God has stated that the Christian has died on the cross with Christ, has risen from the dead with Christ, and has ascended to the right hand of God with Christ. It is absolutely necessary the believer grasp and maintain this orientation to his own personality and to the life he is living if he would gain deliverance from sin, and if he would inherit the Kingdom of God.

We know from the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans that upon being baptized in water we have become one with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion and one with Him in His resurrection.

Now we are told, in the above passage, that we have become one with Jesus Christ in His ascension to the right hand of God.

This is the necessary orientation to the Christian life if we are to be delivered from sin, and if we are to inherit the Kingdom of God.

We know our sins have been forgiven. There is no way we can prove this. We know it is true because God's Word says so. We may not feel that our sins have been forgiven. But we have faith that this is so and our faith affects the way in which we view our life.

We know the Lord Jesus is coming again. There is no way we can prove this. We know it is true because God's Word says so. We may not feel like He is coming again. But we have faith that this is so and our faith affects the way in which we view our life.

The same must be true of our crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension with the Lord Jesus. There is no way we can prove these facts are true. But we know they are true because God's Word says so. We may not feel that we have been crucified and resurrected with the Lord and have risen with Him to the right hand of God. But we are to have faith that this is so. If we continually reckon that we have been crucified with Christ, that we have been resurrected with Christ, and now we are with Christ at the right hand of God in Heaven, our life on earth will be profoundly affected. We will be able to gain victory over sin. We will inherit the Kingdom of God.

The reason believers find the rigors of discipleship difficult is that they are not correctly oriented to the Christian life. They think God is saving their first personality and they are finding it difficult to reform their old nature. They are told they have to give up the world, quit their sinning, and relinquish their will to Christ. Their first personality very much objects to this and they are saddened.

The current Evangelical solution to the problem of worldliness, sin, and self-will is to cover it all with grace and tell the believer he is on his way to Heaven by mercy and grace.

To be continued.