I am attaching a discussion guide to this discussion which gives the Scriptural support for my main points. I won't refer to those Scriptures for the most part, because they are included in the discussion guide.
I used this discussion guide in a parachurch ministry I was involved with. This parachurch ministry dealt with a lot of addicts who professed Christianity.
Here's the basic thesis:
1. Believers are new creations in Christ. They are one with Him, joined in a legal and vital (life-giving) manner. They are joined in a spiritual sense.
2. This union with Christ defines their spiritual identity. Their identity is not defined by their behavior. Ontology (objective being which is their union with Christ) defines economy (their behavior), and not vice versa.
3. Economy (their behavior) needs to come in line with ontology (their being in union with Christ), but their economy does not define them.
4. Paul exhibited this understanding, particularly in Romans 6 and I Corinthians 6, but throughout his epistles.
5. Believers are obligated to "put on" Christ by behaving according to this identity, but the underlying foundation is their identity in Christ.
6. Christians should encourage one another to behave according to their identity in Christ.
7. Christians should never discourage a weaker brother dealing with a sin issue by claiming that their identity in Christ is subject to being withdrawn.
8. Inducing self-condemnation in a real believer displays an incredible ignorance and is damaging to their potential fruitfulness.
I operated in an environment where some of my fellow "teachers" were legalists and charismatics who would be more likely to claim that sin is a result of demonic possession, and the addicts were in need of deliverance, not solid biblical understanding. As a result, I was forced to study this topic of union with Christ, and associated identity in Christ, so I could help the addicts in my ministry with their problems.
Individuals being helped by this ministry were coming back, over and over again, with the same problems so I knew something was wrong.
The world handles things a different way. The world identifies the person by their behavior. Such-and-such is a drunk, a drug addict, homosexual, etcetera. He will never change. And if he manages to deal with that problem, he is still defined by it and is always subject to falling back into it. Then, he becomes the same drunk or drug addict or homosexual.
In fact, one major organization requires the alcoholic to proclaim his identity prior to the meetings.
He didn't say, either start behaving like Christ, or God is going to leave you. He said, in essence, Jesus lived the perfectly righteous life and suffered and died on the cross for you. He has given you a new identity. This includes righteousness, sonship, and an inheritance. Now, start living according to this new identity. Put on Jesus Christ. He is your new identity. The old man, in Adam, needs to die. Put him to death. I won't give up on you in the meantime, but you need to live according to this new identity and produce fruit through union with Jesus.
That is what Paul was about. He wasn't some legalistic, self-righteous professed Christian looking to accuse others or to threaten them with loss of salvation. He had a healthy sense of fear of God, but it didn't involve the legalism of some professing Christians today. He was convinced that once a person understood God's grace, that would change his behavior over time.
And, there are plenty of legalists who would love to drag you into self-condemnation and unfruitfulness. Beware of them. They may appear to be holy, but if they are not broken up about their own spiritual condition at times, I wouldn't trust them.
Know why? If someone doesn't have a proper understanding of God's grace, there's two possible directions they can go.
One is self condemnation. They are honest and realize they don't measure up to God's standards. This person will go through a cycle of realizing his shortcomings, then working hard (in the flesh) to deal with them, and falling again, and then trying to perform again, and doing pretty good for a while (which generates self-confidence) and then falling again, and feeling self condemned again.
I would trust that guy, if he was honest about his failures, but I would encourage him to understand union with Christ and identity in Christ better.
The other is the self righteous guy. He drag's God's standards down to a level he can achieve. I am not athletic but I have seen real athletes jumping hurdles. The self righteous guy jumps over three inch hurdles and claims he is a star athlete. He believes that he meets God's standards. He is fixated on the external, and not the internal desires of the heart, as well. He never realizes that he falls short of God's standards, and thus shouts at others that keeping the law (or whatever standards) isn't so hard. Well, his understanding of God's standards is so infantile that he actually thinks he is meeting them. Therefore, he is a miserable comforter for anyone who would be unwise enough to seek counsel from him.
I would not trust that guy. He isn't honest about his spiritual condition and is suppressing the knowledge of his sinfulness. He is living in darkness. I think God needs to humble that man and show him the reality of his spiritual condition.
The real balance is a man who understands union and identity in Christ. That's where it's at. This believer understands that he isn't meeting God's standards, but he has been joined with Jesus. This union defines his identity. He is loved by God because God's beloved son is now spiritually joined with him, like a man is joined with his wife, and the two become one. Not only that, but he produces fruit over the long term because of this union. Like sap flows through the vine into the branches, so does Jesus' likeness permeate the believer due to this union (see John 15).
This man doesn't have to blame his sins on demons and seek out demon deliverance. Nor does he have to dwell in self-condemnation, because there is no condemnation for those in Jesus (Romans 8:1). However, he knows he needs to put on Christ, like he puts on his clothing in the morning. There is the identity aspect of union with Christ, but then there is also the fact that the union changes us over time (see 2 Cor 3, especially the last few verses). And, this happens through God's transforming power, not by the flesh.
Anyways, these are the most important lessons I learned through parachurch ministry. To be honest, I didn't understand a lot of things until I started trying to serve others in this way. I am glad God gave me something worthwhile to do for a while, because I believe in trying to serve others, you end up learning yourself.
I hope this is worthwhile to someone. Understanding these things has been important to me.
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And it encourages the lost, to seek.
