So, this is really long- but I'd figure I'd publish my Romans Term Paper. It is essentially a relatively concise paper (as concise as you can be when you write concerning our Christian Lives) about the Normal Christian Life. Hope you enjoy...if its too long, well- at least its not a book!

THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE

What does it mean to be a Christian? Etched in the minds of millions of people in our world a Christian is simply a moral person who doesn’t practice, what they consider, a “pagan” religion (such as Islam, Buddhist, Mormonism etc.). Whether you are Catholic, Pentecostal, Lutheran, or Evangelical, Christianity is the clichéd title slapped on to the back of those who believe in God. Yet God's word tells us that it is so much more than mere religion, it is a living vibrant relationship with the God and creator of this universe; all made possible through His son Jesus. It is not a religion, but a day by day dependent walk of faith. Yet to the millions of others who believe in this truth, Christianity is still merely a “get out of hell free” card. Is that what being a Christian is all about, or is there something more; something that is powerful and transforming? The ignorance of much of the church today is a tragedy, for real victory is possible to experience in our lives today. Stories are told of great Christian men and women such as George Mueller, D.L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, Corrie Ten Boom, and Jim Elliot. Are they simply more dedicated and blessed than the rest of the Church? All too often this is our cop out, yet that “extraordinary” life marked by faith and victory is possible. The first problem is that the victorious Christian life has become a lofty goal placed upon some crystal pedestal, something only obtained by the modern heroes of faith. So often we look at the lives of these great men and women and find ourselves wanting, so we decide to strive harder to be like Christ or, worse, like them; hoping He comes soon because life has become one depressing trial. Yet as one great man of faith has said concerning the Christian life, “[Paul] is not stating something special (referring to Gal. 2:20) or peculiar…He is, we believe, presenting God’s normal for a Christian” (Nee 12). What is intended to be the normal experience for the Christian has become one reserved for the spiritual elite. It is not a matter of striving on earth to be like Jesus till he comes but as Mr. Nee continues, it “can be summarized in the words: I live no longer, but Christ lives in me” (Nee, 12; Gal. 2:20). Let us look into what that Normal Christian life truly is; and the way in which God has provided for that life to be your experience.

Before we look at the way to victory, it is important to understand where it was that we came from; who we were before Christ. One key term to understand is that of Federal Headship and, more specifically, the way in which we were identified with Adam. A federal head refers to one that serves as a sort of representative for the rest of mankind. Adam, as the representative of all humanity, passed on his characteristics and nature to the rest of humanity. When Adam sinned, that sin nature (everything about man screams sin) was passed on to the rest of mankind. This is where the idea of identification comes into play. The term “identified” simply means that I am included in that person; all that he did, I also effectively did because I was in him. It can be likened unto an envelope that contains a dollar bill. If I put that envelope on the table, that dollar bill also is on the table because it is included in that envelope (identified with). If I put that envelope in the ground, that dollar bill is also in the ground. Likewise, because of our identification with Adam, we now inherit the sin of Adam. God has essentially placed all of mankind, since we were “In Adam” (due to our identification), under the condemnation wrought because of his sin (Rom. 5:16-18).

Just as God declared that Adam would die spiritually (meaning that he was no longer a spiritual being, for he was cut off from the Spirit of God-the only source of life), and later would experience physical death (Genesis 2:17), so now we are all born spiritually dead; and we all will experience physical death (save His return!). This universal death of all mankind is the very proof of our identification with Adam. Adam’s sin lead to death, and that truth remains the same: “where there is death, there is sin” (Rom. 5:14) (Richards, Romans Notes). This principle of identification is so important to grasp, for (as we will find later) it is through this very vehicle that brought us death that we will find the source of true life. However, it did not end there, but because of our identification with Adam our head, we now find ourselves slaves to sin. Because of Adam’s sin, we received a condemnation called, in the original Greek, the katakrima. It literally means a judicial sentence imposed for a crime, and specifically refers to our complete enslavement to sin and death. Our life experience before Christ was completely dominated by the experience of sin, for that was the nature passed on to us through Adam. Romans 5:14 says that sin and death reigned; we knew nothing else and had no other choice. Due to our slavery, our will was completely swallowed up in that of our master, Sin. As we found earlier, serving our old master sin only leads to death; there is no other option (Rom. 6:16). We were born spiritually dead; enemies of God (Rom. 5:10), and we were in desperate need of life.

God did not leave us in our depraved state, but out of His great love provided a means by which we could come back into a relationship with Him (Rom. 5:8). This is where what we call the “gospel message” comes into play. In order to come back into a relationship with God, Jesus came to earth as a man and “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). It is through this sacrifice that we were justified. Justification means that God has legally declared me righteous; he has freed me from the katakrima and credited me with the very righteousness of His perfect son. Christ’s death accomplished more than just getting me out of hell, but brought me over and above what Adam ever was in his innocent state. Because of this justification, I now have renewed fellowship with the Father through Jesus (we will talk of what our identification with Christ means later). We know then that this salvation was completely on the part of God; no work of mine had any bearing on my justification (Eph. 2:8-9). Romans 5:1 says that we are justified by faith; no hard work, no good deeds could have helped. I contributed nothing, and it is for that very reason that I cannot lose this position of favor with God. Contrary to what many say, this salvation is completely secure; since I had nothing to do with obtaining it I can do nothing to lose it. There are also numerous times throughout the Bible where my salvation is promised (John 3:16; 10:27; Heb. 10:14, and many others). We are secure for eternity, and yet is that all that was procured for us at the cross? Many Christians still cling to the false idea that life now consists of doing good things, and then going to heaven. Justification, however, is only the beginning of our salvation; eternal life is exciting to think about, yet that true eternal life can be experienced in our lives today!

We now know that our identification with Adam only brought us death- physical, spiritual, and eternal. Because our whole nature was governed by sin, God could no longer “use the original material to accomplish His purposes” (Growing in Grace, 10). This was the cause for the necessity of our salvation, for God had to cut all of our ties to that old nature. Watchman Nee explains the necessity of the cross,

“Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves are dealt with by the cross. The blood procures our pardon, the cross procures deliverance from what we were in Adam. The blood can wash away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man (that nature inherited from Adam); I need the cross to crucify me…” (Nee, Normal Christian Life)

Yet where does that leave us now? God did not end there, but has given us more than just freedom from the penalty of sin, but freedom from the very power of it as well. To do this God had to institute a completely new creation and this meant that He had to send a new representative for all of humanity. When we placed our trust in Christ and His death on the cross we lost all bonds to that old creation; no longer are we identified with Adam. In turn, God then identified us with our new head Jesus Christ, and we received a new nature; we were new creations of God. Let me explain this perplexing thought. Identification with Adam meant that his sin was mine, and I inherited his katakrima. However, because of our faith in Christ we were freed from that condemnation (Rom. 5:16) and are included in Christ in the same way in which we were included in Adam. However, Romans 5:15 says that my new identification with Christ “far outweighs” my identification with Adam. Through Adam all I inherited was death, but in Christ I now experience true life (Rom. 5:17).

It is through this new identification with Christ that I receive a new position as well. Where I was once an enemy of God in Adam (Rom. 5:10), now in Christ I am called a son; a righteous saint! This new position in Christ assures my acceptance, for we “are accepted in the beloved” (Eph. 1:6), not in any work of mine. Before Christ we were unacceptable in God’s sight, and were essentially sin factories; filled with “every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity” (Rom. 1:29). This was us in our old position under the katakrima in Adam. Now, because of our new creation; our identification with Christ, we are seen in Christ. That new position means that whenever God looks at us, he sees us in Christ. When Christ was crucified, I was crucified with Him (cutting all ties to the old nature- Rom. 7:4); when He ascended into glory, I ascended with Him. Christ is the one with whom God is always “well-pleased” (Matt. 3:17) and I, being positioned in Christ, in turn am always well-pleasing to God the Father. It is for that very reason that I have no chance of ever falling out of favor with God. As with every aspect of my salvation, I had no input; for I am sealed in His beloved son for eternity. It is because of this position in Christ that we find ourselves “dead unto sin (freed from its power and bondage-the katakrima) and alive unto Christ” (Rom. 6:11).

It is impossible to be both alive and dead at the same time. Through our inclusion in Christ’s death, we dissolved all bonds to that old sinful nature (my whole self screaming sin); that old nature is now rendered powerless (Rom. 6:6-7). Think of our bodies as a factory that used to produce only sin. At one time it was doing its job too well; sin was being produced in mass amounts. But then you heard and took hold of the gospel by faith, now that you died to that old nature the factory has been shut down and boarded up; the only set of keys is in your pocket. From now on it is up to you to listen to sin and open up the doors to start producing again (example adapted from Ernie Richards Romans class). Yet our death to sin is only the half of it, for we are also now alive unto God in Christ (Rom. 6:8). This means that “I find my purpose, power, all resources and satisfaction in Him” (Richards, Romans Notes). Because of my union with Christ, I too now enjoy an unhindered relationship; experiencing the communion for which I was created. When Jesus was resurrected it accomplished a conquering of death, and “it no longer has mastery over him” (Rom. 6:9). Furthermore, “the death He died He died to sin ONCE FOR ALL” (Rom. 6:10). Remember the fact of our identification (inclusion) with Christ, that precious truth means that we too have victory over both sin and death; the two evil overlords that used to dominate our lives have now been conquered! (yet not eradicated, as we will find out). As stated earlier, we are no longer bound to give into the selfish desires of my old nature, but now have true life in Christ. This means that “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). As we stated earlier, this is the key to the normal Christian life. My life is now “a participation in the resurrection life of Christ” (Richards, Romans Notes). Yet what does it mean to participate in His life? How is that possible? The answer also brings us to another unimaginable blessing we have because of Christ, the giving of the Holy Spirit.

We find in John 3:6 that it is the Spirit who gives us that new birth or identity in Christ. The Spirit also indwells believers from the moment of belief in Christ; it is essentially God coming and living permanently within me. Likewise, it is the Spirit that places us in Christ as the church- or the body of believers. The Spirit also seals us as sons of God. We have been adopted as sons through our faith in Jesus, and the Spirit serves as a sort of royal seal proving the authenticity of a document. It is “the indelible mark that we are God’s children” (Growing in Grace, 24). Finally, the Spirit is the agent by which Christ’s life is manifest (made our experience) in us. “This is all great”, you may say. “But how does this affect me, how does it work out in my life?” It is through this very work of the Spirit that we find the key to living the Normal Christian Life.

We find ourselves once again at the very same verse in which we started, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Again, this verse rings with some sort of hope, yet how it affects me we still cannot grasp. We will tackle that question in a moment, but first must come to understand the principle of appropriation. This simply means to take hold of that which is already ours; like grabbing a tool from a fully stocked tool box. Though simple enough in theory, the truth of the matter is that so many miss out on experiencing this Normal Christian Life because they don’t understand that everything is already theirs (Eph. 1:3)! They have no idea that toolbox is full of wonderful tools; many of which we cannot even imagine. Yet appropriation is a process that involves more than just a superficial knowledge of these great truths. All of the information we have discussed thus far is wonderful news, yet understanding this is only the first step in truly appropriating all that we have in Christ. There is a threefold process that we find laid forth in Romans six through eight: know, reckon, and yield.

First of all, knowing involves much of what we have spent the previous pages immersing ourselves in. An understanding of the facts, becoming aware of what is true of us now that we have been adopted as sons of God. We now know that we have died to our old nature, we are freed from any obligation to sin because of our identification with Christ, we have received a new nature that puts us under the ownership of Christ (slavery to Christ, as opposed to slavery to sin, is the only true freedom), and that I am now dead to that sin and alive in Christ; I am also being sanctified daily by the inward working of His Spirit that produces Christ’s life in me. Knowing these things may seem easy enough, for a simple understanding of these truths only takes a little time. Yet where does the transforming line appear that divides one who knows, and one who really understands all of this to be one hundred percent true of themselves? This is where the difficulty lies, for reckoning these things as undeniably true of me is another story. Here we find that faith is the only way in which we can move beyond reckoning.

The word “reckon” means to consider something to be true of me; to rest in the reality of who I truly am. Essentially, it is “to take God’s viewpoint as my own” (Richards, Romans Notes). Reckoning as God reckons involves more than just simple acknowledgement, for in my own life I am repeatedly experiencing failure. I seem to fall from one sin to another, so how can I truly be accepted in Christ, called a righteous saint, and freed from sin when I still experience all of these things in my life? That is where the beauty of faith bursts onto the scene, for true reality is what God says, not what I experience. “If God says ‘TRUTH!’ I simply say ‘AMEN!’” (Richards, Romans Notes). We have seen that my effort is non-existent throughout my salvation, and there is no reason to throw a burden upon my shoulders now. In fact, the call to reckon is the first command given to us in Romans; and it involves me simply resting and reposing (finding pure relief and relaxation while experiencing the unhindered reality of who God says I am; in spite of all that I experience in my life!) Miles Stanford aptly puts it, “Let the facts of your position overwhelm the feelings of your condition.” This statement beautifully sums up the importance of reckoning as He reckons, for “the truest thing about me is what God says” (Richards, Romans Notes). We have traveled the road of knowledge, and understand the doctrine behind my position, identification, and resultant victory in Christ. We have taken hold of God’s stated truth about us, in spite of our experience, and reckon all of these things to be true of ourselves. Yet there is still one more vital step in the progress of appropriation: yielding.

To yield means “to place ourselves at His disposal, conscience now of who we truly are; trusting ourselves over to the strength of another” (Richards, Romans Notes- adapted). We once presented our bodies to our old master of sin as “instruments of wickedness” (Rom. 6:13). This means that our whole selves were given over to the desires of my sinful nature (because of my enslavement to it). Paul commands us, in the same way that we offered ourselves to sin, to now present ourselves to God. Yielding means that we now do nothing out of our own volition, but give ourselves to Him as an “instrument of righteousness” (Rom. 6:13). When sin comes knocking on the door, instead of trying with my own strength to resist, I simply step aside and introduce him to the new master. “I’m barkin’ behind a bigger dog now!” (Richards, Romans Notes). Yet how can I do this, for I still find the same sinful desires within me? The answer lies within that very question, for it is nothing that I can do. This is where the sanctifying work of the Spirit comes into play (sanctification is the second element of my salvation, and it is essentially the life of Christ being produced in me by the Holy Spirit), and our opening verse begins to ring out loud and clear, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This is what we call the exchanged life. This odd sounding term means that Christ’s life is manifest in place of my own. It is essentially where my position (all that God says about me because of my position in Christ) meets my condition (all that I experience here in my life), and it is here that we find out how all of these truths work out practically in my life. As with our justification, our sanctification also hinges solely on the work of the Spirit; this is not something I can do on my own, but involves a process we call “walking in the Spirit”. Paul declares that there is no condemnation (no katakrima- enslavement to sin and death) for those who walk according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1). This is the only ground in which to experience; to take hold of the freedom and victory that is already ours. So, exactly what does it mean to walk according to the Spirit? Literally it means to conduct my life according to the direction of the Spirit. This means that I no longer listen to the desires of the old sin nature (Rom. 8:5), and turn in complete dependence on the Spirit; trusting Him to make the life of Christ my practical experience. Again, as in the earlier steps in our appropriation of these truths, it involves faith. We must trust in the Spirit to produce these things. Yet again, we find this step so hard to take, for we demand control of our lives, and faith involves me believing something that goes contrary to everything I experience. Yielding comes down to falling back into the arms of Him who saved us, and we just rest here completely trusting Him to produce all that He desires in us.

We have traveled through the path of appropriation, and have learned the transforming facts about our position in Christ. We have learned and by faith reckon ourselves as God does, and also decided to offer ourselves to Him; trusting in His spirit to make all of these things practical in our life. What now is my motivation to continue on; do I live a life governed by law (any standard that I must meet), or grace (all that God has provided). God’s word tells me that I am now dead to the law (Rom. 7:7) through my identification with Christ in His death. As with sin, the only way in which to escape that bondage was through death. The law was never intended to govern a saint, instead it only stirs up my old nature (Rom. 4:15) and allows sin to again dominate my experience. Turning to the law only produces the experience of death (the experience of one who is unsaved) in the believer. This means that there is an experience of condemnation (the katakrima- enslavement to sin), a loss of true joy, fruitlessness, and the experiential domination of sin (Richards, Romans Notes- adapted). That old nature is still under the katakrima, and to give in to it forces me to experience that bondage once again. This will become our experience when we choose not to appropriate all of what we have discovered is ours through Christ. Because of this we find, that as slaves to Christ, we are now governed by grace. This means that I live in the complete provision of God; there are no restraints put on by any others. Being governed by grace is like driving in a car on a road marked with a 35 MPH speed limit. I can choose, under law, to exceed that limit if I choose. Yet there are then consequences I may incur should I chose to break that law. Now, however, under grace I am the son of the governor who created that law. Instead of trying to keep that law and drive within the limit, I give the keys to the law maker and let Him drive (Richards, Romans Notes). It comes back to appropriating; resting in His provision to accomplish everything! I no longer strive to gain His acceptance, but fall back in blissful rest in what He has already done through His son.

No matter how lengthy a discussion one may embark to ascertain the way to live the Normal Christian Life, it cannot be explained or contained within a formula. It all comes down to “looking unto Jesus”, the one who has done all the work of our salvation (Heb. 12:2). We only need to take our eyes off of ourselves as we walk with Him day by day; trusting His spirit to produce Him in us. There is no more striving in our life as Christians, the lives we once aspired to attain should be considered a mere “norm”. Our position in Christ as righteous saints, free from the dominion of sin will progressively become our experience as we continue to yield to the direction of the Spirit; giving ourselves over to God and enjoying unhindered rest and fellowship with Him. Every tool to live the normal Christian life is at my disposal, for we have the very life of Jesus. We haven’t just received the tools necessary to accomplish the job, but we have the completed job itself. Know this, reckon it as true, and yield to Him; for it is no longer I that lives, but Christ lives in me!