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203. Our Identity – A Renewed Mind

Everyone has a desire to identify with someone or something. This desire has to do with finding our identity and describing who we are in terms that we can understand.

For some people, their identity lies in their family, the past generations, and traditions. For others, it is their job, their club, their hobby, etc. People have a desire to gain their identity from something bigger than themselves. I believe, God put this desire into people’s hearts so that mankind would seek to identify with Him and His family.

Satan has come along with the world’s system and given us a multitude of things with which to identify. They all lead – even the best ones – to failure and frustration, even the best of them. The answer is that we need to get a renewed mind.

Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Scientists have discovered some amazing things about behavior. Our brain waves can be trained to act in a certain way. It does not matter if circumstances even change, we will still react the same way.

A baby elephant is trained by tying a small rope to a small stake, which is tied to the elephant’s leg. As a baby it cannot get loose, so it walks in a circle. When the baby grows up, it could easily pull the stake out of the ground, but it does not. It feels the gentle tug of the rope and its brain tells it that it is still a captive.

Fish were put into a fish tank with their favorite prey, some smaller fish. However, the smaller fish were put into a plastic bag that the larger fish could not penetrate. Finally, the larger fish gave up. Then, things changed. The smaller fish were let out of the bag and became prey, once more swimming among the large fish. The large fish starved to death, being convinced that they could not eat the smaller ones.

Tigers were put into a cage. One end of it was charged with electrical shocks on the floor. So they learned to stay at one end of the cage, preferring their comfort. Then the electricity current was turned off and raw meat was put on the floor. The tigers would not go after the meat.

Humans are the same way. Our brain waves tell us we are slaves, losers, under the power of Satan and circumstances. We feel tossed around by life, beaten up with sin and having a sin-trained mind. Suddenly, Jesus gives us the new birth; we are born again and become new creations in Christ. Our old nature is dead we now have the nature of the resurrected Christ in us.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin,to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Yet we are so trained to be defeated, that Satan can keep us defeated. Then God comes along and tells us:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

He wants us to be free! He wants us to know who we are! He wants us to know the truth.

John 8:31-32 says, “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”

Here is the truth for the renewing of your mind:

Quoted from E.W. Kenyon’s book, “The Bible in Light of Redemption,” chapter 21. This quote is copyrighted material used by permission only from Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society.

Our identification with Christ

“When Christ ascended into Heaven, with His own blood He had obtained eternal redemption for us upon the basis of His substitutionary death and resurrection on our behalf.”

Hebrews 9:12,

12 “nor by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Hebrews 10:12-14,

12 “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right of God,

13 from then on expecting until His enemies are made His footstool.

14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.”

When Christ sat down at the Father’s right hand, man had been perfectly redeemed because he had been legally identified with Christ in His Redemptive work.

I was crucified with Christ

According to the legal papers and death certificates in the spiritual world, you were crucified as a criminal with Christ on the cross even though you were not born as yet. Remember that eternity is the absence of time. It does not matter whether you were born in 20 AD or 1984, you were crucified with Christ. There is a legal certificate with your name on it. Next time a devil tries to torment you, tell him that you are dead, he cannot touch you!

Galatians 2:20,

20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.”

Romans 6:6, “Knowing this that our old man was crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin.”

I died with Christ

Romans 6:5,

5 “For if we have been joined together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

So there followed as a result of our identification with Him in crucifixion, the death of His body which had then become mortal, “subject to death,” as had Adam’s when he died spiritually. We died with Him. As His spirit left His physical body and went into Hell we were identified with Him.

I was buried with Christ

Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with Him through Baptism into death”; and Colossians 2:12, “Having been buried with him in baptism.”

Baptism is a type of our burial with Christ; His body lay in the tomb, but His spirit suffered in Hell as He paid the penalty that was due man. He could adequately pay man’s penalty and meet the demands of Justice because He had been identified with man. The penalty He paid was not His, but man’s with whom He had been made one. In the mind of God, it was you and I there in that place of torment, bearing the judgment that was due us. On the basis of this identification the man who receives the Redemptive work of Christ need not go to Hell but goes free, while the man who refuses Christ’s redemption on his behalf must go there.

When the penalty of man’s high treason was paid, man was freed from his bondage to Satan.

In Romans 6:1-11, in which we have given to us our identification with Christ in crucifixion, death and burial, we have the following facts revealed:

The body of sin, or the body of spiritual death, was destroyed (Romans 6:6).

Man was released from spiritual death (Romans 6:7 Revised Version footnotes) because he died in Christ and adequately paid his penalty.

When the penalty had been paid, man stood before God justified or declared righteous. We are glad that we know the meaning of the word “righteousness.”

The word, “Righteousness” means “the ability of man to stand in the presence of God as free from sin and condemnation as though there had never been any spiritual death within his spirit.”

When God could declare man righteous and legally freed from spiritual death, He had the right to impart life, His own nature, to the spirit of man.

I was made alive with Christ

Colossians 2:13 says, “And you being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you did He make alive together with Him”; and Ephesians 2:5, “Even when we were dead through our trespasses made us alive together with Christ.”

When God raised Christ from the dead, He said, “Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee” (Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33).

He was the firstborn from the dead. He was the first man to be born out of spiritual death into Eternal Life.

He was the first man over whom the dominion of death was broken.

Romans 6:9-10, “Death no more hath dominion over Him, for the death that He died, He died unto sin once.” When He was identified with us on the Cross, Death had dominion over Him, but when He paid our penalty, the dominion was broken. He was released.

He died unto sin and He was begotten of God in the realm of life.

Romans 8:29, “For whom He foreknew He also foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son that He might be the firstborn of many brethren.”

The “many brethren” were legally identified with Him in His Birth out of death into Life, but He was the first one to vitally experience it, the first-born. In legally being made alive with Christ, we were conformed to His Image.

The word “conform” means to make exactly like. It means to be made according to a certain pattern.

In His being made sin in Crucifixion, He had been conformed to our image of spiritual death. When He was made alive, we were made alive with Him. With Him we are conformed to the Image of this first-born. All that He is we become. That is why we are joint-heirs with Him. We were legally born out of death into Life with Him.

In Romans 6:11, He tells us that we are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin and alive unto God in as much reality as Christ is dead unto sin and alive unto God. The reason for it lies in the fact we were together born again, made alive legally.

A man, vitally receiving this Life of God, is actually born out of death into life when he personally accepts Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Our identification with Christ in His death and resurrection in reality means this. It is as though Adam had gone to Hell, suffered the judgment that was due him and had been released, freed from the bondage of spiritual death, legally acquitted from his crime of high treason, and given the right to receive Eternal Life and walk in fellowship with God.

If Adam could have done this, the human race that had been identified with him in his spiritual death would never have been under the dominion of death, but Adam could not do this. God in His great love wherewith He loved us, sent His Son to do it.

In Adam, all humanity died spiritually, and as a basis of identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection, all humanity legally has been made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die; so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

The man or woman who has accepted Christ as Savior and Lord may walk in fellowship with the Father and as free from Satan’s dominion as though Adam had never sinned or been spiritually dead.

At the New Birth a man passes from the authority of Satan into the Lordship of Christ. Colossians 1:13, “Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His Love.”

This is because when Christ was released from death into Life, man was really released with Him. All that Christ did was not for Himself, but for man.

After Christ had been released from Satan’s authority, the next step was to put off from Himself the forces of Satan.

The Word tells us, in Ephesians 1:20-23, that when God raised Christ from the dead that He raised Him far above “all other government, and authority, and power, and dominion and every title of sovereignty used either in this Age or the Age to come.”

I was raised with Christ

Ephesians 2:6, “And raised us up with Him.”

Our battle in this world is with the principalities and powers and world rulers of this darkness, with the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the high places.

Ephesians 6:12, “For ours is not a conflict with mere flesh and blood, but with the despotisms, the empires, the forces that control and govern this dark world, and the spiritual hosts of evil arrayed against us in the heavenly warfare” (Weymouth).

These are the rulers that Christ disarmed and displayed as His conquests in the very throne room of Satan.

Colossians 2:15, “And the hostile princes and rulers He shook off from Himself and boldly displayed as His conquests when He triumphed over them” (Weymouth).

Hebrews 2:14, “That through death He might bring to nought Him that had the authority of death, that is, the devil.”

Another version of the Greek reads, “He rendered powerless him that held the dominion of death, that is, the devil.”

We were identified with Christ in this victory over Satan. It is only because of our identification with Him that He was thus triumphing over Satan. He always was greater than Satan.

It was because of His Identification with us that as a man He must meet Satan in his own dominion and conquer him. He went there as our Substitute representative. His victory was our victory. When He stripped Satan of his authority, it was as though we had done it.

After Jesus’ Justification, Satan no longer had dominion over Him.

Our identification with Christ makes us as free as Jesus is.

I was seated with Christ

After Christ’s spirit had been freed from Hell, He entered His body, raising it to immortality.

Acts 2:31, “He foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He left in Hell nor did His flesh see corruption.” Before His Ascension to sit down at the Father’s right hand, He appeared to His disciples, telling them that all authority in Heaven and earth had been given unto Him. Matthew 28:18, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.”

As a man, He possessed authority over the world rulers of this spiritual darkness. With that authority, He sat down at the Father’s right hand. It was for us.

Acts 2:34-35, “For David ascended not into the heavens; but he saith himself: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.” In Hebrews 1:13, we have a song of praise, addressed to the Son, in which the Father said: “Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.”

Hebrews 10:13 tells us that He is waiting for His enemies to be made the footstool of His feet. Let us study this in connection with Ephesians 1:20-23: “Which he wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority, and power, and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come; and He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him, that filleth all in all.”

He legally put all things under His feet (that is, under His body, the Church) in His Resurrection, and He is waiting today for those enemies of His (man’s enemies, Satan, sin, sickness) to be vitally put under His feet.

We are seated with Him. (Ephesians 2:6, “And made us to sit with Him in the Heavenly places.”) He is waiting for us in His Name to vitally take what legally is ours and in His Name put every enemy of ours under our feet that we might reign as kings with Him.

Read and study very carefully Romans 5:17. For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one, much more they who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.)

The identification of man and Christ has destroyed the work of Satan in humanity through man’s identification with Adam.

IDENTIFIED In crucifixion on the Cross, With Jesus Christ identified, In death for man’s eternal loss With Jesus Christ identified.”

I was “in” my father when he almost went down with the Titanic.

God spared him by taking him off the ship before it sailed its last voyage. Had my dad perished on the Titanic, I would have also perished.

You were “in” Christ in much the same way. You went to the Cross in Him, you were resurrected in Him, and you now exist in Him. However, He is also in you, just as my dad, in some way, is also in me, even thought he has gone to be with the Lord. His and my mom’s DNA is alive and well in me. Just look at the way I live, you will see Peter and Christine Chkoreff in me. It should be the same with you and me with Christ. He should be living His life in us!

All this fantastic and good news of who we are should not give us a proud, puffed up attitude.

Without absolute dependence upon the life living in us, without God, we are nothing. We are not called upon to be independent power people. We are called upon to be totally dependent upon the life that was inserted into us. Here is a beautiful example taken from the book, “The True Vine,” author Andrew Murray, chapter 11.

“YE ARE THE BRANCHES

“I am the vine, ye are the branches” – John 15:5.

Christ has already said much about the branch. In this verse, He makes a personal application; “Ye are the branches of whom I have been speaking. As I am the Vine, engaged to be and do all the branches need, so I now ask you, through the Holy Spirit whom I have been promising you, to accept the place I give you, and to be My branches on earth.”

The relationship He seeks to establish is an intensely personal one. It all hinges on the two little words you and I. And, it is intensely personal for us as it was for the first disciples. Let us present ourselves before our Lord, until He speaks to each of us in power, and our whole soul feels it: I am the Vine; you are the branch.

Dear disciples of Jesus, however young or feeble, hear the voice, “Ye are the branches.” You must be nothing less. Let no false humility, no carnal fear of sacrifice, no unbelieving doubts as to what you feel able to do, keep you from saying, “I will be a branch, with all that may mean – a branch, very feeble, but yet as like the Vine as I can be, for I am of the same nature, and receive of the same Spirit. I will be a branch, utterly helpless, and yet just as manifestly set apart before God and men. I will be as wholly given up to the work of bearing fruit as the Vine itself. I will be a branch, nothing in myself, and yet resting and rejoicing in the faith, which knows that He will provide for all. Yes, by His grace, I will be nothing less than a branch, and all He means it to be, that through me, He may bring forth His fruit.”

You are the branch. You need be nothing more. You need not for one single moment of the day take upon yourself the responsibility of the Vine. You need not leave the place of entire dependence and unbounded confidence. You need, least of all, to be anxious as to how you are to understand the mystery, fulfill its conditions, or work out its blessed aim. The Vine will give all and work all. The Father-the Husbandman-watches over your union with and growth in the Vine. You need be nothing more than a branch. Only a branch! Let that be your watchword. It will lead you in the path of continual surrender to Christ’s working. You will walk with obedience to His every command and joyful expectancy of all His grace.

Is there anyone who now asks, “How can I learn to say this correctly, ‘Only a branch!’ and to live it out?” Dear soul, the character of a branch, its strength, and the fruit it bears, depend entirely upon the Vine. And your life as a branch depends entirely upon your comprehension of what our Lord Jesus is. Therefore, never separate the two words, “I the Vine – you the branch.” Your life and strength and fruit depend on what your Lord Jesus is! Therefore, worship and trust Him. Let Him be your one desire and the one occupation of your heart.

When you feel that you do not and cannot know Him correctly, just remember it is a part of His responsibility as Vine to make Himself known to you. He does this not in thoughts and conceptions, no – but in a hidden growth within the life that is humbly, restfully, and entirely given up to wait on Him. The Vine reveals itself within the branch thence comes the growth and fruit. Christ dwells and works within His branch. Only be a branch, waiting on Him to do all. He will be to you the true Vine. The Father Himself, the divine Husbandman, is able to make you a branch worthy of the heavenly Vine. You will not be disappointed.”

Is there anything closer than a grape vine and its’ branch?

I doubt it. I believe this is the reason Jesus chose this parable in John 15. The vine supplies the life, the sap, and the branch has only one purpose, that is to bear fruit. It is good for nothing else! Also, the vine cannot bear fruit without the branch; the branch cannot live without the life of the vine. The same life that makes the vine what it is, makes the branch what it is. We have the very life of Christ in us! We are the branches He is the vine! Praise God! If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is wet!

Quote from Richard Wurmbrand’s devotional, “Reaching Towards the Heights,” May 15^th.

“We become holy by feeding upon the right spiritual food.

In an experiment it was found that worms which usually live in the darkness could be conditioned to leave this habitat and to prefer the light. As often as they would withdraw into darkness, they would get electric shocks, whereas if they came out in the light, they found abundant food. With time, these beings “put on a new worm,” to use the biblical expression. Contrary to the habits of their species, from that time on they preferred the light to darkness. Then these worms were cut into small pieces and added in the food given to other worms: and, lo, these worms also changed their habits. They had increased, with the addition of the flesh of the new breed of worms, their Ribonucleic acid (RNA), the depository of memory. They would shun darkness and prefer light just as the beings upon which they had fed. Similar experiments have also been made with other animals.

If you wish to put on the new man, a man of righteousness and holiness feed upon Christ. He has become flesh in order that He might become your daily food.”

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