Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20040811.htm

APPLYING THE BELIEVER'S POSITIONAL RICHES IN CHRIST
Part XXIX: Applying The Truth That Believers Are Vitally United To The Father, The Son And Holy Spirit
  1. Introduction
    1. Paul predicted in the latter days of Church History that believers would be exposed more and more to abusive people who take advantage of the trust and feelings of others only to discard them in hurt relationships (2 Tim. 3:1-9). If one has been hurt by such parties, he can be tempted to isolate himself from others to avoid such hurt, and end up feeling a huge, depressing vacuum of a lack of intimacy.
    2. One of the 33 positional truths that every believer has the instant he trusts in Christ as Savior addresses this need, and that truth is the fact that every believer is vitally united to God the Father, to God the Son and to God the Holy Spirit, cf. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, "Soteriology," p. 262-263. We view this truth for application to this need of protection from abusive parties and intimacy fulfillment:
  2. Applying The Truth That Believers Are Vitally United To The Father, The Son And The Holy Spirit.
    1. The believer in Christ is vitally united to God the Father:
      1. The moment he believes in Christ, the believer is placed into God the Father as to his spiritual position:
        1. Paul wrote the 1 Thessalonians epistle to very new believers, 1 Thess. 2:13-17 with Acts 17:1-10.
        2. Though new converts, as an entire church, they were said to be "in God the Father," 1 Thess. 1:1.
        3. Accordingly, the instant every believer believes in Christ, he is positioned into God the Father.
      2. Similarly, at salvation, the Father enters the believer so he has the Father as his Possession, Eph. 4:6.
    2. The believer in Christ is vitally united to God the Son:
      1. After explaining the blessing a new believer has in being pronounced righteous by God at faith in Christ in Romans 3:21-24, at Romans 8:1, Paul noted the justified are in Christ as to their stand.
      2. Yet, John 14:20 reveals the believer has Christ indwelling him as his Possession.
      3. This union with Christ "is amplified by a sevenfold declaration under seven figures" (Ibid., p. 263):
        1. The Christian is a member of Christ's spiritual Body, 1 Corinthians 12:13.
        2. He is a branch to Christ, the Vine for producing righteous deeds in life and service, John 15:5.
        3. The believer is a stone in the building of which Christ is the Chief Cornerstone, Eph. 2:19-22.
        4. The Christian is a sheep in Christ's spiritual flock, John 10:27-29.
        5. The believer is part of the group that forms the spiritual Bride of Christ, Eph. 5:25-27.
        6. The believer is a king and a priest in a kingdom of kings and priests over which Christ is the High Priest forever, 1 Peter 2:5, 9.
        7. The believer is part of the New Creation over which Christ is Head as the Last Adam (2 Cor. 5:17).
    3. The believer in Christ is vitally united to God the Holy Spirit:
      1. According to Romans 8:9a, the believer is positioned in the Holy Spirit.
      2. Also, when one trusts in Christ, the Holy Spirit indwells him as the believer's Possession, 1 Cor. 2:12.
      3. Since failure to possess the Holy Spirit means one is not saved according to Romans 8:9b, and since we have established that we are vitally united with God the Father and God the Son at faith in Christ, the believer is vitally united with the Holy Spirit the instant he trusts in Christ as personal Savior from sin.
    4. Indeed, John 14:20 reveals a special relational triad exists between God the Father, God the Son and the Christian in this current era: (1) Christ is in God the Father, (2) the believer is in Christ and (3) Christ is in the believer, making for a complete immersion of relationships between these three parties!
Lesson: As to his spiritual STAND before God, the INSTANT one trusts in Christ as personal Savior, he is IN God the Father AND IN God the Son AND IN God the Holy Spirit; yet, as to POSSESSION, the believer also has God the Father AND God the Son AND God the Holy Spirit dwelling IN HIM!

Application: (1) May we believers realize we are never ALONE, but that we ALWAYS are spiritually INTIMATELY relationally connected in spirit with THREE Persons in the Godhead who have the capacity to FILL all our needs of spiritual intimacy. (2) That being so, may we walk with God by dependence on Him (cf. Gal. 5:16; Ps. 1) that we may rely on THESE PERSONS to meet our deepest relationship needs for spiritual intimacy; that way, we will not come to depend on abusive people and be harmed in the process, but be equipped to GIVE to others in relationships as we point others to GOD!