always faithfully abiding in us but are not always so faithful to abide in union with Him. Our souls sometimes stray in mind and deed. Yet, it is only in that union that we are we empowered by His "Spirit of life"; so we must turn our heart back to rest in union with Him in our spirit.

We have His Spirit's "anointing" within us to teach us and guide us in "all things" in conducting our life.

1John 2:20 ye have an unction (anointing) from the Holy One (Christ), and ye know all things.

1John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him (Christ) abideth in you, ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

We are to learn to conduct our daily "walk in the spirit" (Gal 5:16, 25) by obeying the indwelling grace that we have by "Christ in us" as "our life" (Col 3:4a; cf., Col 1:27, , Gal 2:20).  Being "led by the spirit" we grow from "children of God" to become the "sons of God."

Its clear that it was by our co-crucifixion and burial into and with Christ's death (cf., Rom 6:3, 1Cor 12:13) that we were made free from sin's power over our "old (soul) man" (Rom 6:6-7). Now we're free to live spontaneously by His resurrection life, resident within our spirit, as the life of our "new creation."

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things (nature of his fallen soul) are passed away; behold, all things are become new.