Powerful reading

I am reading an awesome book right now titled Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ by Neil T. Anderson. There are so many highlights of the book I wish I could share, but my post would then be a book! Basically, the author is trying to get people to understand the part about the gospel that most of us forget or never even knew.

Most believers know and accept that Christ died on the cross for our sins and then it ends there. That would be like celebrating Good Friday and forgetting Easter. The point is that Christ was resurrected, and so are we when we accept Christ. We become spiritually alive when we accept Christ because we are brought into union with God. New life requires new birth and a new identity. Anderson says that "salvation is not a future addition; it is a present transformation." What this means is that while our souls are saved from eternal damnation, we don't have to wait to die to experience salvation. We are alive in Christ now, why wait for salvation?

Anderson brings some powerful points to light about our identity in Christ. "Its not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it is who you are that determines what you do." "We are saints who sin, but we have all the resources in Christ we need not to sin." "As believers, we are not trying to become saints; we are saints who are becoming like Christ."

Ponder on that... it is not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it is who you are that determines what you do. Powerful stuff.

We are no longer in bondage to sin, we do not have to be who we were before we accepted Christ. Life can begin anew the minute you let Him in.

Some people think that my becoming a Christian suddenly makes me a good person, and then attack my Christianity when I do not live up to expectations. It is kind of like when I got married, I took on my new last name, but it did not change everything instantly. I had to go to the DMV and get a new license with my new name. I had to go to the bank and change my name. (This can equivocate with baptism, in that it is a public declaration of my faith.) When I start signing my checks and bills with my new name, I start to live as Mrs. Newname. I do not suddenly forget signing my checks with my old name and have to think hard to sign my new name. (This can be like being a new Christian, you have to choose how you want to do things.) With practice, I remember my new name, and forget how to sign my old signature.

Following Christ is not as easy as changing your name. The good news is that there is a book that tells you how to live. The Bible could be subtitled 'Life's Instruction Manual' without a doubt. The more you keep the Word in your heart and on your mind, the easier life is to live. All by the grace of God...