REVISITING THE BELIEVER'S POSITIONAL RICHES IN CHRIST

Part X: Applying The Truth That Believers Are Acceptable To God By Jesus Christ

I. Introduction

A. Due either to a works-based religious background, to very sinful pre-salvation actions or to victimization by verbal abuse that leaves one feeling worthless, many who have trusted in Christ for salvation still struggle with the sense of obligation that they must somehow "gain" some degree or "sense of acceptance" with God.

B. Nothing could be further from the truth! One of the 33 positional riches of God's grace that each believer in Christ possesses the instant he trusts in Christ is that he is "acceptable to God by Jesus Christ," cf. Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. III, "Soteriology," p. 243-244. We thus view this truth for our edification:

II. Applying The Truth That Believers Are Acceptable To God By Jesus Christ.

A. Though God is perfectly righteous and He cannot tolerate man's sin, which sin the Bible claims is great in passages like Genesis 6:5 and 8:21b, due to the enormity and completeness of Christ's spiritual work on the cross, the instant any human being believes in Christ as his Savior, he is "made accepted [by God] in the Beloved" One, Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:6; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Ephesians 1:6)

B. To explain this truth, we view related Scriptures on the subject (as follows):

1. First, the sinner by faith in Christ at salvation is make perfectly, positionally righteous before God:

a. When one believes in Christ, God imparts eternal life to him, John 20:31. Positionally, he is free from sin before God, for death is the product of sin. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Genesis 2:17)

b. Indeed, in Christ, the believer is imputed the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21.

2. Second, the sinner by faith in Christ is positionally separated (sanctified) from sin: even "carnal" believers at Corinth were positionally sanctified (1 Corinthians 6:11) regardless of such sins in their experience as pride (1 Corinthians 4:18a), infighting (1 Corinthians 6:1-8), not considering the consciences of weaker believers (1 Corinthians 8:1-13), idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14-22), indecent clothing (1 Corinthians 11:2-16), the misuse of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40) and gross immorality (1 Corinthians 5:1).

3. Third, the sinner by faith in Christ is positionally perfected forever before a perfectly holy God, Hebrews 10:14. There is no reason why God cannot positionally fully accept any believer in His heavenly presence.

4. Fourth, since God cannot accept any of us who are less perfect than Himself, the instant the sinner trusts in Christ at salvation, God accepts him IN His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, that he might be as fully acceptable to God the Father as is His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:6.

5. Fifth, the sinner by faith in Christ at salvation is positionally made fit for heaven's glory so that he can inherit the glory preserved for God's saints in heaven, Colossians 1:12.

Lesson: Due to Christ's spiritual work on the cross in behalf of the sinner, the INSTANT anyone believes in Jesus for salvation from sin, he is made fully acceptable to God (as follows): (a) though he as a sinner was spiritually dead and doomed for eternal damnation when left to himself, when he trusts in Christ, God imputes to him the perfect righteousness of His Beloved Son Jesus Christ so that the sinner is ALSO given eternal life, the product of God's positional righteousness. (b) The believer is then positionally set apart from sin so that there is no reason for God not to accept him due to experiential sin in his Christian walk. (c) Then, since sin produces imperfections, the believer is made positionally perfect in Christ in every way so that God the Father can fully accept him as His own dear child. (d) Since God cannot accept anyone affected by sin and who is thus less perfect than Himself, God positionally, spiritually places every believer into the perfect Lord Jesus Christ so that he is accepted by the Father. (e) The believer is thus made positionally fit to enjoy his part of the heavenly inheritance that God has set apart for the saints, and that the instant he enters heaven by way of physical death or the rapture of the Church.

Application: (1) If we have come from a religious heritage that emphasizes one's imperfections so as to motivate him to "work harder" somehow to please God, as a believer, we MUST RELAX! What we positionally possess in Christ makes us ALREADY FULLY ACCEPTABLE to the FATHER as is His BELOVED SON, JESUS CHRIST! (2) If we lived a very godless life in our past, but we now trust in Christ as our Savior from sin, we MUST RELAX! Our past is fully forgiven by God in Christ! (3) If we feel we are hopelessly worthless due to being victimized by verbal abuse and/or other kinds of abuse, we MUST RELAX! In Christ we are FULLY ACCEPTED by God the Father just as He accepts His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for WE are POSITIONALLY IN God's SON! (4) If we have faced any kind of emotionally debilitating discrimination due to race, gender, ethnicity, culture, language, physical handicap, etc., etc., we MUST RELAX! WE are FULLY ACCEPTED by GOD in Jesus Christ!