"As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:3,4).

Remember, "promises" for God are not what they are with humans, but they are more in the form of a fact that we need to see by faith. The Greek translation indicates that God's promises are proclamations of an already accomplished fact. Notice that the word "promises" in Greek is Epaggeloma, which means to declare or proclaim a promise that has already been fulfilled, past tense!

"That you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).

"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil" (Hebrews 6:19).

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God" (Romans 6:5-10).

If you look at your body and this world with only your five senses it will not give you the evidence that you have in reality been crucified with Christ. When I first began to meditate upon this fact, I told God that I kind of believed it, but it was not real to me. He instructed me to meditate upon and to memorize Romans chapter 6. After several months of speaking it out loud, one day it really dawned on me, "I have been crucified with Christ!!"

If this is not true, then you and I are all condemned. It is one of the most important faith facts in Scripture. We are delivered from our old self and are resurrected into a New Creation. How can we be born again if we have not died?

You might say, "But Jesus was crucified 2,000 years ago, I was not there." The Scripture says that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world. Also, Jesus is timeless. When we "see" Him and we are converted, then in the timeless eternal realm we realize that we already have been crucified with Him.

The Bible says that He bore the sin of all men; therefore it must be that all men were in Him when He was crucified. The problem is only that all men do not believe and receive that fact, so unfortunately many have to have their names erased from the Lamb's Book of Life.

I was "in" my father when he almost went down with the Titanic. God spared him, 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 my even thought he has gone to be with the Lord. His DNA and my mom's 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!

Reckon.

Romans 6:11 says that we can "reckon" ourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. The word "reckon" is a word used in math and accounting. Accounting and math is the one thing in this world that can be done with accuracy. One can only paint a landscape with an impression, record a map with the best of one's ability and approximations, but math and accounting can be done with absoluteness. So it is with our co-death and resurrection with Jesus. Can God's reckoning be less than absolute and accurate? Could He conceivable ask me to put something down in my accounting book that is false? No! You have been crucified and raised with Him. Now, write that down in your book and on your brain and in your heart!

Before we died with Him and were raised with Him, we were slaves to sin.

"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. They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed'" (John 8:31-36).

It's all about identity, it's all about knowing who you are.

People think and behave the way they do because they believe that is who they are. It may not be a cognitive issue, perhaps it is more sub-conscious. But ultimately you will behave like who you, deep down inside, believe that you are. That is why it is so important to really know who you are in Christ. Meditating on the co-death with Christ and your co-resurrection with Him will give you the truth of who He made you to be. You will no longer be a slave to sin.

If you have struggled with trying to live out the Christian life, if you have struggled with addictions, hidden sins and overwhelming temptations, if you have struggled with shame, guilt, fear, depression, failure and other tormenting issues, then you will be set free by the truth of who you really are. Who is that? You are really dead and resurrected. Your old sinful nature is in the grave, and when it raises its head, tell it to get back into the grave. That is just your old thought patterns tormenting you. However, the New You is alive, and that is Christ in you the hope of Glory.

Next time you are tempted just speak out Galatians 2:20 and tell yourself that Christ in you cannot sin, cannot hate, cannot hold unforgiveness, cannot be depressed. Stand on the Word that says who you are for sure. This is who you really are. The promise is a fact. The Bible cannot lie!

How can you know for sure that all of this I have just written above is true? You can trust the Word!

Lets look at God's promise that He would raise Jesus from the dead.

"I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol [Hell], Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalms 16:8-11).

Fulfillment

"whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.'

Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:24-31).

Jesus is alive!

So are you!

"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him" (Romans 6:4-9).

"I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'" (Psalms 2:7).

Fulfillment

"And we declare to you glad tidings--that promise which was made to the fathers. God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.'' And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: 'I will give you the sure mercies of David.' Therefore He also says in another Psalm: 'You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption'" (Acts 13:32-35).

"For to which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'? And again: 'I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son'?" (Hebrews 1:5).

Here is a mystery revealed. Jesus was raised from the dead as a "new creation" or a new species of being than ever existed before.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

MORE ABOUT PROMISES

"For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us" (2 Corinthians 1:20). [1]

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17).

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

Now that faith has risen in your heart for this promise, ask God to show you what "works of faith" He needs from you. It may be as simple as your proclaiming the Scripture verse He gave you; it may mean to repent, forgive, or to give something. But remember, faith without corresponding works of faith is dead (James 2:20).

[1] Study the Parable of the Sower in Mark Chapter 4:1-34 to learn about the operation of the Word as a seed, a promise and the very substance of faith as in Hebrews 11:1.