CONSIDERING CHRIST ALONE; 5 KEYS. From the Mystery of Christ to Manifestation (Rom 8:19) 

**KEY #1: THE FIRST KEY OF SIMPLY CHRIST: THE LAW OF IDENTITY** The *law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us from the law of sin and death. (Rom 8:2)

*NOTE: The Law in this context is NOT referring to being under the law which is the source of all failure and the strength of all sin. (1 Cor 15:57). We’re referring to law as it relates to what works on purpose.

**IN CHRIST, YOU ARE A NEW CREATION**. What many tend to focus on is behavior modification. The motivation may be the desire to please God, or just to be a better version of you, but often it is reduced to nothing more than another “self” improvement plan.

Self-help is no help at all. This is the road most traveled, but it is the wrong road. God’s only remedy for fallen man was to send Christ as our substitute. It wasn’t a self-improvement plan or an extreme makeover of who you used to be. It is about the fact that in Christ, you are a new creation. The old is gone, the new has come, and the new originates with God. (2 Corinthians 5:17). To be more specific, it’s not about improving the old you; it’s about getting over yourself so you can be fully aware and acknowledge Christ in you as the One who defines you.

**FREEDOM COMES BY RECKONING**. “For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:7-11)

**DON’T BE OBSESSED ABOUT YOU, BE OBSESSED ABOUT HIM**. “To as many as receive Him, to them gave He the power to be sons of God” (John 1:12). Knowing Christ is how I live. Identifying with Him is how I function. Receiving Him is how I bear fruit as a child of God to His glory. Receiving Him is how the Mystery of Christ becomes the Manifestation of Christ on display in your life.

“The communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” (Philemon 1:6)

We constantly communicate what we believe in our conversation, conduct, and countenance. Want to live Christ out loud? Acknowledge EVERY good thing God has graciously given you in Him.

**HEARING THE WORD BY THE SPIRIT**. Jesus said, “Take heed what you hear.” (Mark 4:24) And then He said, “Take heed how you hear it.” (Luke 8:18) There is an acid test for truth: are you hearing by the Spirit, or by the letter? The Spirit gives life, the letter kills. (2 Corinthians 3:6) How do we discern the difference?

**THE LESSON OF THE TWO TREES (GENESIS 2:9)**. In order to discern accurately what and how you hear the Word, we have a lesson that began in Genesis, but is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. It is the lesson of the two trees which has to do with:

Identity  Context Paradigm

Remember, it is in the Old Testament, but, because Christ came and gave us clarity, we have a New Testament understanding. The types, shadows, prophetic words make sense in Christ.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (This is about human potential apart from Christ) = Death The Tree of Life (i.e. The Knowledge of Christ) = Life

Identity has to do with who you identify with: the old you or Christ in you.

Context has to do with keeping Christ front and center when you hear a commandment or what you’re called to do. He is not just an example for you, but of you. Is the revelation of who you are in Him your first, foremost, and final thought?

Paradigm relates to how you see truth and how you see yourself. When you identify with Christ and He becomes your go-to thought, then He becomes the filter by whom you process the Word you hear and the life you live.

The good, bad, or ugly of humanity which is what the Tree of the Knowledge of Human Good or Evil represents, is an appeal to independent self (i.e. the old you apart from Christ). In other words, what you can do apart from Christ which, according to Jesus, is NOTHING. (John 15:5)

“Trust in the Lord, with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Learning how to connect the dots to Christ is how you process truth by the Spirit which is life. If you don’t, you’ll process truth by the letter which is death. If you lose sight of Christ, you’ll be left with you. What you can do about what God has called/commanded you to do, and Jesus didn’t mince words when He said that would be…(have I mentioned) NOTHING!

**ACCESSING THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY** “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)

We’re going to talk about humility which has a lot to do with meekness in the second Law, but this Scripture reveals the salvation of the soul. Only the Word of God can separate spirit and soul. (Hebrews 4:12). If you don’t understand this principle, you’ll get confused or, at the very least, lack clarity. You are a three-part being. You are spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.

– The moment you accepted Christ, your spirit was created in the image and likeness of God. COMPLETE, HOLY, WHOLE – NOTHING MISSING, NOTHING BROKEN, NOTHING DYSFUNCTIONAL. There are over 100 verses about who you are in Christ that define that reality.

– Your spirit is defined by/in Christ. What is true about Him is true about you. You may not see it at times, but that’s why you walk by faith, not by sight.

– Your soul consists of your mind, will, and emotions. The salvation of your soul is a work in progress. Not as it relates to eternal salvation, but maturity on this side of heaven. You are destined to be conformed to the image of Christ, and that happens as your soul submits to what your spirit knows.

– That’s why you renew your mind, learn to yield your will, and set your affections on things above.

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (James 1:22-24)

Doing the Word has to do with identity. In fact, it is laying hold of your identity “in Christ” before behavior. –Doing is the fruit of believing right, not the prerequisite. Self-reliance is subtle, seductive, and deceptive. It’s plain to see the problem James describes, although, and I’ve been there, it’s more difficult to see going through the process.

What is the problem? Deception. You hear the Word, but your takeaway is not Christ in you. You’re having an identity crisis. Verses 23 and 24 reveal that those who aren’t doers are beholding themselves, their natural face, (i.e., who they used to be before Christ) and immediately they forgot who they are in Him. They lost sight of Christ because they approached the Word from the paradigm of the old nature and not the new nature in Christ. They’re saying, not in words, but in action, “I’ll take it from here, Lord.”

Can we lose sight of Christ? Yes, those who walked with Christ didn’t recognize Him when He arose from the dead. He revealed Himself throughout the Word, and then their eyes were opened, and their hearts burned. (Luke 24:27, 32)

In 2 Corinthians 3, the Bible talks about the blinders that are on when truth is not processed through Christ. The veil is removed when we turn to Him (true repentance). (2 Corinthians 3:16) This refers to Jews as they read the Word but it is a principle that is applicable when we lose sight of Christ. 

How does the Word become the perfect law of liberty?

James 1:25 “But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.””The Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” (2 Cor 3:17)

“He who the Son sets free is free indeed.” 

Looking into the Word in the context of your identity in Christ is how it is the perfect law of liberty. Continuing therein – with Christ as your filter – you won’t forget Him, so you won’t forget that the One who has called you will also do it. (1 Thes. 5:24) Not for you but through you. 

Your behavior is affected by your belief in your beloved identity. You’re blessed in what you do because what you do is because of Him. Losing sight of Christ, you have a form of Godliness without power. (2 Tim 3:5) Look at it in this light (Turn to Him and you are lit up):

**PRINCIPLE, PERSON, POWER(LESS): CHRIST (NOT YOU) IS THE POWER OF GOD** You can learn a principle such as the fear of the Lord, or diligence, the wisdom of God, etc. but if you take that commandment/principle/calling and try to do it without identity, you find yourself unable to be consistent and there is no life in what you do. 

A coffee shop had a billboard message that said, “Pencil yourself in everywhere.” That’s the wrong answer. 

If the person you are relying on is you (apart from Christ) you’ll discover what Jesus said is true. Apart from Him, you can do NOTHING.

Take the same commandment/principle/calling and acknowledge Christ in you, embrace Him as the dynamic of His demands and you find yourself gracefully being who God created you to be. And in that revelation, your doer is fixed. What you do shows up not as perfection by performance but as fruit. You accessing Christ as not just the power of God, but your new reality.

Proverbs are perfect for how this plays out in practical everyday living. Proverbs can be understood as WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). Again, if you see the principle and lose sight of the person (Christ) you will not have the power. In fact, you’ve denied the power.

You can try your hardest but trying isn’t the Gospel message. Trusting God through Christ is.

When you look at Proverbs in light of identity, you realize as Christ is, I am. So because He is wisdom, I can be wise, I can be diligent, I can demonstrate character because through Him I can do all things. Proverbs now become WWJDTMT (What Will Jesus Do Through Me Today:)

Keep Christ as your focus, as your identity, as the One who defines you because the truth of the matter is, As He is, You are…. (1John 4:17)

When you meditate the Word or when you live life period, the takeaway is Christ or it is a miss(take). 

“Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:16-18)

This Scripture is about beholding the Lord in a mirror. When you are hearing by the Spirit and not by the letter, you have turned to Christ. Your filter is who you are in Him; THEN it dawns on you that He defines you and empowers you as you go from the Mystery of Christ to the Manifestation of Christ. He is the glory you are reflecting, and you are tracking with the Holy Spirit, who is revealing, writing, and bringing to your remembrance all things related to Christ.