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Message 4 - By Jerry D. Green

The Life Exchanging Gospel

Introduction

This message deals with that which I will call, our old life and His new life. Something we need to understand however is that our old life is not really life at all, but death. In actuality, there is no life outside of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the abundant life which Jesus spoke of as His reason for coming to this earth in a physical body.

I would also point out that I am not speaking of a changing or exchanging of lifestyle, but of life itself. For it’s only after the old life (the old man of sin; the sinful nature) is done away through crucifixion and burial with Christ) and we are born again of Him (the incorruptible seed, Jesus Christ, the living word of God; I Peter 1:23-5), being made partakers of HIS divine nature (II Peter 1:4), that our lifestyle will be truly changed. JDG

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The Life Exchanging Gospel

As I was meditating recently, my thoughts centered around this question. How is it that most preachers are not preaching a life changing gospel? They only preach a gospel of forgiveness of sins which are past, and also of the future, while that forgiven man struggles to progressively change his own life into something which would be pleasing and acceptable to God. I suppose this is just the rationale of man. I know in my own life, before I came to the Lord, my sincere thinking was this. When I get saved I am going to live a clean and pure life which will not bring reproach to God. This was my concept of being saved. I had seen so many professed Christians living unclean lives and I knew that was not right. So when the time came when I would make that “decision for Christ,” I would just “do it.” Of course I was not ready to serve God right then. I had other things I wanted to do first. I had my life to live. What I didn’t know at the time was that the same old man who didn’t want to serve God then, would be the same old man who would decide to get religious at some future point in time (make a decision for Christ), yet still have other desires and other things he wanted to do. I didn’t know or take into account the fact that the same old sin nature would still be with me after I had decided (made a decision) to serve God. I knew nothing about the gospel of Jesus, the Christ, that makes a person “…free indeed…” from sin (John 8:30-36). I did however, thanks be to God, receive the love of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:10-13). The love of the truth is the only thing that will ever bring a person to the knowledge of the truth that makes “…free…” (from sin). For, “…when He, the Spirit of truth (the Holy Ghost) is come, He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13), but only IF you allow Him to. If you DO NOT love the truth, you will not allow Him to lead or guide you into truth and you will be prey to every deceiving “…wind of doctrine…” that blows (Ephesians 4:14; and there are many). You will resist and reject the truth which the Holy Ghost would lead you into because that way will be a way of crucifixion for the old man of sin. This is the reason there has always been and always will be persecution against those who are bold enough to preach the cross of Christ and His shed blood as the answer for the old man of sin. The fact is, we are crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). How then can “…we… (who) …are dead to sin, live any longer therein…” (Romans 6:2)? Through death with Him, we’re loosed from the law (Romans 7:1-4). And for all who believe it, sin is destroyed (stilled) through the death of His fleshly body (Colossians 1:20-22; Romans 6:6). Therefore, “…Sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are under grace” (Romans 6:14). All of those who truly believe this from the heart are made partakers (with and IN Him) of His death, burial, and resurrected life (Romans 6:4), as well as His ascension into “…heaven…” (Hebrews 8:1; Ephesians 1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10). This is “…the gospel of (Jesus, the) Christ:” which “…IS the POWER of God unto SALVATION to EVERYONE THAT…” BELIEVES IT (Romans 1:16).

As I thought on these things I realized the true gospel is NOT a life changing gospel at all, but rather, it is a life EXCHANGING gospel. God doesn’t accept any part of the old life (the old man of sin), but by the cross he is crucified (put to death) and buried (in union) with Him. All of those who truly believe the gospel, “the good news” of that which Jesus accomplished on the cross of Calvary, are raised again in newness of life which we have IN Him.  In this, we are made partakers of the Divine nature (II Peter 1:4). Praise God! And this new God pleasing life (Matthew 3:17) will change our life style. This was what I had been thinking of as life changing; a gospel that changes the way a body lives, because it changes the heart of the person that lives in the body.  This can only happen after the old life (the old man of sin, the old sinful nature) has been EXCHANGED for the new. Our old man of sin was and “…is crucified…” with Him and we were and are “…buried with Him by baptism (immersion) into (His) DEATH….” NOT WATER, but “…in the (natural, living, breathing, physical) body of HIS flesh” that, before it was changed, suffered and died for us (Romans 6:4-6; Colossians 1:22, 2:12; I Corinthians 15:51-57; Philippians 3:21). He was our proxy, and as many as can believe this from the heart, and submit themselves to this glorious gospel, are raised anew in the glorious God pleasing life of His Son, and our Lord, Jesus Christ. All of this is an accomplished, “…finished…” work (John 19:30; Hebrews 4:3; Psalm 95:11), and the only requirement is for us to believe the “…true report…” of the gospel. The transformation from sin and death unto sinlessness and life, is just as sure to all those who will believe “the Life Exchanging Gospel,” as the fall from life to sin and death was to Adam and Eve who believed the lie of the devil (John 8:44). This IS the righteousness (or justice) of God (Romans 3:26) and it should be extremely good news to anyone who is lost.

Message 4 - The Life Exchanging Gospel

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