“⁵¹ Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

Due to Adam’s fall we are all born in corruption.  We are spiritually dead and separated from God as the result of Adam’s sin.  There is NO atonement for sin outside of Jesus Christ.  Buddha, Mohammed or Confucius cannot reconcile us to God.  Most Believers will give a hearty “Amen” to that one, amen?  However, may I present a kink in many’s religious diatribes…neither will 40 days of purpose, 12 steps to celebrating recovery, humanistic psychology, vain philosophies from the vanities of man’s own mind or religious ceremonies and traditions reconcile us to God.  Uh oh, I probably just lost about 75% of my readers.

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, for the atonement of sin our spirit is quickened and we are alive unto God.  The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are a Child of God (Romans 8:16).  This atonement that Jesus Christ paid when He came to die on Calvary’s Cross to give us life and life more abundantly paid for all sin; past Saint’s, present Saint’s and future Saint’s sins…not just the Saints of that day.  If there was but one sin left unatoned, Christ would not have risen from the dead.  The wage of sin is death, remember (Romans 6:23)?

There is something else I want you to know as well.  I want you to know that this same atonement of sin made by Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross gives us, those who follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, dominion over sin (Romans 6:14).  There is no atonement for sin outside of Jesus Christ and HIS finished work and there is no dominion over sin outside of Jesus Christ and HIS finished work.  There are no methods to overcome sin outside of faith through grace.

We (Believers), who were once spiritually dead, have been planted together in the likeness of His death.  Our sinful man has been crucified with Christ.  We know that our sin has been fully and completely atoned for by Jesus Christ through His atoning work as the Sacrificial Lamb of God on the Cross and the Holy Spirit bears witness.

As a born again Child of God we are now spiritually alive unto God and able to yield our faculties unto righteousness as those who are alive from the spiritually dead.  There is a change in our life.  Old things pass away and all things become new.  Our sin nature is not dead, corruption has not put on incorruption yet, but we are now dead unto our sin nature as the Holy Spirit, Who is greater, isolates and dethrones the reigning monarch (sin) in our heart.  Because of our faith in Jesus’ atoning work, we give the Holy Spirit latitude to free us from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

Then comes the religious hierarchy declaring varying worldly statutes to overcome that which we have already been freely given by the Lord Jesus Christ…dominion over the sin that so easily besets us.  Instead of maintaining our victory through faith in Jesus and HIS atoning work, we are taught to “gain” our victory through faith in our self efforts to be “like” Christ…not IN Christ.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2.

-Donna Clark Warren