Complete in Christ B

When you became a Christian, your old nature was taken away and you became a new creature with a new nature medicine any old priest or any old anybody can circumcise a man forced. Only Christ circumcise a man aspect of their lives was Paul about simply put, sanctification. Paul dedicated himself to helping others become more like Jesus Christ.

But how exactly do you become more Christlike is this something God does to you or do you play a role in your sanctification and at the moment of salvation do you receive everything you need to grow in Christ likeness.

John MacArthur is digging into those questions in his current study here on grace to you. It's titled complete in Christ and with today's lesson. Here's John here in Colossians 211, it says you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands you had a special circumcision. What is it is the cutting away of the body of the sins of the flash when you became a Christian, Christ cutaway everything sinful from your life cutting away of the sinful thing.

Now it's just they would make that I want you to extrapolate on it until I'm done. In Romans chapter 4 verse 11 it says, and he received the sign of circumcision, Abraham, a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being on circumcise you know so well. Abraham was circumcise yet 14 years after he believed God was say so circumcision and save.

He was circumcised as a sign of a righteous heart and that's the message and what is true circumcision.

Listen to me is cutting away everything from the life what the will of God in Paul's message in Colossians 211 is this is the spiritual surgery cutting away of self and sin and only Christ can do that. I love the new international version translation of verse 11 is what it says in him you were also circumcised in the putting off of your sinful nature, not with the circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ will come circumcision. The putting off of your sinful nature. When you became a Christian, your old nature was taken away and you became a new creature with a new nature K. Wallace any old priest or any old anybody can circumcise a man's foreskin but only Christ can circumcise a man's heart. And that means cutaway the old sin nature so Christian he said you need any right of circumcision you have received from Christ. A spiritual surgery of what's that old right was only a picture and assemble you say are you trying to tell me that when you become a Christian. God takes away the old nature. Yes, I believe it. I believe I believe it gives you new nature.

All Brandon and that's what he's talking about in verse 11. Look what he said. This is made without hands, and what is it putting off the body of the sins of the flash you save it with a mentor it if we got our fallen nature away if we put off the body of the sins of the flesh human nature in its fallen condition and we've got a new nature. How come we still sin right to question answers this because you not only have a new nature, but you have an old body. You got a new inside and out old outside would be Romans seven process for that which I do. I understand not for what I would that do are not what I hate that doing if then I do that which I don't want to do. I can send the law that it is good now that it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me says luck. It is not my new nature doing this is the old flash is in me.

I know overtaking that in me that is not in my new nature, but in my flash dwells no good thing makes a distinction verse 20 if I do that I would not. It is no more. I is not my new nature is sanding the dwells in my final login or principal, and I would do good.

He was present. I delight in the law of God after my inward minis is my new nature just love God. My new nature wants to do all kinds of good thing.

My new nature wants to obey God. My new nature wants to respond to God, but I see another principal verse 23 my members will ring at salon my mind to bring me to Capt. Lawson which is in my what my members will of God is in my what mind but citizen my members. The new nature that is in me has been purified, but the body that lives in is a mess. That's why when I go to heaven I don't get a new inside I get a lot new outside if I can just get my good inside out of this bad outside.

I could really go so he says enjoy low wretched man that I am a little bit about it is that I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I serve the law of God. Why new nature's God work, but my flesh serves the loss we says even even in my new creation life that new nature that's their surrounding it is the flesh I believe people it's a new nature. All Brandon, I don't believe when you become a Christian, you get kinda whitewashed. I believe you get brand-new from inside the very moment you believe sin is still there because of the flash because of the body, but the internal nature. The new hot is their God promised I'll give them a new heart did me.

That's the covenant promise Newcomb so when you receive Christ. That was the end of the old nature positionally, but sin is still hanging around, but what Paul is saying here is, he's not getting into the fact of sin here. He's not dealing with that. He simply saying hey you don't need anybody to get you more saved people, say well I I was saved but later on I got more savings will can't get more saved. That's like saying I was married and now I'm more married know you're either married or you're not married.

Same thing is true being Savior not more Savior just either saved or not and you do not need anything to be added to the new nature that you been given except to bring your behavior into harmony with your new nature.

Paul learned how to do that he did know how to do it. Romans seven. But what are you doing Romans 80 learn how to do it by doing what.

If you walk in the spirit you will not fulfill what the lust of the flesh.

We learn not obey the spirit now Paul says you have new life is been given you in the in the way that Christ circumcise your heart by taking away the old nature.

You don't need any outward sign that's absolutely irrelevant. That is superfluous to go step further, verse 12. Look at this. After all, you had your own right RI TE you had your own ceremony and it is baptism you were buried with him in baptism and which also ye are risen with him to the faith of the operation of God is raising from the dead.

Now there is no water in verse 12 verse 12 is very dry summer.

So you see, Paul is teaching baptismal regeneration folks.

Paul would never do that. You think you would get rid of one ceremony just to bring in another one.

If he does have spiritual reality in mind. In verse 11. You can believe he is a minor verse 12 he would never say the change from spiritual death the spiritual life is done by water that would make him as much a ritualist as those whom he was condemning. He is a champion of spirituality, not ceremony you say what's he talking about here. What is this baptism, it pictures the union of a believer with Christ word simply means placed into you were placed in the Christ, and of course water baptism is the beautiful picture of it and the terminology became synonymous in the early church and still is off. When you became a Christian. It's as if you were buried. You died and you rose again a new life through the faith of the operation of God raised him from the dead.

Just as God raised Jesus so I raised you from the dead. When you believe in Christ are all life died and was buried in your Rosa new life believer. Then when you put your faith in Christ.

Your buried with Christ.

It's as if you go right to the cross and you're hanging there on the cross, literally, as if God propels you 2000 years backwards in history. In his time was mine and slammed you into that cross and you die there and your buried there on the third day you come out of the grave with Christ in your life. We are so identified by faith with him that we are in his death we are in his burial and we are in his resurrection from endless ministries and it's all done by the operation of God. Notice this, the word is energy God's energy God's resurrection power, God raised him from the dead raises you from the dead, so that when you receive Christ. You are buried your whole life dies and you become alive and listen folks there only two things you can be either dead or alive, and when you are alive you are alive. That is precisely what happens is one little footnote to notice and there in the middle of verse 12 it says, through faith, through the faith in the operation of God. We who believe in God's power.

We who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead will also be raised with him. Sarah was 10 on 10 if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that God hath what raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. When you believe that an confess with your mouth, your whole life dies, is buried in you rise in newness of life, a spiritual miracle. And you know what you experience and I experienced the same power with which he raised Jesus from the dead, look at me.

Romans six because you have to compare Romans six. Sometimes we read this at our baptismal service.

Romans six verse three great great chapter you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death again when you are entered into a union with Christ. I think Romans six is dry to like Colossians 2 is talking about the spiritual baptism not the water as you were placed into Jesus Christ you died with him. Verse four. You are buried with him by baptism into death, and as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also walk in newness of life. We died with him.

We rise verse six watch knowing this, that old man. What is the old man. What's another term for the old nature right self, the old self, the old nature that our old nature is crucified with him is the same terminology that the body of sin might be slightly altered, though it says what destroyed the old nature was wiped out, that henceforth we would no longer be the slaves of sin, for he is dead is freed from sin is a Regina, what, where we freed from sin were not freed from never doing again no authority say what he saying is your free from its consequences.

The wages of sin is what debt how many times can send Kelly once right if you're Christian. It already has done it. You've already done.

Sin comes along, as is MacArthur. I want to get you because you have to die. I say I've died already thinking you can only kill me one time and that's it say when did you die I died in Jesus Christ.

The moment I put my faith in him. I was crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, I died once it's your tough luck. I rose from the dead and now sin has no claim on me because I died in Christ Everyman will die for his sin, either alone spend eternity in hell are in Christ and spend eternity with God you say what is death mean for us then we die physically. Let's just get rid of the problem so the good part can be released big deal that's terrific. So what he saying here in Romans is luck. The old man is done away with the old nature is destroy.

And now you are free from sin is bondage. All you're going to mess around and goof up because of the of the problem of the flesh that is there. But sin cannot lay a claim on you.

Look at verse 10, for in that he died. He died unto sin. How many times wants and that he lives, he lives on the God verse nine Christ being raised from the dead, dies no more death has no more dominion over him. He dies. Once that's the end of this dominion. Verse 11 likewise reckon you yourselves to be dead under sin.

Sometimes you have to die to a dead once you have sin and death, hell and Satan have no claim on you tremendous truth so we summarize the verses in Colossians this way you believers who have no need of external circumcision. You have already received the true circumcision of the heart and life.

Your whole sinful nature has been cut away you received it by virtue of your union with Christ by faith when he was buried you your former wicked cells were buried with him when he was resurrected as new creatures you were resurrected with them all by the power of God.

When you believe is done is complete. The old nature is dealt with new life is begun complete salvation is yours. You don't need anything else. So when somebody comes along and says well I know you have to believe, but also you have to keep the 10 command but also you have to do this or that no if you don't get it.

No I already died once and that's all there is. He died once and he diet no more.

And that's the state complete salvation is fantastic and second in what ways are completion in Christ, seen here complete salvation. Secondly, complete forgiveness.

This is so great I love it.

Complete forgiveness I know about you, but probably the most exciting doctor in all the Bible is forgiveness to meet. I may not. Let's face it, knowing what I know if I felt guilty all the time for my sins and felt like they were forgiven, I'd be a basketcase complete forgiveness. This approach is the same reality from another aspect, the first one emphasized the completeness of salvation apart from ritual and this emphasizes the completeness of forgiveness apart from any work we verse 13 and you, being dead in your sins.

Young circumcision of your flesh, has he made alive together with him, having forgiven you. Most of your trespass. All all blotting out the handwriting of ordinances. It was against us, which was contrary to us. Took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

This is so rich I don't know whether I can give it all that it deserves, but why spend some time on these verses. These are just loaded so knows that he and the him in their contrasted with the you and you dead in your sins and the un-circumcision of your flesh when something good. Hath he made alive together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses, you are in bad shape but he conquered it all.

You share his resurrection life you were dead in your sin armies be dead in your sins. Your enemies be dead and sent I I've illustrated it many times the word dead in your sins is a is also used that phrase all season. Ephesians 21. It appears there. I think in the very same form here.

It's what you call a locket of a position at speaking about a positional thing, you are dead in sin he when you were born you were born dead spirits and what is death mean it means an inability to respond. You see dead people and you can do whatever you want and they don't react dead people can't respond.

That is the sick, that is the signal at somebody's dead they don't respond. That's what spiritual death is to be dead in sin means to be so locked in sin that you are unable to respond to God.

You see in the Bible makes no sense. Spiritual truth makes no sense you're lost in the sinfulness of the world and the flash and the devil, and you can't react to God because you are dead and you do not respond to stimulus your spiritual corpse wasn't bad enough that you dead in your sin. He also says your un-circumcision of your flesh was at me that's a reef reference to Gentiles. He says you are dead in your sins and your Gentile situation. So what's a better being a Gentile, why you want to say that Gentiles were uncircumcised. You know what that meant. Outside the covenant, they did not have the truth of God. It's bad to be dead in sin.

It's double bad to be dead in sin and not have any hope because you don't have the troop right the Jew might be dead in sin, but at least he was in an environment where the covenant of God was operative but a Gentile was dead in sin and he was outside of that. Listen to Ephesians 211. Wherefore, remember that you and pastime were Gentiles uncircumcised. Verse 12 he defines it, and at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. That's pretty sad. One thing to be dead in sin, but it's doubly serious to be dead in sin outside the covenant outside the promised, with no hope without God in the world because you have no information you have no revelation. So he says God looks down on you people dead in your sin without him without hope.

Without information, without revelation wanted to do was one thing, a dead man needs most life was a say in 30 Kathy what made alive together with him whom Christ, having forgiven you all trespasses, he says you Gentiles outside the covenant outside the promised and I think too. There's a symbolic implication in the un-circumcision of your flesh in which he saying that's an apt symbol of the fact that they were still subject to the old nature you're dead in sin and subject to your old nature until he came along and made you alive. Fantastic. That's precisely what it says in Ephesians 2, verse five, God was rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath made us alive together with Christ living together with Christ, I mean this people not on how it works in some mysterious divine way. When you receive Christ.

God fires you back 2000 years which you on the cross of Christ in the grave with Christ and raises you. I don't understand that miracle. It's fantastic he says. Ephesians 25 made us alive together with Christ.

Colossians 213 he made alive together with him.

Somehow we are in union with Christ is joy to the Lord is one spirit first rent is 617 when he rises. We rise so you see dead men utterly defeated, utterly dominated by sin, powerless to break the chains of sin that bind them powerless to discover the truth of God without hope. Without God, without any choice locked into the sinful nature and all of a sudden God makes them alive. Now you tell me who initiate salvation and you hear people saying they sent meaningfully. I found the Lord will phone you you have no more power to overcome your sin than a dead man does to overcome his own death. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us.

John is a pastor conference speaker and Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary use, titled his current study complete in Christ, John, today you hit on the crux of Christian living, putting off the old self and putting on the new and obviously that's a personal and individual process, but we are all part of a body. The body of Christ. So there's a communal aspect of the church plays an important role in the process of my sanctification and want you to talk about that. What is the best way regular Christians non-pastors laypeople can help other church members overcome sin, failure your sin a lot there fill in and I think you're you're recognizing the fact that God never designed us to live our Christian life by ourselves alone and that's clear because we are designed by God in the body of Christ with unique gifts and we are dependent on each other because of those gifts. If I have the gift of teaching.

My gift is not for me it's for all those people to benefit from my teaching it for somebody else has the gift of the faith and exercises prayer all the rest of his draw the blessing and the benefit from that of somebody else has the gift of edification on the coast that helps, whatever they might be so. I think the recognition is this, that even though I have all resources in Christ there is a necessity that I not forsake the assembling together because there's a sense also. And even though Christ is in me as an individual in a in a Grand Way, Christ comes to me in the church. In other words, the church is the body of Christ and at another level at an exponential level. All the richness of Christ spread among believers blesses me as I interact with those believers because Christ works through them in unique ways. So being a part of local churches is essential being a part of a faithful local church. A biblical local church or Christ exalting local church is really a command that the Lord has given us not because it's the duty that he expects us to fulfill.

But because it's the only way that you can really live your Christian experience to the max want to mention a free booklet titled your local church and why it matters and will give one of these to anyone who asks. Okay all you have to do is ask will give you a copy free of charge of your local church and why it matters free to anyone who requests it. Just let us know you want one will give it to you today and you'll find it very helpful in laying out the reasons God wants you to be involved in the church, where Christ moves and where he operates in his fullness. That's right in front of the reasons you and every believer need to be part of a church are far greater and more numerous than you may realize. I encourage you to ask for your free copy of your local church and why it matters requester booklet today.

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