Doing Good Through Our Union With Christ
- Romans 12:21 (Part 9)
Dear Friends,
Thanks again for joining us. It was a really long and very difficult summer for us, so we have not published much in the past number of months. We apologize for that! We had been moving our way through the twelfth chapter of Romans, concentrating on our theme for this year, which was “All That Is Good!” There is plenty more to say on this subject and so much more to glean from Romans 12. Perhaps, sometime down the road, we will pick up this subject again. We do want to encourage you to continue meditating on the exhortation to “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is the key to continuing on in our Christian service, despite the circumstances around us. To finish out this year’s articles, we would like to review a tiny bit of what we learned from Romans 12, and then simply encourage you to see and believe in the goodness of God.
In our last few articles, we covered the exhortation of Romans 12:9, which states…
“Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.” - Romans 12:9 AMP
If you have been traveling on this Scripture journey with us, you know that we have discovered that we are incapable of obeying any of the instructions given in the Twelfth chapter of Romans without having the life of God active within us. When we try to love without the life of God within us, we end up with a love that is not at all dependable and ends up revealing a hypocritical and self-serving nature instead. When we hate what is evil without the nature of God, we become harsh and end up manifesting the very evil we think we detest. So, the nature and righteousness of God is necessary in order to sincerely love without hypocrisy and to hate what is evil, as God defines it. (Part 7 and Part 8 of this series have covered this topic really well.)
Our journey began this year with this desire, to “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21 KJV) We are surrounded by so much evil and deception in our world right now, that life itself is a bit overwhelming. It is high time to see this evil trend overcome with good. But, if we want to change the culture and the atmosphere with good, we need to know how the Bible defines what is good, and how to get there from here. Thank goodness the Bible is full of all of the wisdom we need to help us navigate our current surroundings and influence the world with the Greater “Good”...The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since we have learned from the Scriptures and the very words of Jesus, that no one is truly good except God, we can conclude that we require His nature in order to do good and overcome evil with good. Therefore, the deep desire to be good and to do good can only be genuinely accomplished through the life of Christ, by the activity of His Holy Spirit, working in us and through us.
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you already possess His righteous nature and His goodness, and that is what is needed to overcome evil. However, the goodness of God works itself out of us through our faith in the righteousness of Christ that was given to us as a gift. We live our life now, through our faith in Jesus, that His goodness and His righteousness are at work within us through His Holy Spirit that indwells us. Faith is the active ingredient necessary for the righteousness of Christ to manifest itself through us. Notice what we are called to believe...
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:20 AMP
This is such a powerful passage of Scripture. In fact, it is so powerful that I encourage us to read it again. Here we go…
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:20 AMP
Let’s pick this apart a bit! When Jesus went to the cross, He did so as the representative for the entire human race, “the Lamb Who was slain from the foundation of the world.”(Revelation 13:8) To make it more personal, He went to the cross representing me, and representing you too. Because He was dying my death as me; from God’s perspective, I died with Christ. I shared His crucifixion. In God’s mind, when Christ died, I died, therefore, “it is no longer I who live.”
Let’s be a bit clearer about what really took place. This next Scripture is a bit long, but try to take it all in, because it is a really powerful revelation. In Romans 6:1-11, we are told…
“What shall we say [to all this]? Should we continue in sin and practice sin as a habit so that [God’s gift of] grace may increase and overflow?
Certainly not! How can we, the very ones who died to sin, continue to live in it any longer?
Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
We have therefore been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory and power of the Father, we too might walk habitually in newness of life [abandoning our old ways].
For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection.
We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him,
because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].
Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.” - Romans 6:1-11 AMP
Now, when we accept Christ Jesus as our Savior, we receive the reality of becoming united with Him through His act of redemption. In this Scripture, we learn that we were united with Christ in His death, but we were also united with Him when He was raised from the dead.We are now “alive to God in Christ Jesus.”We must realize that the nature of sin that used to control us from the inside is dead, and we are to reckon it so. My old self, that was a slave to the motivation of the sin nature within me, was crucified with Jesus and it no longer has authority or control over me. I am free to be alive without sin, in order to live for God through the righteous nature of Jesus who lives in me now. It is God Who did this and made it possible for me to be free, if I simply believe that He accomplished what this verse says. This is important!
So, when we return to Galatians 2:20, we see that “it is no longer I who live.” Let’s look at this again...
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:20 AMP
Yes, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” When did this happen? It happened when I was united with Christ in His death, but also united with Him in His resurrection. This unity with Him happened when God put me in Christ when He went to the cross on my behalf. “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus,…”(1 Corinthians 1:30) When I took Him as my Savior through faith in this finished work, unity with Him became my new way of life. When I came to believe in Jesus, He came to live in me. I was spiritually born-again unto His perfectly sinless nature. I am alive to God now. Just like Jesus, I am alive from the dead.
So, how do I function in my life now? Notice it says that “the life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”This is my new life...I live “by faith... in the Son of God.”Yes, I live by faith...in the Son of God, Jesus...the One Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I get to live this way, because He loved me. He loved me so much that He gave His life for me, and now thatthe sinless Jesus abides in me through His Holy Spirit, my life just got a whole lot easier! Wow!
Dear Friend, if you area believer in Jesus Christ and have been born again by the Holy Spirit of Christ, then following in the footsteps of Jesus is as easy as letting Him live His righteousness and goodness out through your thoughts, words, and actions. How does this work, exactly? It works through faith. How does faith work? Through revelation. Revelation and faith come through hearing the Word...the Word of Christ. Even if you have not yet become a believer in what God has done through Jesus Christ, this verse will work for you too. Simply get yourself in a place where you can hear the Good News of Jesus Christ being preached and faith will come to your heart. Here is the proof of how faith comes...
“So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.” - Romans 10:17 AMP
Look at that! You don’t even have to work up faith...it comes. All you have to do is plunk yourself under the preaching of the Word and faith will rise up in your heart.Well...guess what? You are hearing the Word of Christ being preached right now! So, by this definition, faith is coming to you right now, because you are simply listening to the Word concerning Christ. The Holy Spirit in you bears witness with the Truth, and the Truth is Jesus...”The Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6) This is awesome!
Let me explain further about how this works, practically. When I hear the Word of God concerning who Jesus is and what He has done, or what He is doing or has promised, that anointed Word preached is revealed to me by the Holy Spirit of Truth. When I get a revelation of that Word and I understand it, I choose to accept it as true with my heart and believe it. I call this a spiritual “Ah-ha!” In other words, “I get it...I get it!” This simply means that I now have faith in that Word in my heart. The anointed Word that has been sown in my heart becomes part of the thoughts that I meditate and think upon, the words that I speak forth from my mouth, and the actions I take in agreement with that Word of Christ that has been revealed to me. When I submit to that Word or promise by faith, Jesus Himself makes it real in my thoughts, words and actions. The decision to believe is mine, but the manifestation of that Word in me, is Jesus. “Not I...but Christ…”
With all of that being said, we need to be very careful how we hear and place a high value on the Words of Christ and be prepared to protect those seeds of the Word with our steadfast faith (see Mark 4:24-25). Jesus taught in the Parable of the Soils (Mark 4:3-23) that when the Word is going forth and the seeds of the Word are being sown, Satan immediately arrives on the scene to steal the Word sown in our hearts. If he can’t immediately steal it, he’ll send afflictions and persecutions to scorch the Word that has been sown in our heart, or he’ll choke that Word right out of our life with thorns of distractions in the form or worries and cares of this world and financial distresses. This is really important that we realize this and cling to the Word that has been revealed to us.
I don’t know about you, but I desperately need faith in order to function in this life. God’s Word even says that faith is the only thing that pleases Him, so I obviously need to have faith. (see Hebrews 11:6) Faith comes when I hear preaching that reveals Christ to me. Faith is my glad response to the truth that the Word of Christ reveals. When the Word of Christ begins to paint a picture in my heart of all that God has promised, the faith God gives me in response to that Word takes hold of it and make it my own. This is how God’s promises become manifest or real in my life.
Since it is “Not I... but Christ” Who lives in me, I need to know Him and know how He functions, so I can trust Him to function in the same manner through me. Once I truly understand and believe by faith, Who Christ is and who I am in Him through my unity with Him, I will be able to let the goodness and righteousness of the Lord Jesus come through my thoughts, words and actions to bless the hurting world around me. Jesus truly loves without hypocrisy and He hates what is evil. He is not overcome by any evil, but has the power to overcome evil with good. This is exactly what He wants to do through you and me, as we rely on His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us with His power to “overcome evil with good.”
As I allow Jesus to be Himself in me and manifest Himself through me, I can be certain that I will always be well pleasing to the Father, because I live in the One in Whom God is well pleased.”
I hope your faith is already encouraged, because I’m just getting started. Next, I’d like to show you this awesome prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for you and all believers…
“[I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].
And[I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people),
and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength
which He produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.
And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ’s feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].” - Ephesians 1:17-23 AMP
Friends, God is so good! In fact, God wants you to know that you know, just exactly how good He is. God wants us to have “a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].”He has revealed Himself in HIS Son, Jesus. This is verified in the first chapter of the letter to the Hebrews…
“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.” - Hebrews 1:1-4 NASB
When we study the Word, we learn how Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature. He is God and He radiates God’s glory to us and through us.Isn’t this is so amazing! This is what happens when we study the Word, we see Jesus. When we see Jesus, we see our God in action. Jesus is God in the flesh and when we see how good Jesus is and we believe it, our response will be faith in God. It is by this faith that we live. So, if Jesus radiates God’s glory, and He lives in me by His Holy Spirit, then I must also be radiating the glory of God. And if Jesus is the exact representation of His nature, and He lives in me by His Holy Spirit, then I must also be an exact representation of His nature. This is so powerful!
When I believe what the Bible reveals about my unity with Christ, I will begin to see these truths working in my life, because this is how faith operates. When Jesus is revealed to me through the Word of God and I believe it, this is what the Bible calls faith. And when I live by faith in what the Word of God reveals, Jesus (Who lives in me by His Holy Spirit), manifests in me what I have come to believe about Him through the revelation of that Word. This is how His goodness and righteousness works itself out of me also. Not sure I’m telling the truth? Look at this verse...
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” - 2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB
When God made the sinless Jesus to become sin at the cross, on account of me, a Divine exchange took place, and I became the righteousness of God in Him. When I accept what God did for me according to this Scripture, that hearty agreement is faith. I am the righteousness of God in Jesus, because that is what God says He did for me. The righteousness of the sinless Jesus is now mine and Jesus manifests His righteous nature through me, because I walk by faith in this revealed Word. “Not I...but Christ.” This is a powerful way to live, Friends. Isn’t God so good to us!
Look, if you are bound by a sinful lifestyle or addiction, or are bound by out of control thoughts or emotions, a revelation of your unity with Christ through faith in His finished work on the cross will set you on a course of deliverance to start living an abundant, peace-filled, righteous life. If your physical body has been afflicted and oppressed by the devil, a solid revelation of this powerful unity of Christ, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, will also set you free to live in His wholeness and fullness. We simply must have revelation knowledge of Who He really is and what He has made available to us, through His presence in us.
So, for the rest of this article, I want to continue investigating more of the Scriptures that reveal how good God is. One of the most important things to be convinced of is that God is good. His entire nature is good, and He only wants good for us as well. When we are settled about how good God is, we will joyfully concur with the Truth and this will activate our faith, which in turn will activate the good nature of Jesus Who lives inside of us by His Spirit. When we live by faith in these revelations from the Word, the righteous and good nature of Jesus begins to manifest itself in our own thoughts, words, and actions. Before you know it, you’ll be overcoming evil with good! I know it sounds like I’ve said the same thing over and over, but I am trying to drive home a very important point. This is how God has designed for us to live...through Christ. Hallelujah!
Now before we continue, I’d like to ask you a simple question? Is this the first time you’ve heard about living and walking by faith in Jesus Christ? If it is, I’d like to encourage you to simply decide to accept what Christ has done in purging you of your sin nature and receive His eternal life and nature, now. Living an abundant life without the indwelling and abiding life of Christ is impossible. Why would you want to try to live this life without His help, only to end up in eternal damnation and suffering in eternal flames, anyway? Faith is a decision, a happy choice to believe this good news, not an emotion or something you have to conjure up. Simply make a choice to agree with the Words of God concerning His Christ and believe. God is so good and He makes salvation so easy. Simply follow this Scripture and you will be saved…
“...if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].”
For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer].
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [in prayer] will be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13 AMP
Whew!!! If you believe that Scripture in your heart and have taken Jesus as your Savior, you are now forever a child of God and a member of God’s own household. Oh, my goodness… “Whoever believes in Him...will not be disappointed.” Hallelujah! (We also want to encourage you to find more assurance in the articles...Get Saved Now...Ask Questions Later and All Who Are Weary)
Dear Friends, let us learn to live and walk by faith in union with Jesus. He will do a much better job at living our lives through us, than we were ever able to do on our own. So, let’s dive into the Word concerning Christ some more. What else can we learn about Jesus and believe?
Over and over the Scriptures reveal the nature of our God and Creator. He is good, and filled with loving-kindness. Not only do the Scriptures reveal His character of goodness, but also the object of His expressions of His goodness… and that would be toward those He has created. Notice what these Scriptures say about Him...
“Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.
All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and goodness and truth and faithfulness to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. - Psalm 25:8-10 AMP
Just look at how God is described in the Old Testament. He is good and upright. In fact, He is so good, that He is willing to show the right way to the lowly sinner. He reaches down from Heaven with His compassionate heart to instruct those who will listen. It is not His will to leave the sinner in his sinful state. There is a way out, and our good God has shown us that way. That way out is through faith in what His Son Jesus has done. Hallelujah!
I also love how this Scripture comforts us that “ALL” of the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness, goodness, truth, and faithfulness. The Hebrew word for “paths” means “a well traveled road.” It comes from a root word that means “to travel.” This tells us that the way of the Lord is a well traveled path and He always travels this way. This speaks so clearly of His intention and His personal character that can be trusted and relied upon. Our God can be trusted to be loving and kind, good to us, always truthful as He cannot lie, and continually faithful. God’s character and the history of His dealings are consistent, and are compared to a well traveled path. There is nothing to doubt or question, as God has traveled this path of loving-kindness, goodness, truth and faithfulness for all of eternity.
We can find rich comfort in learning about the character of God for our own sake and that brings faith concerning His dealings to our heart. But let us remember that once we believe in the goodness of God by faith, and having been reminded that we are unified with Christ, that same path of loving-kindness, goodness, truth and faithfulness, that well traveled road is the road that Jesus is walking in the same manner through our thoughts, words and actions also. If God walks this way, then I walk this way. “Not I...but Christ.”
Learning how to see myself differently, through the revealed Word of Christ, is a process of understanding the simple principle of “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” So when looking at this passage of Scripture like this, I see some things revealed about the nature of my God. When I see His nature, and believe I am unified in Christ, then I can easily see myself with that same nature. Let’s list them…
The Lord is described as “good” and “upright.”
It tells us He is an instructor. Who does He instruct? He instructs sinners. Where does He instruct them? In the way. What way? The way of Salvation that leads to life in Jesus! Jesus said, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father, except through Me.” (John 14:6)
He is a leader and a teacher. He leads and teaches the humble His ways.
All of His paths are loving-kindness.
All of His paths are goodness.
All of His paths are truth.
All of His paths are faithfulness.
Now since we have learned that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s nature, can we see the goodness of God and the loving-kindness and faithfulness of God showing forth in the record of Jesus’ thoughts, words, and actions? The answer to this is an obvious...”Yes!” Let’s go look at what the Scripture reveals about a day in the life of Jesus. This account follows the very sad news that Jesus had received concerning the brutal death of His cousin, in the flesh, John the Baptist. Jesus had hoped to retreat to a quiet place to grieve, as anyone would have desired to do. Pay attention to what motivates the thoughts, words, and actions of Jesus in this account…
“When He went ashore and saw a great throng of people, He had compassion (pity and deep sympathy) for them and cured their sick.
When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote and barren place, and the day is now over; send the throngs away into the villages to buy food for themselves.”
Jesus said, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat.”
They said to Him, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”
He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
Then He ordered the crowds to recline on the grass; and He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and blessed and broke the loaves and handed the pieces to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
And they all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve [small hand] baskets full of the broken pieces left over.
And those who ate were about 5,000 men, not including women and children.” - Matthew 14:14-21 AMPC
On one of the saddest days of Jesus’ life, He gave healing and food to a huge multitudes of people. These were the kind of multitudes that most of us would never encounter in a single day. I hope you noticed what motivated Him. The love in His heart for people is so big that He could not think of His own grief for one minute without helping their sick and hungry, first. This is our God.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His loving-kindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever.” - Psalm 136:1 AMP
We might think this was just a busy day for Jesus, but this kind of loving-kindness towards large volumes of people was a regular occurrence. He never turned any away. Let’s look at another day in the life of Jesus. Jesus had been out preaching about the good news of the kingdom of God when He decided to go home to Nazareth where He had been brought up. This was His hometown. It was here, at His hometown church (or synagogue), that Jesus read from the prophesy of Isaiah about Himself as the Messiah, and then prophesied that His own hometown people would reject Him as the Messiah. This made them exceedingly mad and they tried to push him off a cliff. Despite this seemingly bad day, Jesus continues steadfastly going about doing what His Heavenly Father had sent Him to do. Take a look...
“And He descended to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and there He continued to teach the people on the Sabbath days.
And they were amazed at His teaching, for His word was with authority and ability and weight and power.
Now in the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the foul spirit of a demon; and he cried out with a loud (deep, terrible) cry,
“Ah, let us alone! What have You to do with us [What have we in common], Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know Who You are—the Holy One of God!”
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent (muzzled, gagged), and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown the man down in their midst, he came out of him without injuring him in any possible way.
And they were all amazed and said to one another, What kind of talk is this? For with authority and power He commands the foul spirits and they come out!
And a rumor about Him spread into every place in the surrounding country.
Then He arose and left the synagogue and went into Simon’s (Peter’s) house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering in the grip of a burning fever, and they pleaded with Him for her.
And standing over her, He rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she got up and began waiting on them.
Now at the setting of the sun [indicating the end of the Sabbath], all those who had any [who were] sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands upon every one of them and cured them.
And demons even came out of many people, screaming and crying out, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not permit them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ (the Messiah).
And when daybreak came, He left [Peter’s house] and went into an isolated [desert] place. And the people looked for Him until they came up to Him and tried to prevent Him from leaving them.
But He said to them, “I must preach the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God to the other cities [and towns] also, for I was sent for this [purpose].” - Luke 4:31-43 AMPC
Jesus went from a personal bad day to releasing a man from demonic powers, healing a woman sick with life-threatening fever, and staying up all night to cast out more demons and lay hands to heal every sick person who lined up in His presence. These people were so blessed by Jesus that by morning they wanted to keep Him from leaving them. This is precious!
When the power of the kingdom of God comes upon you, you simply want to be in the presence of Jesus all the time. You never want Him to leave. In His physical body, He had to continue the work of the ministry that He was called to do, which meant that He could not physically stay in every town He visited. But, now that He has sent His Holy Spirit to live inside of every born-again believer, His promise is to never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and that He will abide with us forever (John 14:16).
Let’s look at a few more Scriptures that prove to us what Jesus did constantly…
“Many followed Him, and He healed all of them [who were sick],” - Matthew 12:15b AMP
“...for He had healed many, and as a result all who had diseases pressed around Him to touch Him.” - Mark 3:10 AMP
“Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a vast multitude of people from all over Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,
who had come to listen to Him and to be healed of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by unclean spirits (demons) were being healed.
All the people were trying to touch Him, because [healing] power was coming from Him and healing them all.” - Luke 6:17-19 AMP
“He left Galilee and went into the part of Judea that is beyond the Jordan;
and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.” - Matthew 19:1b-2 AMP
“And the blind and the lame came to Him in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple area, and He healed them.” - Matthew 21:12 AMP
“When they had crossed over [the sea], they reached the land of Gennesaret and anchored at the shore.
They got out of the boat and immediately people recognized Him,
and ran throughout that surrounding countryside and began to carry around on their mats those who were sick, to any place where they heard He was.
And wherever He came into villages, or cities, or the countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places and pleading with Him [to allow them] just to touch the fringe (tassel with a blue cord) of His robe; and all who touched it were healed.” - Mark 6:53-56 AMP
When the Apostle Peter was given the opportunity to describe His beloved Lord to a group of people in Cornelius’ house, this is what he spoke about the One whom he knew so well and traveled with as His friend…
“Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.
In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.
This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism.
And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
And we apostles are witnesses of all he did throughout Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a cross,
but God raised him to life on the third day. Then God allowed him to appear,
not to the general public, but to us whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. We were those who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
And he ordered us to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead.
He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” - Acts 10:34-43 NLT
We know that Jesus is God in the flesh. He carried the glory of God the Father and released it to people everywhere He went, through every good thing that He did. Jesus showed us what God the Father is like. He is the express image of His nature. Jesus is what God looks like, sounds like, and acts like in a human body. We are told in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love.” Jesus demonstrated and released the love of God on every person He spoke to and healed with His touch. Jesus demonstrated the love of God through becoming a sacrifice for all of humanity. Giving His own life as an atoning sacrifice for our sin is the greatest demonstration of true and genuine love.
I’d like us to remember that Psalm 24:10 told us that “All the paths of the Lord are loving-kindness and goodness and truth and faithfulness to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.” This was the well-traveled path of Jesus...always showing His loving-kindness, His goodness, His truth, and His faithfulness, all the way to the end...and “He is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
We can trust in Jesus completely, because He will always love, always be good, always be true and always be faithful. In His sinless earth-walk, Jesus was never overcome of evil, but always overcame evil with good. As we wind down this last article for this year, I want those of us who have accepted Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord, to understand our divine unity with Him through His indwelling Spirit. As Galatians 2:20 has taught us, it is “Not I...but Christ!” Let us visit this powerful Scripture once more…
“I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.The life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” - Galatians 2:20 AMP
As we go into this upcoming year, let us remember that the “life I now live in the body I live by faith [by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting] in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” We live by faith now...faith in union with Christ. Jesus wants to continue doing the work He began on earth through our faith that He will live His righteous life through us, better than we could ever live it on our own. He wants to continue “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,” but He desires that we join Him in this great work through our submission by faith. If we reach out to our hurting world, preaching the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom of God and laying hands on the sick as He did, He will heal them. How do I know…? Let me show you.
“Then Jesus called together the Twelve [apostles] and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases,
And He sent them out to announce and preach the kingdom of God and to bring healing.” - Luke 9:1-2 AMPC
Jesus knew, as only one person, He could not get to everyone who needed Him, so He sent out His disciples ahead of Him and granted them kingdom power and authority to do the miraculous works that He did. Just before He was headed to the cross and would be leaving them, He promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to them after His departure and would be the power they needed to continue the work once He returned to the Father. Look at what He promised them, and us…
"I assure you and most solemnly say to you, anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am” going to the Father.
And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.
If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it.” - John 14:12-14 AMP
Jesus made a solemn promise, that “anyone” who believes in Him will be able to do the things that He did. Do we really believe this? I have had to ask myself this question many times in my life. Was Jesus really serious? Could I, just a simple mother, nobody in particular, actually do the same things that Jesus did? Well, according to Jesus, I can! In fact, He said that “even greater things” I will be able to do, when I ask in His Name. When I understand that it is “Not I...but Christ,” that I am unified with Him in everything, then this promise of Jesus is easier to see myself accomplishing. It is not my power to heal, but His. I am simply His representative and when I release His marvelous, miracle-working Name into a situation, the full power of the kingdom of God flows right through me to release and heal the one who is being oppressed by the devil. Now, in union with Christ, I am able to “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)
This year, I encourage you to focus on hearing messages that speak of Christ in all of His righteousness and goodness, and learn who you are in union with Him. Then, release your faith and take hold of the promises made to you and walk in the power of Jesus through His Holy Spirit resident within you and the power that is released when we use His mighty Name in faith. Let us do the work of the ministry as He commissioned us to do...
“And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].
He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.” - Mark 16:15-18 AMPC
Now that, dear Friends, is Grace!
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (December 2021)
Copyright © 2021 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
Note:
One last note...if today you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we encourage you to write the date down somewhere important to you. Many people like to write the date of their salvation on the inside cover of their Bible. I can’t stress enough how important this is to do. Not only does it help you remember the day you became a Child of God, but it is a marker of your New Birth like a birth certificate, which is a legal proof of your existence. This marker is important because, whether you know it or not, there actually is a devil. Since he is a spirit, he has an ability to speak to our minds by way of deceptive thoughts. I can almost guarantee that there will come a time when a suggestive thought will come to your mind that will cause you to question whether you are really saved or not. This is where that date recorded or marker or New Birth certificate becomes important. You can simply go back to your Bible or wherever you wrote it down, and remind yourself or say to the devil...”Nope, you’re wrong! This date is the day I received Jesus, the day of my New Birth, the day I became a Child of God, the day I was saved, the day my name was written in the Lamb’s book of life...end of discussion!”
Finally, we would love to know that you have joined the family of God. We are so excited for you and we want to keep you in our prayers. Email us to let us know!
Comments