9)
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily.
10)
And ye are complete in
him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11)
In whom 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:
12)
Buried 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.
13)
And you, being dead in
your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath
he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14)
Blotting out the
handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and
took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15)
And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it.
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the Lord went to the cross on our behalf, He paid the penalty for the sins of
mankind. When He was buried, the old, sinful life was buried as well, rendering
it ineffective; making it dead. By His example we are to see what is necessary
for our change.
When
man comes to salvation, he usually recognizes that his current life is
unacceptable and therefore, must be set aside from that point. Otherwise, if he
was happy with himself, he wouldn't have bothered to get saved.
So,
what happens? That which we will initially acknowledged was inadequate,
we all too often take back upon ourselves. Somewhere along the way, we seem to
forget that in that old life, we were dead, whereas with Christ, we are
quickened, or made alive.
You
see, the death of Jesus was not the end of His brilliant plan. It was, by far,
the beginning; for He was resurrected not simply to life, but to new life. The
death we undergo, of course, is not physical; but rather, we suffer the death
our trespasses and sins. Being free of their bondage is indeed the beginning of
a new life and a cause for celebration.
The
plan of God for any and everyone born into this is that they come to the
knowledge of salvation. As much as man celebrates natural birth, it is little
more than a death sentence if one does not use it to attain salvation.
We
know from scripture that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God." Furthermore, we are assured that there is not one outside of Jesus
who is righteous. Now, when these statements are made and scriptures read, they
are not meant to be taken as indictments against those without the Holy Ghost,
but simply, a statement of fact. Man's state is one of sinfulness -- period;
and we are told what is wrong that we might fix it.
Obviously,
one can receive the power of the Holy Ghost and not allow Him to work. The
principle is the same as having the capacity for electricity in one's house,
yet never using it. Of what good, then, is it? It is of benefit to absolutely
no one, particularly, one who needs it.
The
Holy Spirit is a "quickening spirit"—God in our life who gives us
spiritual existence and allows us to be operated upon by something other than the
flesh. Indeed, if we want to partake of His life and existence, we will have to
be "made alive" in the same way that He has been. So, in effect, what
has God done? He has completely changed the realm in which we are to operate,
from that of the flesh, to that of the Holy Spirit.
The
twentieth century is full of educational opportunities and the twenty-first
century will have even more. At our fingertips is everything electronic and
more is being added everyday. Learning, however, did not start with us, for we
have in Paul an example of the intellectually elite of his day. Yet Paul proves
that his spiritual "brightness" surpassed his human intelligence in
that he recognized that all he learned in the world (or could learn) could
never lead him to Christ.
We
have been blessed immeasurably in that we have a God wise enough to design a
plan of salvation which leaves out no one. Thank God that neither its premises
nor acceptance is based on our intellectual capacity, but rather, on faith. Whatever
we want to know we need only access God's wisdom. It is He who will reveal
secrets to us, making it unnecessary for us to be dependent upon ourselves.
So,
we see that the Lord is able to "quicken" the mind, as well as the
spirit.
At
some point (preferably sooner than later), God's people must recognize that
when we were saved, the same old person was not resurrected. No matter how much
our physical man may resemble the person we have known, we're no longer the
same!
We
overcome by accepting what the Lord has already done for us. This means, we
have the victory over our thoughts, feelings, emotions—over ourselves. Never
again do we need to point a finger at others. We can finally praise God and be
happy—period!
If
we would simply learn to trust Him, we would be given a reason to magnify Him. If
we would simply learn to praise Him, our victory would be assured. If we would
learn to actually consult Him, we would have our answers.
Even
so, not asking, excuses us from nothing. For, if we are weak, it's not God's
fault! If we are not overcomers, it's not God's
fault! If we can't stop doing what we know is wrong, it's not God's fault.
Through Him we have been invested with the power to turn the world "upside
down"! Really, perhaps what is more astonishing and exciting is that
we have been given the power to change. It's amazing what a little "quickening"
can do!