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

Biblical Distinctions - Israel, Gentiles and the Church

To all my Christian friends – I think its important for us to understand the Biblical distinctions between 

Israel, the Gentiles and the Church

A simple rundown could be as follows:

Israel is a nation or group of people that God called out (long after Adam and Eve etc..) in order to manifest Himself to the rest of the world.

Gentile is simply a term for “everyone else”. Before Christ came they would often convert to Judaism when they wanted to follow what they believed was the one true God.

Christ was sent in human form  ( as a Jew by the way) in order to manifest God to the world – this time as a perfect individual who was both God and man ( rather than a nation of humans).  

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.   (Circumcision was the sign of the Jewish covenant with God).

The Church is simply the group of all people , Jews and Gentiles, who have believed and received Jesus Christ – trusting in Him alone for their redemption and regeneration. The Biblical Church is blind to nationality or race.

The last but very important point is this:

 Even though the Church has now been established, Israel and the Jewish people have not been “replaced” by it. 

God still has a plan and a promise for Israel – we see this from both the Old Testament ( i.e. Genesis) and the New ( especially Romans 10 and 11 and Revelation).

Rom 11:25” For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Rom 11:26 And so all Israel will be saved,  as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;

Rom 11:27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."

Rom 11:28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Rom 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

Let me claridy - this is not meant to be a commentary on the current situation in the Middle East but rather a Biblical look at the distinctions between these 3 groups.

We need to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…”  (Psa 122:6)

Notes:

Act 7:38 "This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us….”

The word congregation here is the same Greek word for church – “ekklesia”. However  the word simply means “called out ones”  or “An Assembly or congregation of people”. There is no specific reference here to the Church as defined in the above article and in many other places of Scripture.

Gal 6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. 
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Galatians 6:15 was quoted in the article and here is included the verse that follows.  Paul uses the term “The Israel of God”.

Based on the context of the New Testament we can only conclude that he was referring first to the Church (as many as walk according to this rule) and then  to the literal nation of Israel.