THE GREAT EXCHANGE: A MIRACLE OF EPIC PROPORTION

As children of God, we are not fighting to win a victory; we are fighting from the victory that has already been won and established by Jesus Christ. We are fighting from the triumph of having a restored relationship with God. To have that restored relationship with Him and enjoy the victory that Jesus accomplished, we had to be changed in our spirits, our sinful nature. This restored relationship and change in our spirits to make this possible is called reconciliation.

Reconciliation:

• The Greek verb for reconciliation is “exchanged”.

• God exchanged our sin nature for His righteousness.

• Because we believe in Jesus Christ, we are now God’s righteousness and holiness (Galatians 4:24).

• This change caused our relationship with God to be changed; now we share an intimate relationship as Father and child; we have a friendship with Him (Ephesians 1:5,6).

What does it mean to be God’s righteousness and holiness:

• Righteousness is the moral perfection of God.

• If you believe in Jesus Christ, you receive the gift of righteousness, that is, the transformation of your old, sinful nature to the holy nature of God (Romans 3:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17). By Jesus’ sacrifice of the cross, we now possess the moral state of God; we are holy and without fault, flawless, in our spirit.

• “Your faith in Jesus transfers God’s righteousness to you, and He now declares you flawless in His eyes” (Romans 5:1 TPT).

• God sees you right now just as He sees His Son Jesus (1 John 4:17; Romans 5:9).

• This change allows you to enjoy a perfect relationship with God (Romans 5:2 TPT)! This is reconciliation!

• You have come alive with new life (John 14:19).

• This is unspeakable joy!

Because of a restored relationship or reconciliation, peace is present:

• You enjoy true lasting peace with God (Romans 5:1).

• Peace is not a feeling.

• Peace is an accomplishment.

• Jesus made peace by the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:19,20).

• God is not mad at you; you are the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). You will never experience His wrath (Romans 5:9).

• You have permanent access to the marvelous kindness of God (Romans 5:2).

Restored relationship means freedom:

• Before Jesus Christ, people lived under the law, a law given by God to point out their sins (Romans 5:20; Romans 7:7,8). They experienced guilt and condemnation as they were unable to keep the law, and instead, sin was constantly on their minds (Romans 8:3).

• They did not live in peace with God; they lived in fear and dread; they lived under the curse of disobedience to the law of God (Deuteronomy 28). They lived in fear of failure.

• By God’s gracious gift of reconciliation that changed your sin nature to His nature, He has declared you “not guilty” (Romans 5:16)!

• His life in you empowers you to walk in this new life (Romans 6:4).

• Your former identity, your sin nature, is dead and has no more power over you (Romans 6:6).

• You were co-crucified with Jesus when you believed in Him, dismantling the stronghold of sin within you. You don’t need to live one more moment submitted to the power of sin (Romans 6:6). This is freedom!

• This freedom is supported by the immeasurable, unlimited power of God that lives within you (Ephesians 1:19), equipping you to live as God has called you to live as His child.

But how do you live this new life of freedom:

• Fight from a position of peace by considering the finished work of Jesus Christ. Consider what He accomplished by His death and dying on the cross. His accomplishments are enough!  You don’t need to add anything more to what He has done.

• Keep your focus on Jesus and His work, not on what you feel or your circumstances (Hebrews 12:1,2).

• The Bible says to keep your mind on things above, not things of this earth (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 4:8).

• Jesus’ accomplishments for you should silence doubt, doubt about Him, about His love for you, about any inadequacies or unworthiness that you perceive about yourself.

• Jesus’ accomplishments for you should silence the lies of the enemy who tries to derail you from a well-balanced, steadfast position because of your unity with Jesus Christ.

• Choose to see that the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ is all that you need; choose to trust Him!

  
  

Ask God:

• What things are trying to take your eyes off of Jesus, focusing them on circumstances, feelings, or yourself?

• To help you to understand Jesus’ finished work of the cross.

• To help you to consistently trust Jesus’ sacrifice.