Position in Christ

Athletes in Action Headquarters

Position in Christ

Romans 8:1, Colossians 3:1–17

LAUNCH

When you find yourself struggling with sin, how does that affect your relationship with God?

THE WORD

Colossians 3:1-17

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

EXPLORE

Look at the main commands in v. 1-2. What do you think Paul means by seeking and setting your mind on the things above?

Note that v. 3 begins with “for.” Paul is giving the reason why we should obey these commands. What is it that he says? What is true of us according to verses 3-4?

If verse 3 is true and we “have died” why does Paul say in verse 5 to “put to death” what is earthly in us? What reasons does he give for this?

What are the specific characteristics that we are to put away with the old self? What does that term “old self” mean?

What are we to put on (v. 10)? How is the image of God related to this? What are the characteristics that should be true of the new self (v. 12-14)?

How do verses 15-17 further challenge us to grow in our walk with God?

APPLY

How can you seek and set your mind on the things above? What would that look like for you?

There is a sense that our salvation has already been accomplished, but at the same time it is not yet complete. Theologians have different names for this, but they are essentially the same thing. Our position in Christ never changes, though our condition does. Our relationship with God is secure, but our fellowship with God is affected by how we live. Our justification (being made right with God) was accomplished by Christ on the cross, but our sanctification (being made holy) is an ongoing process.

Position / Relationship / Justification
• Accomplished by Jesus on the cross
• This is what is already true of you because you are in Christ
• “You have died” “been made holy” “declared righteous”
• This is unchanged by sin

Condition / Fellowship / Sanctification
• Growth over time as you walk with God
• This is what is true of you now “in the flesh”
• Therefore, “put to death” “be holy” “pursue righteousness”
• This is affected by sin

This passage challenges us to live out what is already true of us in virtue of what Jesus did on the cross. How can you do this in your life? Are there some areas (perhaps that are mentioned in this passage) that you need to “put off the old self” and “put on the new”?

MEMORIZE

Romans 8:1
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

The Grace of God

Ephesians 2:1–10

LAUNCH When was a time when someone gave you a really lavish or expensive gift? THE WORD Ephesians 2:1-10 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. EXPLORE Why are people spiritually “dead” according to verse 1-3? Pick one word to summarize the condition of people in verses 1-3. Pick another word to summarize the condition of people in verses 4-6. What was God’s motivation for doing what He did in verse 4? (Look for two). “grace” - unmerited favor, undeserved gift With that definition in mind, what do you think it means in v. 8 that it is by “grace you have been saved”? Saved from what? “Faith” - trust, confidence With that definition in mind, what do you think v. 8 means when it says that “you have been saved through faith”? What do you think the text means when it says “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”? Why would this exclude boasting in self? If v. 9 just said that salvation is “not a result of works” what do you think it means that “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”? APPLY Think back to the first question you answered. When someone gave you that expensive gift, how did you respond? How is this related to salvation that we looked at in this passage? Sometimes we think that acceptance before God is based on performance (works), but according to this passage, salvation is based on grace - a free gift. How does that affect you to know that we are freed from performance to be accepted by God? How should this passage affect your relationship with God if salvation is not a result of works, but salvation actually produces works? MEMORIZE Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Assurance of Salvation

1 John 5:11–13, 1 John 5:9–13

LAUNCH On a scale from 0-100%, how sure are you that you’d spend eternity with God? Why? What gives you that confidence? What causes doubt? THE WORD 1 John 5:9-13 9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. EXPLORE When a witness gives a testimony, what is a testimony? How do you know whether to trust or not trust a testimony? According to this passage, what is God’s testimony? According to v. 9-10, why should we accept God’s testimony? How do we receive eternal life? Why does John say that he writes these things? APPLY Click the "Apply" button below to view image. MEMORIZE 1 John 5:11-13 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.