BETA: FOUNDATION SCHOOL- MODULE 3

301 YOUR RIGHTS IN CHRIST

3.0 INTRODUCTION

This class addresses one of the very important areas of our Christian lives, our rights

in Christ. A good understanding of this class is very important for every Christian

because, like every area of life, if you don’t know what belongs to you, you cannot

enjoy them. Hosea 4: 6 “My people perish for lack of knowledge” Just like the

woman whom the queen gave her whole estate to in her (queen) will, continued living

in penury (abject poverty) until a lawyer came to visit her and executed the will. So

this class teaches you of your entitlements. Objective: At the end of this class, the

students should know the following:

1. 1. Righteousness

2. 2. Eternal life

3. 3. His right in Christ

4. 4. His inheritance in Christ

5. 5. God’s address

6. 6. The word of God, as his mirror

7. 7. Operation of the senses

3.1.0 WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS?

Righteousness is the nature of God. It's the ability to stand in the presence of God

without fear or any sense of inferiority or condemnation. Righteousness is a free gift

from God. You cannot earn it by working for it or by doing something to obtain it. It

is a free gift made available to all through the substitutionary work of our Lord Jesus

Christ. God's righteousness comes through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot

grow or increase in righteousness, but you can grow in the consciousness of your

righteousness. This helps the communication of your faith become effective and

productive (Philemon 1:6).

3.2.0 HOW IS RIGHTEOUSNESS OBTAINED?

It is a gift (Romans 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21 Romans 10:1-4, 2Corinthians 4:1). We

are born of God and just as a dog gives birth to a dog with its nature and attributes,

God gave birth to us with His nature (righteousness) and attributes (the fruit of the

spirit). There is an erroneous belief that righteousness is the complete absence of sin,

but righteousness is not sinless. A man no matter how well he barks or walks on his

two legs and hands cannot be called a dog. Likewise, no matter how well a monkey or

a dog walks on their legs, they cannot be called men. Righteousness is not based on

our ability not to transgress the law (not to sin); the Bible says in Galatians 2:21 '' I do

not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousness could come by the laws then Christ

died in vain”. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, ''for He has made Him to be sin for us, Who

knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. We have

God’s kind of life. Animals, Trees and other living things each have their own kind of

life. The life span of a chicken is different from that of a mortal man. The life span of

tree is different from that of dog. Now if we are sons of God we have the same quality

of life: the indestructible life of God.

103.3.0 THE NEW CREATION HAS ETERNAL LIFE (John 3:16; John 5:24,

2; Timothy 1:9-10; 1 John 5:11-12)

What is Eternal life? Is it possible for a man to live forever and not see death? These

are the questions we need to ponder on as we discuss Eternal life. Eternal life is God's

kind of life, an everlasting life, a life that cannot be cut short by anything like disease,

sickness or death. It is not acquired after a man is dead like some people think – it is

the here and now.

3.3.1 Eternal life is a gift from God

The bible says in Romans 5:21, “That as sin hath reigned unto death even so grace

reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ”. Romans. 6:23 says,

“for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ”.

Eternal life is a gift of God. It is imparted into our spirit the moment we got born

again. God's love for man brought about the gift of eternal life and this life is in His

Son Jesus (I John. 5:11-12).

3.3.2 Death has been abolished

The Bible says in 2 Timothy. 1:10 that Jesus Christ abolished death and hath bought

life and immortality to light, through the Gospel. Immortality here means "eternal

life" or "everlasting life". Legally, death has no hold on the new creation. Death

reigned over the fallen human race and the ordinary man had a life span of 70 years or

at most 100 years span. But the recreated human spirit has an everlasting life. Jesus

brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, He lets us know that in John

5:24, that he that hears His Word and believes on Him that sent Him, hath everlasting

life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life. He says,

"HAS PASSED not WILL PASS". This lets us know that the moment we get born

again we pass from death to life, an everlasting life, a life above sickness and death.

We do not work for it, just as a newborn baby does not work for its life, we inherited

God's kind of life, because we are born of Him. WE ARE BORN OF GOD. God is

immortal (I Timothy. 1: 17), and Christ has brought life and immortality to us.

3.4.0 YOUR RIGHTS IN CHRIST (Luke 4:18; Galatians 2:4)

You have Liberty in Christ. The word Liberty as used in Luke 4:18 means to release

those that were bruised. The word liberty has two meanings. Liberty, as in Luke 4:18

means to set free, to release; while liberty in Galatians 5:13 and Galatians 2:4 means

right, synonymous with authority, a legal right. We have freedom that empowers us

with a legal right. (Rights - a just claim, authority) In Galatians 4:7 the Bible says,

"Thou art no more a servant but a son." A son has rights that the servants do not

have. The son has unlimited access to his father, but a servant does not have. The

servant might not have information concerning his masters business, but the son does.

3.5.0 WHAT ARE THESE RIGHTS?

These rights can be categorized into three categories: the right to choose, live, and

rule.

a. The right to choose (Deuteronomy 30:19; Philippians 1:21-25). The new creation is

not a programmed robot; he has the Right to choose. Christianity is not a religion

were you loose your right to choose. You have the right to choose between life and

death, but the unbeliever is subjected to death already, he has no right, he is under

bondage. Paul tells us of his dilemma on how he was caught between two options to

11make a choice, to die and be with Christ, or to live and fulfill the Gospel. In John 5:1,

the Bible records that Jesus asked the man who had been infirmed for 38 years; if he

wanted to be healed (Will thou be made whole, Verse 6). Many instances have shown

that many are ignorant of their rights in this life. Some say, maybe God put the

sickness on me to make me humble, but that is absolutely wrong, because His Will for

us is to prosper, and be in good heath even as our soul prospers (3 John 2). We have

the right to choose. You have been chosen to preach the Gospel to the world

(Matt.28:19-20, Acts 1:8); therefore it is wise to choose to preach the Gospel and

enjoy the benefits of doing so.

b. The right to live (John 11:25-26; 2Tim 1:10; 1Cor 15:26; Hebrews 11:5). Because

we have believed in Jesus Christ we have the right to live. The Bible says whoever

believes in Him shall never die (Amplified Bible says shall never die at all). This

scripture in John 11:25-26 speaks of physical death. Yes many have quoted the

scripture saying and it is appointed unto man once to die and after this, the judgment

(Hebrews. 9:27). From this scripture, they say every human being must die, but we

know that we have been crucified with Christ and therefore the life, which we now

live in the flesh, we live by faith of the Son of God. Death is a choice! The Bible says

in Romans 6:9; death has no dominion over us. Death is a choice, because Jesus

abolished death and brought life and immortality. The question that a lot of people ask

is that why do some Christians still die? The scriptures say in 1 Corinthians 15:26, the

last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Death is still in existence. It has only been

abolished, but not yet destroyed. Being abolished means it has no legal right upon us,

but except we lay down our lives, we have the right to live. A man could live without

the sting of death like Enoch and Elijah, who never died physically (John 10:17-18).

c. The right to rule (Romans 5:17; Revelation 1:5; 1Peter 2:9; Eccl 8:4). The Bible

says we are kings and priests; and as kings we have the right to rule. To reign means

to rule, to govern. We must walk with the mentality of a king, a peculiar people and a

chosen generation. God has given us the divine ability to cause changes. As kings our

words are powerful when we speak, we speak words of power. The bible says ‘Ye are

gods’ (Psalms 82:6). Exercise your right in Christ by speaking the right words!

3.6.0 YOUR INHERITANCE IN CHRIST

The new creation has an inheritance in Christ. Galatians 4:7 says, “wherefore thou art

no more servants, but sons, and if sons, then heirs of God through Christ”. If heirs,

then what are our inheritance? By the reason of Jesus death, it has come into effect.

Our inheritances are our legal possession. No one can revoke the will that has been

written about our inheritance (Hebrews 9:15). What are the things that are rightly

yours? A man died in poverty because he did not know that His late father left him a

huge inheritance. What are our inheritances?

3.6.1 All things are yours (Ephesians 1:11; 1Cor 3:21; Psalms 11 5:16;

Romans 4:13)

Firstly, we must understand that according to scriptures we have obtained an

inheritance. Colossians says; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet

to be partakers of the inheritance of the saint in light; and 1Corinthians 3:21-23 tells

us that all things are ours. Everything your mind can receive is yours, whether death

whether life, wealth, heath, joy, houses, education… all things are yours. Abraham

received the promise as the heir of the world and the promise was also to his seed.

12Now our inheritance can be classified into general, which is all things, and then

specifically into three, which are:

divine health

prosperity and abundance

deliverance

a. Divine health (Isaiah 53:4-5; 1Peter 2:24; 3 John2). God's Will for us is to be in

good health. In Isaiah 53:4-5 and 1Peter 2:24, God affirmed divine healing and divine

heath to us. Isaiah 53:4-5 was a prophecy on health for the ordinary people. The bible

says in verse 5 with His stripes we are healed. By the stripes of a man they had not yet

seen, or known. Divine healing: While divine healing is for the unsaved, divine

Health is for the born again Christian (1 Peter 2:24). For we being dead to sin should

live unto righteousness by whose stripes we were healed. It means, we have already

been healed because the scripture has been fulfilled. Therefore, we have divine health

as our inheritance. It is God's Will for us to prosper and be in good health, even as our

souls prosper. Sin brings diseases, sickness and death. But we are the righteousness of

God and sin has no dominion over us. Health denotes freedom from sickness. It

means fitness, well-being, wholeness.

b. Prosperity and abundance (3 John2; 2Corinthians 8:9; 1Timothy 6:17). Someone

said, ‘I really don't want to be too rich’; but the Bible says God wants us to prosper

and to have in abundance. To prosper means to flourish. Poverty is a state of lack. 2

Corinthians 8:9 says, Jesus became poor so that we through His poverty might

become rich. He has given us all things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17). God wants us to

have in abundance so that we can be a blessing to others. Jesus became poor; meaning

that He has poured out His very life for us; and through His resurrection, we have a

new life in Him. He brought us an inheritance!

c. Deliverance (Colossians 1:12-13; Mark 16:17). God has delivered us and so it is

wrong for a child of God to seek deliverance. Your body is the Temple of the Holy

Spirit. The bible says God has translated us into the Kingdom of His Son. He hath

delivered us from the power of darkness, (The Amplified Bible, says “…and has

drawn us to Himself”); and hath translated us unto the Kingdom of His dear Son. We

have the power to cast out demons, not for them to possess us.

3.7.0 YOU ARE GOD'S ADDRESS (Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 2:21-22; 1

Cor 6:19)

An address is a place of residence. The new creation is God's House, His address.

Acts 17:28 lets us know that, He dwells in us, and that our body is the Temple of the

Holy Spirit. Colossians states that Christ in us the Hope of glory.

3.7.1 His extension (Jeremiah 51:20-22; Acts 1:8)

The Bible says we are God's extension, the extension of His manifested presence on

earth. We execute justice, maintain peace through our prayers, and reshape situations.

Acts 1:8 says we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. That power is that

dynamic ability to cause changes. (also see Psalms 149:6-9). This honour has all the

saints of God.

133.8.0 GOD'S MIRROR PRINCIPLE (James 1:22-25; 2 Corinthians 3:17-

18)

A mirror is used to see ones image. It is a reflector; it shows the exact representation

of the image before it. The bible lets us know that, God’s word is His mirror and

when we look into it we see our true reflection; whom God says we are. The mirror

has the power to effect change in a person’s life. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, “But we all

with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the lord are changed into the same

image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord”. It does not matter how

you feel or see yourself, it is what the mirror shows you that you are. James 1:22-25

talks about being doers of the Word and not a forgetful hearer. It gives us a clear

picture of a man who is not a doer of the word. The bible says such a person is like a

man who beholds his natural face in a glass (mirror) and straight away forgets what

manner of man he was or saw to be. A lot of Christians forget who they are because

they do not dwell on the Word as often as they ought to. As we read the Word we

become transformed, we become changed. We become more like Jesus, Romans 8:29

says; He predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son. Note that the

Word will do nothing until you act on it. The Word reveals who we really are; but we

have the responsibility to act on what it says.

3.9.0 OPERATION OF THE FIVE SENSES (2 Corinthians 5:7, 2

Corinthians 4:18)

The senses include hearing, seeing, talking, smelling, and feeling. They are in the

physical perception, but the Lord wants us to live by faith. Physical perception

connotes carnality and the Bible says; they that are carnal or in the flesh cannot please

God (Romans 8:6-18). But the new creation is not in the flesh, but in the spirit. The

Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that, “we walk by faith and not by sight”. You must

develop or grow your faith by hearing the Word of God. Whenever a man turns his

eyes to the physical, he loses sight of God and this is what happens to a lot of

Christians. Faith in Jesus Christ alone is all that we need to live the Christian life. God

has called us to live the life of faith or the walk of faith. Hebrews 11:1 says " Now

faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen". We are not

looking out to see something we believe, because God has said it. 2 Corinthians 4:18

says, “While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things not seen, for

the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal”.

3.10.0 CONCLUSION

A Christian is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. He has eternal life, which is

God’s kind of life. He has the right to rule, to live and to choose. He has inheritance in

Christ: all things, divine health, prosperity and abundance, and deliverance. He is the

dwelling place of God.