BETA: FOUNDATION SCHOOL- MODULE 2

CLASS 2

201 WHO THE CHRISTIAN REALLY IS

INTRODUCTION

This class clearly teaches or explains whom the Christian really is in Christ Jesus. 2

Corinthians 5: 17 says, “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature…” This new

creature (the Christian) has the life and nature of God. The new birth means he is

born of God and therefore belongs to God’s family. As a new creature, he never

existed before, he is a new being, which is born not of blood, nor of the will of the

flesh, nor of man, but of God. Objective: At the end of this class, the students should

have a clear understanding of the following:

i. He is a new being that never existed

ii. He belongs to the family of God.

iii. He has dominion over every circumstances

iv. He is seated in the place of power

v. He can do all things through Christ

vi. He is complete in Him

2.1 BORN INTO GOD'S FAMILY (Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 3:15)

Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, he is immediately

translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God (Col 1:13). Once

you've been translated into Gods Kingdom you become a member of His family; and

all members of the family of God live in the Kingdom of God. Paul speaking in

Ephesians 3:14-15 makes it clear that the members of the family of God reside in

Heaven and on earth. As Christians we are members of the family of God, resident on

earth.

2.2 THE NEW CREATION IS BORN OF GOD (John 1:11-14; Ephesians

4:6; Hebrews 12:9)

John 1:11-14 puts it succinctly that once we receive Jesus by believing the Gospel we

are given the power to become sons of God. Not children born of blood, nor flesh, nor

of the will of man but of God (1 Peter 1:23 / NLT), for you have been born again.

Your new life did not come from your earthly parents, because the life they gave you

will end in death, but this new life will last forever, because it comes from the eternal,

living Word of God. Furthermore, the bible refers to Jesus Christ in John 3:16 and

John 1:14 as the only begotten Son of God. Is this true? Yes and No. Now as at that

time, Jesus was the only begotten of the Father, but after the day of Pentecost when

the Holy Spirit descended, Jesus seized to be the only begotten of the Father, but He

became the first begotten of the Father. Hebrews 1:6 and Hebrews 12:22-23 with

emphasis on verse 23, makes this clear.

2.3.0 DOMINION IN LIFE

Dominion means rulership, control, authority, and mastership. As a Christian you

have control or authority over the following:

a. The World (1 John 5:4, 1 John 4:4). The bible refers to the devil as the god of this

world (2 Corinthians 4:4). However Jesus spoiled principalities and powers (the

devils) and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it (Colossians

2:15). Now from the above, though the devil is the god of this world, Jesus has

defeated him. The bible says in Ephesians 3:17 that Christ dwells in our heart by faith

and therefore it is expressly declared in the book of 1 John 4:4 that we are of God; and

6that greater is He (Christ) that is in us than he (devil) that is in the world. 1 John 5:4

also states that whatever is born of God overcomes the World.

b. Over life circumstances (Romans 5:17) The Scripture states thus: “For if by one

man offence death reigned by one, much more they that receive abundance of Grace

and the gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ”. Through Christ

obedience from the things He suffered He became the source of eternal salvation and

man received the ability to reign in all circumstances.

c. Over sin (Romans 6:14) "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not

under the law but under the Grace”. Now how did sin come? (Romans 7:8), “But sin

taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, for

without the law sin was dead”. So sin came through the law, but Jesus speaking in

Matthew 5:17 said, "think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets, I am

come not to destroy but to fulfill”. In John 19:30, “when Jesus had therefore received

the vinegar, he said it is finished ---

“; marking the fulfillment of the law. So, if any

man be in Christ, he has fulfilled the law and therefore is not under the law; and as a

result of this, sin is dead to him or he is dead to sin.

2.4 GOD’S REASONS FOR SALVATION (Gen 12:1-2; Matthew 28:18-

20; Acts 1:8)

In Genesis 12:1-2, “Now the Lord had said unto Abram get thee out of thy country

and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee:

And I will make thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and

shall be a blessing”. The call of Abram can be likened to our translation from the

kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom. Abram was told to leave his country and

kindred where there was idol worship unto a place where God alone is to be

worshiped. God also promised to bless Abraham and make his name great and we,

through Christ have received this promise for the Bible, says in Genesis 13:16, Now

to Abraham and his seed was the promise made, He did not say to ‘his seeds’ as of

many but as of one, to thy seed which is Christ. To be blessed is to be empowered to

prosper in all things: health, wealth, relationships or friendship etc. Also from Genesis

12:3, God said that through thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Acts 1:8,

Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:5-20 commissions us to bless the families of the earth

by preaching the Gospel. We are saved for the following reasons, amongst others:

a. that we may prosper 3 John 2

b. that we may be a source of blessing to all

c. that we may escape the destruction that is to come, etc.

2.5.0 WHAT IS TRUTH (2 Corinthians 5:7; John 17:17)

John 17:17 makes us know that the word of God is truth. Sight is anything we can

perceive with our physical senses i.e. smell, touch, sight, hear, and taste. Sight and

truth may not always agree e.g. a Christian may have all the symptoms of malaria, but

in truth he has been healed by the stripes of our Lord Jesus (Isaiah 53:5). Jonah

speaking in Jonah 2:8 said, "they that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy".

Lying vanities here refers to things that can be seen, perceived, smelt and touched etc,

but don't align with God's Word (the truth). However it is also possible for the sight to

align with Gods word e.g. a Christian full of health, wealth and wisdom.

2.6.0 WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A CHRISTIAN

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that

God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you

7believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved”

(Romans 10:9-10).

Nobody can be born again until the proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus. That’s

where salvation comes from. To become a Christian, you have to proclaim the

Lordship of Jesus over your life.

Confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ is so vital, because that is what gives Him

the right over your life. Until you confess Jesus as Lord of your life, you are a rebel

and that is the reason He has the right to cast such a person into the lake of fire. But

thank God we are not rebels because we have accepted and confessed His Lordship

over our lives. This is what being a Christian signifies: When you give your heart to

Christ and say Jesus is Lord of your life, it means that you have given Jesus the

authority over your life and He has become your Shepherd, your Jehovah, your bread

provider who takes care of you! It doesn’t stop there - It also means that He has given

you His life and made you a joint-heir with Him and a partaker of His divine nature.

This is what it means to be a Christian, and this is why you must preach the Gospel so

that others can proclaim Jesus as Lord and receive the glorious life that is in Him.

a. Over the earth Christ came to give life to man, to recreate man and give him the

dominion that he lost. So, as many as accept Him, accept his provision of recreation.

The outward man that was formed does not get born again, he still looks the same, but

inwardly he is a new creation.

b. The son of God (1 John 3:1-3; John 1:12-13; Romans 8:16-17) The book of John

1:12-13 states clearly that we are empowered unto sonship once we receive Christ by

accepting the Gospel. And the Holy Spirit confirms this.

c. Citizen of Zion (Hebrews 12:22-24; Colossians 1:13; John 17:14) The LORD loves

the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you,

O city of God. Selah (Psalm 87:2-3). The Church of Jesus Christ is called the city of

God. The Bible refers to it as Zion, the city of the Great King (Psalm 48:2). The Bible

states clearly in Hebrews 12:22-23, “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the

heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon

thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names

are written in heaven….”

If you are born again, you are a citizen of Zion; and as a citizen of Zion, you live

above sickness and disease. The Bible says, “And the inhabitant shall not say I am

sick…” (Isaiah 33:24). The inhabitants of Zion don’t fall sick, because their

lives don’t come from blood, but from the Word of God. Also, as a citizen of Zion,

you function as a king and as a priest: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal

priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1Peter 2:9). You minister to God as a

priest (Hebrews 8:3); and declare words of power as a king (Ecclesiastes 8:4).

God has ordained every citizen of Zion to a victorious life in the earth. Some

Christians don’t understand this, because they think Zion refers to Heaven. No, Zion

does not refer to Heaven. Heaven is actually a geographical location in Zion [a city on

the highest mountain in Heaven called Zion]. That’s why you need to understand that

the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not all about going to Heaven; it’s about the whole

Kingdom of God from earth to Heaven. The new creation sits in the place of power

(Ephesians 1:19-20; Ephesians 2:6 &10; Matthew 28:18-19; Mark 16:16-18)

Ephesians 1:19-21 with emphasis on verse 20, "which he wrought in Christ when he

raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, far

8above principalities and powers, might and dominion". Ephesians 2:6 says, "And has

raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus".

From these, it is evident that we are seated where Christ is seated - a place of power;

seated in authority.

2.7.0 ‘I CAN DO’ MENTALITY (Philippians 4: 13; Matthew 19:26; Mark11:

24)

Philippians 4:13 states '' I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me''.

The word Christ here does not refer to Jesus, but rather to the Holy Spirit (and the

original version renders the anointing as ‘which strengthens me’; laying emphasis on

the power of the Holy Spirit in us). In John 1:12-13 it is seen that we've received

power to live as sons of God. 2 Peter 1:3 says; ''according as his divine power hath

given unto us all things that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of

him that has called us unto glory and virtue''. The power to do all things has been

given to us; therefore what we need to know is how to make use of this power. From

the Scripture above, in order to make use or take advantage of the power, we have to

grow in the Knowledge of the Word.

2.8.0 THE NEW CREATION IS COMPLETE IN HIM (Colossians 2:9-19; 1

John 3:2)

Colossians 2:9-10, “for in him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And you are

complete in him, which is the head of all principalities and powers”. In Christ, you

cannot lack anything: as for wisdom, the bible says, ''Christ has been made unto us

wisdom'' (1 Corinthians 1:30), as for health, the bible says, “by his stripes we were

healed” (1Peter 2:24), as for wealth the Bible says, “God shall supply all your need

according to his riches in glory by CHRIST JESUS” (Philippians 4:19). Therefore, if

the fullness of the Godhead is in Christ, which indwells us bodily; then the fullness of

God dwells in us – The fullness and completeness of God is alive in us!

2.9.0. CONCLUSION

The Christian is the one who is born of God, by confessing Jesus Christ as his Lord

and Saviour. This process of rebirth is what is called born again.