Position & Practice

 This a quick look at the Biblical distinction between  our Position in Christ and our Practice as a Christian


It's interesting to note that the first 3 chapters of the Book Of Ephesians talks much about our Position in Christ, while the last 3 talks much about our daily practice as a Christian or follower of Christ.

Our Position in Christ is what and who we are in Christ. Our Practice is what we as a Christian do ( or should do) in our daily lives. 

We must know that a proper understanding of the former is the key to helping us carry out the latter.

Position in Christ:      What and who you are in Christ



Eph 2:1, 4-7
And you [He made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins…..
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in the heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus,                                                                                                                                  that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.



Practice as a Christian:     What you do as a Christian (or what you should do).

Eph 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

One more excellent example could be the following....

Position:

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, 

Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.    

Practice:

Phl 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; Phl 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure.

Note that even in the "Position" passage, it implies that we are saved ( not because of , but) in order to perform good works.

And in the "Practice" passage it implies that although we need to work out our salvation ( show the fruit of it to the world) , it is God who has first worked in us.

2Cr 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

As the verse above so clearly states - our position is simply this:

 That we ARE the Righteousness of Christ and that is how God sees us ( Thanks to Jesus Christ's atoning work on the cross)

Now, knowing that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20)  ,  let our Practice in daily life prove this  - by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

I love Casting Crowns song Who Am I which so wonderfully illustrates this principle of  Position and Practice