Loving the Christ-life!

By Tammy Lacock

Through a dissection of Paul’s epistles, Warren Litzman effectively explains God’s amazing grace, who it’s for, and when it is. He then questions when we, as believers, will be ready to take the biggest step we’ll ever take into His grace.

“But NOW in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." (Ephesians 2:13-15)

In last week’s podcast, Warren explained that in Ephesians 2:11-12, Paul makes it clear that he is addressing the Gentiles. His gospel of grace is FOR everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike, but directed here to the Gentiles, who previously had been without God in their lives, living lives separated from Him. His gospel of grace breaks down the barriers for everyone, telling us Christ and His work on the cross is our salvation, not our works or lack thereof.

In Ephesians 2:13-15, Paul tells us Christ’s death on the cross, His shed blood, brought about a new covenant for everyone. This new covenant not only abolishes the law (our salvation based on our works), but it abolishes the separation between God and man, and between Jews and Gentiles. It’s Christ’s work on the cross that reconciles us to God, bringing us back to Him, one body in Christ.

By Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, we are no longer separated by the bonds of this world, its laws, and even death! We are brand new creations, eternal children of God, joined to Christ in one Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17)!

We are complete NOW in Christ, and we are one body in Him. Paul tells us Christ is our peace NOW. This is God’s amazing grace, His gift to us NOW!

Warren makes an extremely important point that most Christians may not know. That is, being joined to Christ in one spirit, He NOW literally lives in us. Christ lives in us and yet we may still be without Him in our actions.

We must understand that if we accepted Christ in our lives, God didn’t work in us on the basis on what we think or know. He birthed His Son, by placing His Seed (and the uprooting of the sin-nature) in us the moment we believed in Him. Christ completes us, and we are NOW saved only by Him. It is not a progressive salvation. We are saved by Christ, and not by our continual works. Yet, if we don’t know where Christ is, He may never come out of us in our expression. As believers, knowing Christ lives in us is the foundation from which we get to know Him and love Him. We now know where He is. Paul’s epistles make it clear that He lives in is. There is no separation between us. We abide in Him and He in us.

Paul tells us we must now have a radical mind-change if we are to ever live the fullness of God’s grace. In fact, he tells us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 KJV).

This radical mind-change is literally giving our minds over to Christ, who now lives in us. If we are to step into the fullness of God’s grace and begin the love affair with Him, then we must be all in — mind, body, and spirit. We are all NOW joined to Christ in one Spirit, one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13).

And NOW, Paul says, it’s time to give Him our minds, too!

By Tammy Lacock

“Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands.” (Ephesians 2:11 KJV)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman continues to follow the Apostle Paul’s gospel of grace as he discusses “the biggest step we’ll ever take” as believers.

In Ephesians 2:11, the Apostle Paul compares uncircumcision and circumcision to the Gentiles and the Jews, respectively.

He explains here that God’s gift of grace is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles alike. Being a Jew himself, Paul tells us his message is for the Jews, who live by God’s law (circumcision), yet also for the Gentiles, everyone who does nothing of themselves to follow God’s law (uncircumcision). Paul focused on spreading his gospel to the Gentiles because the Jews rejected it.

Paul’s epistles clearly reveal that God’s grace is given to us not by anything we do (circumcision) or don’t do (uncircumcision), but by the very gift of His Son’s death, burial, and resurrection as an atonement for the curse of Adam’s sin passed down in us. We all are born into sin. Only Christ cleanses us of this sin. There is no other way to be rid of our sin-natures. The exchange is made by the cross, by just believing. As Warren puts it, God dumps a whole bucket of grace on us. In that very moment we believe, His grace is poured out. In that very moment we believe, our sin-nature is uprooted, and the Seed of Christ is planted. In that very moment, we have been given the gift of eternal life, the gift of Christ in us. He is our new life. God no longer looks at what we do or don’t do to please Him. He sees Christ and by Him, we are saved. By His Seed, we are now partakers of divine nature, bona fide children of God! No longer bound to this world! Out of law and into grace.

Through Paul’s epistles, Warren explains that Paul was the only other man, besides Moses, who was raised up by God to bring us such a great truth. Moses brought us God’s law, taking up four-fifths of the Bible. Here, God dealt with soul salvation, salvation by works. However, the Apostle Paul reveals to us a new covenant, that is God’s amazing grace, in his epistles which take up only one-fourth of the Bible. Paul’s gospel is spirit salvation by God’s grace. Christ joined to us in one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17): Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)! There is nothing we can do that will bring us salvation. Christ did the work, and He is our salvation.

Paul’s gospel of grace is for us now. We are no longer bound by law. The Cross ushered us out of God’s law and into His grace. Christ will no longer work in the law, which he abolished by His death. Only by God’s grace, His life within us, will He be glorified.

As the Apostle of grace, Paul is the only man in the Bible who explains how to live as a believer in Christ. He tells us how to live now as brand-new creations in Christ, an entirely new race of people. No more Jew or Gentile, only one body in Christ. He tells us that in order to take our first step into the fullness of God’s grace, we must have a radical mind change. We must rightly divide soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). Christ joined to us now in our spirits, making us one spirit in Him, is our new life. Yet our souls, where our minds reside, are still gripped by our sin-nature. Most of us don’t even know Christ lives in us, that He is our new life. Paul tells us that only by revelation, can we come to this new knowledge. Once we have this knowledge, by the help of the Holy Spirit once again, we can then begin to make choices in our minds that free our souls from the grip of sin. This is where Paul tells us that the biggest step we’ll ever take is the one where we know Christ lives in us and now we’re willing to hand over our minds to Him, a gift back to Him. Once we do this, we’ve finally stepped into the fullness of God’s grace because it’s only then when we begin to truly know Him and begin to truly fall in love with Him. It’s here where we begin to love Him more than ourselves. It’s here where we begin to understand why Paul likens our relationship to Christ as a marriage, one flesh, one spirit. It’s here where our continual choices start to align with Him, who now lives in us. And it’s this step which helps us to see clearly the unconditional and boundless love God has for us and always will. It’s a love affair.

Paul tells us we are no longer bound by our old lives. We are brand-new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Yet if we are to fully live our new life in God’s grace, we must take the biggest step we’ll ever take. Letting go of our old lives means letting go of our our old minds as well.

Our spirits belong to Christ. Now give Him your mind, too.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 KJV)

By Tammy Lacock

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman continues with Part 2 of moving Out of Law Into Grace by diving into the Apostle Paul’s epistles.

Paul is the Apostle of grace because he has been the only one raised up by Christ, Himself, to deliver to us a final gospel, the gospel of grace. Throughout his letters, he repeats the fact that by Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, by Christ’s work on the cross, we are no longer bound by any laws. We are no longer bound by sin and death. The law has been nullified to the born-again. It is dead to God's children because we are ruled by God's Spirit within; we live by Him in us, not the law (Romans 8). By God’s Grace, we are now offered a new covenant. By just believing, as Warren puts it, God dumps on us a bucket full of grace! Our salvation will never be by our works. Our salvation is only by Christ’s work on the cross. When he was crucified, our old selves and the law attached, were crucified, too (Romans 6:3-7; 7:4; Galatians 2:20). When He arose from the dead, we arose, too, to a new life in Him. This is grace. It’s a gift. We need only to accept it.

Warren emphasizes two verses as foundational pillars that help us understand God’s plan and His amazing grace.

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4 KJV)

“But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.” (1 Peter 1: 19-20 KJV)

We see clearly in both of the above verses God’s amazing grace because His plan for us came before we were born, before we could even do anything to claim our salvation. Before the world was created, God had a plan that involved Christ’s death, by which we were chosen to be in Him and to be the vessel for His new life in us. Our new life in Him comes with no strings, no laws, attached. Nothing we do can be added to our eternal life, our salvation in Him. The gift of His eternal Spirit-life has been given, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. Nothing can be added to Him, and He can’t be taken away by anything we do or don’t do! We’re locked in for eternity!

Then why is it so hard for believers to step out of the law and come to the fullness of God’s grace? Just as it was for Paul, the law is deeply rooted in us. We go to churches that preach the law. We’re around friends who live by the law. Almost every book has a law attached to it. Law is everywhere. One of the hardest laws for Christians to break out of is the deep-rooted mentality that God will not bless us if we aren’t doing something good, that blessings require works. When in fact, by His grace, He has bestowed upon us the greatest blessing of all, Christ now living in every believer. Christ is grace, and grace is Christ. The Apostle Paul said he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies because his life is now Christ’s. By God’s grace, Christ lived in him and that’s all that mattered.

“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” (Romans 14:8 KJV)

Warren explains further that we will never completely live out our birthright if we are still entangled in law. So what’s our birthright? Our birthright is who God created us to be.

We see in Ephesians 1:4 that before the foundation of the world, we were created to be in Christ. As believers, Christ is joined to us. We live now by His faithfulness and righteousness, not by our own. This is that bucket full of grace, poured out on everyone who believes.

It’s time now for us to move out of law, sin, and death and into God’s grace so we can finally live who God created us to be!

In next week’s podcast, Warren begins to explain the steps involved in making this transition, once and for all.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV)

A few of Paul’s epistles to study which explain moving from law to grace:

• Galatians
• Romans 5, 6, 7, 8
• 1 Corinthians 2
• 2 Corinthians 4, 5

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not onto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5 KJV)

By Tammy Lacock

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman helps us understand through Paul’s final gospel of grace, how to move from living by a deep-rooted law to the grace of God as believers.

First, he acknowledges that only believers are predestined for grace. Only believers are predestined to come to the fullness of God. By “following Paul as he follows Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), we can begin to understand this fullness.

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” (Ephesians 1:11 KJV)

With Christ as our new life, we are complete. We are now bona fide children of God and, therefore, joint-heirs with Christ to His inheritance. We can now live out His will for us, who He created us to be. Without Christ now living in us, there’s no other way to live out our fullness, our true purpose. This is God’s Grace among believers. Grace comes from the cross. As believers, we are no longer bound by law. We have moved into grace by Christ’s death and resurrection and by Him now living in us.

Warren also acknowledges that about 90 percent of believers are still living under some sort of law and most don’t even know it. Churches still preach law and most believe Christianity can’t work without it. By law, Warren refers to Moses’ Law, of which every other law is under. By law, he means that we are identified by our works, by what we do or don’t do. Paul’s final gospel of grace tells us there’s nothing we can do to be saved. This is what grace is all about. Christ did the work on the cross; and by His Grace, we are redeemed. Christ is our new identity.

The Apostle Paul was the only man raised up by God to reveal to the world this gospel of grace, the final gospel to believers. It makes sense that Paul was chosen because he was deeply rooted in the law. In Philippians 3:5, Paul acknowledges his former identity as being deeply seeded in the Hebrew law. He goes so far as to brag about keeping the law to show us how even he has now moved into grace by his new life in Christ.

“Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee.” (Philippians 3:5)

Paul is very clear throughout his epistles when he describes grace and what it means to us as believers. Grace is all about a new birth. A birthing by God. We were IN Christ when He died, so we died, too. And when He arose from death, we were resurrected as well to a new life in Him. Our old man, bound by rules and laws, needed to be killed out with Him. With His death, we too are dead to the law. We now live only by grace, by Christ and in Christ. Our new life is Christ. No longer are we bound by the law for our righteousness. We are born again, and Christ is our righteousness now (Romans 7:6).

God sees only Christ in us now, never again our works.

Warren tells us that if we replace the word grace with Christ, every time the meaning is kept intact. This is because Christ is grace and grace is Christ. He has everything to do with God’s plan, which is that we live in His fullness. In Christ, we are complete.

We won’t be able to truly understand Him, however; until we move from living by the law into living by grace, that is living in Christ.

Dive into Paul’s epistles where he reveals, from Christ directly, how we live now in grace. He tells us over 146 times that we are in Christ now. From law to grace, from law to Christ. Life is now about a loving, personal relationship with Him. Nothing more and nothing less.

By Tammy Lacock

“How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Ephesians 3:3-5 KJV)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman dives into Paul’s epistles once again. Continuing in Galatians chapter 3, he explains the “mystery” Paul speaks of in verses 3-5.

What is the “mystery” he mentions, which he has written of before in previous letters? Throughout Paul’s epistles, he tells us the great “mystery” is Christ literally living in every believer. By His sacrifice and grace, God has the power and the right to replace our old sin-nature (passed down from the curse of Adam by Satan), our old way of doing things, with the Seed of Christ in our very spirits. Here we are joined together with Him in one Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17); we are brand-new creations in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, Paul says Christ living in us is a mystery only the Holy Spirit can reveal.

It was revealed to him, and he’s passing this knowledge onto us. The role of the Holy Spirit is to work in our minds to reveal knowledge of who we are now in Christ. We could sit in countless church sermons and never hear Christ as the very life of the believer. So Paul tells us in verse 4 to read what he’s been writing about, follow him as he follows Christ (1 Corinthians 1:11), and the Holy Spirit will reveal this to us as well.

Warren continues by explaining how Paul tells us to live once we’ve had the “revelation of the mystery” of Christ living in us. Although we our saved in our spirits, we have yet to be saved in our sinning minds. Only by the continual work of the Holy Spirit in our minds, by revelation, do we begin to understand our new life in Christ.

Paul goes further to say, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 KJV). We aren’t saved from our sinning minds because, as Warren explains, it’s in our minds where we develop and nurture our love affair with Christ. By the help of the Holy Spirit, our minds go through a process of renewal as we grow closer to Him and love Him. When we realize once and for all that our salvation isn’t contingent on what we do but on Christ’s finished work at the Cross and our new life in Him, then we are breaking through our subconscious mind to our conscious mind, knowing we now have a direct pipeline to Him. God loved us so much that His only begotten Son died as the sacrificial Lamb so this would be possible, so we would return to Him. Life is all about a personal love affair with Him through Christ. Paul likens this to a marriage in which we are the bride and Christ the bridegroom together as one in spirit; yet our minds are continually growing up in this knowledge.

Although we are complete in Christ, by His very life in us, it’s in our minds where we are maturing. By the help of the Holy Spirit, we begin to see that Christ is the real you and Christ is the real me. He lives in us because He loves us. The issue is love, and it’s in our minds where our choice to know Him and love Him becomes alive.

By Tammy Lacock

“If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward.” (Ephesians 3:2 KJV)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman continues to explain that Paul’s gospel, the gospel of grace, is for everyone, Jews and Gentiles. By God’s grace, every believer has been birthed, or born again, by the seed of Christ living in us now. Our sin-nature has been replaced by Christ’s nature. Christ is our new life! That’s amazing grace!

By His seed, our old lives were crucified at the Cross; and we are now brand-new creations, resurrected with Christ. By His seed we are now bona-fide children of our heavenly Father. No longer are we bound by the law, which leads to sin. We are now free in Christ by God’s grace. In fact, Paul tells us that we are now living in a dispensation of grace, in which God’s new covenant with us has nothing to do with laws and nothing to do with our own works and deeds. His new covenant of salvation is based on Christ’s work at the Cross and us being born again with Christ as our new life.

By revelation, Christ raised up only Paul to deliver this new gospel of salvation to the world. May we follow Paul now as he followed Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1) and reveal to the world his amazing gospel of God’s grace, that is Christ living in every believer!

By Tammy Lacock

“For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)." (Ephesians 3:1-4 KJV)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman focuses on the Apostle Paul’s mission, that of sharing his “knowledge in the mystery of Christ” to us, the Gentiles.

The “mystery of Christ” revealed to Paul, and now to us, is Christ literally living in every believer. Paul was raised up by Christ, Himself, to deliver this knowledge to the world. He “suffered the loss” of all he was before his conversion and “counted it but dung” (Philippians 3:8) compared to this knowledge of Christ. He knew he was a “brand-new creation” in Christ, born again into a new life with Him. His gospel tells us how to live now with Christ as our new life.

Paul took this gospel to his fellow Jews, and they rejected it. Therefore, Christ told him to share it with the Gentiles, with whom it was well-received. The Jews rejected Paul’s message because by believing they would be giving up their old identities, their traditions, and laws that ruled their lives. Paul’s message was of God’s grace, that being saved has nothing to do with law and works and everything to do with Christ alive in us and through us. This is how the Church, the one Body of Christ, began. Christ living in us makes us Christ-persons, or Christians, the term first used in Acts 11:26.

Warren explains the history of Israel, that God set aside a group of people through Abraham that would live in a close relationship with Him. God wasn’t dealing with anyone else on earth through the generations up until Christ. His purpose for them was to test their love for Him, that they would love Him more than they loved themselves. He empowered them and performed countless miracles for them; yet, they consistently rebelled and doubted Him. God knew there was no hope for them, so He promised them He would send a Redeemer.

When Jesus came to earth and dwelt among them, He told them the Kingdom of God was at hand and a new kingdom will be established on earth. He cast out devils and performed countless miracles. He was the Redeemer they longed for; yet they still rebelled, doubted, and “received Him not.”

“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13 KJV)

Christ’s death and resurrection ushered in a new covenant with God, that anyone who believes will be saved from the bondage of sin and this world. What takes place when we believe is the great mystery revealed to Paul from Christ directly. The sin-nature passed down through Adam by the curse of Satan is replaced by Christ’s nature. By God’s grace, we are made complete by His birthing of Christ’s seed in us. This is what it means to be born again. Christ is our new life; and because of Him, we are now bona-fide children of God. It’s Christ’s righteousness in us that God sees now.

In this new life, Paul explains how to go about living with Christ as our new identity.

He tells us that by the help of the Holy Spirit, our minds constantly need renewing so that we will know this Christ, that is now living in us, joined to us in one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). With this continual mind-change, we can now make choices that reflect our knowledge and love of Him, our new life.

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

Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:1 that he is the Apostle to the Gentiles. By God’s grace, we became officially a part of His plan and for the first time God dealt with us and in us. But Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 12:13 and Galatians 3:28, that no matter whether we are Jews or Gentiles, all who believe in Christ are saved and are of one family in Him, bona-fide children of God!

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV)

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28 KJV)

By Tammy Lacock

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman, once again, emphasizes the importance of the Apostle Paul’s gospel as the final gospel, the gospel for us today. Paul was the only man raised up by Christ Himself to deliver this gospel, that of Christ literally living in every believer, and he tells us over 146 times in his epistles. He also tells us how we must go about living our new life in Him.

In Philippians 3:8, the Apostle Paul tells of his identity crisis after coming to the revelation of Christ as his new life. He considers his old life — all that he thought he was — garbage compared to knowing Christ as his new life. His old life died with Christ on the cross (Galatians 2:20). He’s not a changed man now, but an entirely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He’s born again! (1 Peter 1:23; John 3:3).

As believers, sooner or later we have the same identity crisis. Once the mystery is revealed to us, of Christ living in us, Paul tells us that the problem we now face is in our minds. What God did in our spirits, joining us to Christ in one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), we now have to catch up in our souls, where our minds reside. Our minds hold on to the identity of who we were. We will now need a radical mind-change if we are to start living our new life in Christ.

The problem with religion is that it is dedicated to correcting our old lives. By Christ’s death on the cross, Paul says, our old lives died, too. We no longer need to correct our old lives because we are now brand-new creations in Christ. We arose with Him to an entirely new life. He is our new life, and our identity is now Christ. God’s plan all along was not to make us better but to put another life in us, Christ’s life.

Now as we live our new lives in Christ, Paul says, our minds must be continually renewed in our daily walk so that we may express Him. Even more, he tells us many times, to give our minds over to Christ (Philippians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Ephesians 4:23). By the help of the Holy Spirit, whose purpose now is to teach us of Christ in us and comfort us as we grow up in Him, we can start to live who God created us to be. He created us to be complete in Christ. He doesn’t see us at all by who we think we are. He sees Christ, who now lives in us. We are made righteous by Him. He is our strength, our peace, our joy, our wisdom, our very life now. Our new identity is Christ.

Paul wanted nothing more than to know Christ. His old identity died with Christ on the cross, and all He wanted was to know Him as his new resurrected life.

Warren tells us, through Paul’s epistles, that the key to Christianity is not going out and being a better person but knowing now God’s plan of putting Christ in us and giving our minds over to Him. He is our life now. He is our identity. May we get to know Him as our life, more and more every day!

By Tammy Lacock

“Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” (Romans 16:25)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman continues to express the importance of diving into the Apostle Paul’s epistles where he reveals the mystery, the final gospel, and tells us how we can live now. Christ revealed it only to Him, and Paul passes it on to us. May we follow Paul.

In Romans 16:25, Paul says now that we know the mystery, the final gospel, of Christ living in us as believers, our only hope of glory, God now has the power to “stablish” or train us up in this new knowledge. Now that our old lives have been “crucified with Christ” and we’ve had the revelation of Christ as our new life, our only life, it is time for us to grow up in Him. It is time to get to know Him as our new life.

By the help of the Holy Spirit, this is where we begin to have a mind-change, a renewal of our minds as Paul puts it. We are now born again of the “incorruptible seed” (1 Peter 1:23), and it’s time to know who we really are now with Christ as our new life. We are bona fide children of God. He is our Father, our only Father now.

Through our circumstances and situations of life, God teaches us who we are now in Christ. We begin to see that we no longer need to carry the weight of our trials and tribulations. Christ in us, our only life, can handle anything that comes our way. As we grow up in Him and get to know Him and love Him more and more throughout these times, we learn to let go, giving Him our burdens, and letting Him take over. We are perfect in our spirit, joined to Him in one spirit, but in our souls — where our minds reside — we are still maturing. The old life has been defeated but our minds are still holding onto it. Maturing means giving our minds over to Christ so our desires and choices begin to align with His. It means choosing to go to Him first and choosing to love Him above all other people and things.

Paul tells us in Galatians 1:9, “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

And in Romans 16:25, he calls it “my gospel” because his relationship to Christ is personal, and he wants us to see our relationship with Christ as personal and unique to each of us as well. His gospel is simple. God placed the incorruptible seed of Christ in each of us. Our old lives, the corruptible seed, passed away with Christ, and we arose with Him to an entirely new life in Him. He lives in us and is our new life. Now it’s time to get to know Him!

May we follow Paul and receive the revelation of His final gospel, the mystery of Christ living in us. And through the schoolhouse of life, may we have the radical mind-change Paul had, so that we, too, will continue to grow up in Him, knowing Him and loving Him more and more every day.

“Follow me as I follow Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:11)

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Ephesians 1:17)

By Tammy Lacock

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20 KJV)

In this week’s podcast, Warren Litzman begins with the Apostle Paul’s declaration in Galatians 2:20 of who we are now in Christ.

But first, Warren emphasizes Paul’s focus on the mind throughout his epistles. Yes, by God’s grace, all we must do to be saved is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). Yet Paul tells us, our mind-change doesn’t stop there in our understanding of who we are now. In Hebrews 4:12, Paul makes it clear that the Word of God divides soul and spirit. For us to have any understanding of what took place when we believed, we must first understand this division.

When we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we were literally translated into the Kingdom of God. By just believing, our Satan-natures were replaced by Christ’s nature in our spirits. Christ is joined to us in one spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). We are one with Him in spirit. Christ joined to us is our salvation. Because of this, we are brand new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our old selves, our sin-natures, are “crucified with Christ” and our new nature is Christ.

However, our souls — where our minds reside — have yet to catch up with what God did in our spirits. This is where Paul tells us throughout his epistles, that we must have an ongoing mind change as we grow up in our new life in Christ. We must “suffer the loss” of who we think we are and come to an entirely new understanding with Christ as our new life. (Philippians 3:8). We must continue to believe and ultimately come to a knowing of who we are now in Christ if we are to live out who God created us to be.

In Galatians 2:20, Paul tells us who we are now. Our old selves died with Christ. Yet we live by Christ’s life now because He lives in us, joined to us in one spirit. From now on, He is the one we go to when we need to make choices and decisions. He is the one we give our mind to now. It’s in our minds where we begin our love affair with Him. Love is a choice we must continually make if we are to grow up in Christ. All of our choices now stem from this love. Christian life is about a loving relationship with Christ, who now lives in us. It’s personal.

Warren shares, “Life is nothing but a series of choices being lived out.” In Galatians 2:20, Paul is making a choice to fix his mind on his new life in Christ. Christ is his life now. His old self is cancelled out and his mind is now fixed on Christ and His faithfulness, not his own.

The Apostle Paul centers his gospel on the mind. If we are to now live our new life in Christ, our minds must be continually renewed. We now have new choices to make. Let’s give our minds over to Christ so that we “may know Him” (Philippians 3:10) and now make choices centered on our love affair with Him.

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 KJV)

“For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 KJV)

“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” (Ephesians 4:23 KJV)