Secure in Christ: Belonging to God and Made New [Part 1]

 

Thank you for joining us as we continue our exciting series exploring the timeline of our great salvation, from its beginning to the end of time. Every part of salvation is accomplished by God through His grace. We encourage you to read the previous articles in this series for additional context on God’s wonderful plan of redemption.

In this article, we will begin discussing the believer’s remarkable positions in Christ. At the moment of salvation, through faith in Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, believers receive four primary spiritual positions before God. We will examine the first two in this article and explore the remaining two next time.

Position 1: We are God’s Possession

As New Testament believers, God has redeemed us (purchasing us at the cross) and has enabled us to become His peculiar possession (1 Peter 2:9). 

 

How does God accomplish making us His possession?

• The Holy Spirit’s sealing – We are marked as God’s possession at salvation by the Holy Spirit who is given to us (Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9). This is a great promise and a result of our belief in salvation by faith alone in Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• His workmanship – Upon belief, we are also remade into God’s image (Ephesians 2:10) as a new work. Please see just below under Baptism for further detail. 

Position 2: Spiritual Baptism

This biblical truth is vital in understanding who we are as Christians.

• First, let’s consider the word itself. In the Epistles, when baptism is mentioned, it refers almost always to spiritual baptism. Water baptism might be considered as an external ritual to signify the internal event. The word βαπτιζω (baptizoo) in Greek (the original language of the New Testament) was an old term borrowed from the dye trade. It meant that a piece of cloth immersed in a dye became ‘identified’ with the new color.

• Second, how is being ‘identified’ with Christ associated with being a Christian? Fortunately, a lot! When we believe in salvation, we are identified with Christ’s gracious death and resurrection. At this time, our old self died and was buried with Christ. We are raised now to new life with Him, and God views us as sitting with Him at His right hand (Romans 6:2-12; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13).

Similar concepts in scripture that also appear to speak to spiritual baptism are: regeneration (Titus 3:5), born again (John 3:5), and new man (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).

 

Why is this concept so important?

• Believer’s sin – Although every believer sins, we possess the power to say ‘no’ to sin because our new person in Christ is now able to live a victorious life.

• The reason for the resurrection – Baptism teaches us the importance of the resurrection because Christians are raised with Christ to new life, without which they would still be dead in sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

• Eternal security – Baptism helps each believer know they cannot lose salvation because Scripture does not indicate that committing a sin will kill the new person and bring the old dead self back to life!

• Prayer – Believers who are now holy can approach God at any time, directly in prayer, in confidence. Old Testament believers did not have this advantage, being limited to the Day of Atonement when only the high priest could approach the most holy God (Heb 10:19-22).  

Secure in Our New Life

Through salvation, we have been permanently transformed and raised with Christ into a new life. We are free to serve Him, obey Him, and approach Him confidently in prayer.

The failures and sins associated with our old self cannot undo what God has accomplished. Our position in Christ is based on His completed work, not on our ability to maintain our salvation.

What great comfort and assurance we receive from the truth of Scripture!

In summary, believers receive four wonderful positional promises because of Christ’s redemptive work on the cross. These promises involve permanent changes in both our legal standing before God and our spiritual nature.

In this article, we examined the first two positions: we are God’s possession, and we have received spiritual baptism. For a broader overview, please read Positions in Christ - Teleios, Inc. (teleiosresearch.com).

Please join us next time as we discuss our legal justification and our adoption into God’s family. What wonderful promises God has given to assure us of our great salvation!

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

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Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

 

 

Why the Resurrection Matters: Identity, Victory, and Eternal Security

 

Welcome back to my blog! Over the past few weeks, we have been tracing the marvelous timeline of our salvation—a divine story planned before time began that will culminate in Christ’s glorious return.

 

So far, we have examined how God chose us, convicted us through the Holy Spirit, drew us to Himself, and accomplished our complete redemption at the cross. Today, we take the next essential step in this journey: Christ’s glorious resurrection.

 

Why is the empty tomb so vital to our daily walk and eternal hope? Let us look to Scripture to see what the resurrection means for Christ—and what it means for us.

Why the Resurrection Changes Everything 

The resurrection stands at the absolute center of God’s promises and our Christian identity.

 

1. Regarding Jesus Christ

If Christ did not rise from the dead, He could not be God; His promises would be void, and He would possess no divine power. Without the resurrection, He could not have ascended to heaven, established the Church, interceded for us today, or promised to return and reign in eternity. The resurrection proves that Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be.

2. Regarding the Believer

The resurrection is the core of our spiritual transformation. In the New Testament epistles, this transformation is frequently described as spiritual baptism. When we become a Christian, we are identified (baptized, Greek, baptizo) with Christ’s gracious death and resurrection.

The moment you placed your trust in Christ, your old, sinful self died and was buried with Him. You were instantly raised to new life and spiritually seated with Him at the right hand of God the Father (Romans 6:2–12; Ephesians 2:4–7; Colossians 2:12–13).

Similar concepts in the epistles that are based on the resurrection are: 

• Regeneration (Titus 3:5)
• Being Born Again (John 3:5)
• Putting on the New Man (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10)
• Christ in You, the Hope of Glory (Colossians 1:27)
• The Anointing of the Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27)
• The seed (1 John 3:9) 

6 Powerful Blessings Provided by the Resurrection 
 
Because you share in Christ's resurrection life, God has equipped you with everything necessary for spiritual victory:

• Power Over Sin: While every believer still struggles at times, you are no longer a slave to sin. As a new creation indwelt by the Holy Spirit, you possess the divine power to say "no" to temptation and live a victorious life.
• True Holiness: Through spiritual regeneration, God views you as holy, blameless, and clean in His sight (Hebrews 10:19–22). Without this new life, we would remain spiritually dead in our inherited fallen nature (1 Corinthians 15:17–19; Ephesians 2:3).
• Boldness in Prayer: Because you are a holy person in Christ, you can approach God's throne in prayer with complete confidence and without hindrance (Hebrews 10:20–23).
• Eternal Life: Just as Christ was raised, you have been raised to new, everlasting life that physical death cannot destroy.
• Eternal Security: Regeneration proves that your salvation is permanent. Scripture does not indicate that your new self can die and your old, dead self be re-resurrected—your transformation in Christ is absolute and irreversible!
• Freedom to Serve: Before salvation, we were spiritually dead and incapable of doing truly good works (Romans 3:10–12). Now, as a resurrected creation filled with the Holy Spirit, you are fully equipped to serve God according to His will (Romans 6:11–16).

Rest in Your New Identity

My friends, what incredible comfort we find in the truth of God’s Word! You are permanently transformed, identified with Christ, and securely seated with Him in heavenly places. You are liberated from the penalty of Adam’s fall and free to walk in the joy of His service.

What a magnificent salvation our God planned in eternity past and lovingly executed for His good pleasure (Ephesians 1:4–8).

Please join me next week as we continue exploring the incredible result of Christ's work in our lives.
 

William C. Stewart, MD 

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

 

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

 

What Happened at the Cross? Understanding Christ's Work of Salvation

 

What Happened at the Cross? Understanding Christ's Work of Salvation

Welcome back to my blog, dear friends. Last week, we began our journey through the marvelous, chronological timeline of our salvation—an eternal story that began before time itself and will only conclude at Christ’s glorious return.

 

To help us see the bigger picture, we recounted the events that led up to our personal decision to trust in His saving work (in rough order):

• Christ chose us for salvation before the foundation of the world.
• The Holy Spirit worked in our hearts, convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
• God powerfully drew—and lovingly compelled—us to Himself.

 

If you missed those foundational truths, I highly encourage you to catch up on last week's post Our Wonderful Salvation: How Did It All Began?

 

Today, we take the next step on our timeline. We are looking directly at the cross to examine the profound work Jesus accomplished there to provide our salvation—a perfect sacrifice that was made fully active in our lives the moment we believed.

 

 

Christ’s Sacrificial Work on the Cross

 

Scripture describes four key components of Christ’s gracious actions on the cross, bringing us eternal life through His death:

• Propitiation – Christ’s sacrifice was a full and sufficient payment for our sins to God (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2).
• Reconciliation – Christ’s sacrifice ended the hatred between man and God because of our sins. Our holy God cannot be in the presence of sin. Our sins, being forgiven through Christ, changed our status before God as we are now innocent and without sin. This allowed peace between parties and healed (reconciled) the relationship between God and man. (Romans 5:10-11; Colossians 1:20-21: Ephesians 2:16-19).
•  Redemption – Christ’s death purchased us from sin for which we owed a payment of death (Romans 3:23-26; Ephesians 1:7).
• Substitution – Christ died in our place, taking the punishment we deserved, that we could obtain eternal life (Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 3:18).

These four vital biblical concepts describe Christ gracious work on the cross to forgive our sins, and correct our relationship with God, that we might be saved.

 

 

What then must we do to be saved?

 

How then does someone make Christ’s actions on the cross efficacious for themselves?

 

Here is an easy-to-learn gospel message (how to become a Christian based on Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-26, Romans 10:9):

• Each person has sinned (done actions contrary to God’s righteous character).
• We each deserve judgment and punishment from a perfect and just God.
• However, God, being loving, sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins to take the punishment that we deserved.
• Consequently, by acknowledging through faith the forgiveness that Christ provided by His death, and new life through His resurrection, we gain eternal life!

 

God did all the work to provide salvation, and no credit is given to us. It is a gift with all glory and praise to God. Wow, what a great promise! 

 

To summarize, to this point in our salvation journey, we have seen that God chooses us, the Holy Spirit convicts us, and God drags us to himself to the point of being saved. Then on our belief, salvation became efficacious to us based on Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross and His mighty resurrection.

In gratitude and praise, we owe Him our service and praise until we go home to be with Him. Thanks be to God for such a great salvation and for eternal life.

 

Please join us next time as we discuss what happened to us as a result of the cross. It's exciting stuff so don't miss it!

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email – info@teleiosresearch.com

Website – http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

 

Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

Bible Teaching Habits and Its Importance

 

Knowing God’s Word is fundamental to understanding our faith. When we help others understand Scripture, we build a solid church foundation that positively impacts society. 

 

But how active is the next generation in passing down these truths? To find out, Teleios Research surveyed 230 adolescents and millennials to uncover their perceptions and habits regarding teaching the Bible. Full results can be seen here - Young evangelicals and teaching the Bible.

 

Who Participated?

 

The majority of the 230 respondents fit the following demographics:

·       Age: 86% were under 35 years old.

·       Gender: 63% identified as female.

·       Location: 68% resided in the United States.

·       Affiliation: 73% identified as evangelical.

 

The Reality of Bible Teaching Habits

 

When asked directly about their habits, 27% of participants indicated they teach directly from the Bible at a pre-arranged time at least once a week. However, a striking 40% responded that they never instruct others in Scripture.

 

Interestingly, there is a notable perception gap. Only 11% of respondents initially stated they teach once a week or more when asked in a broader context. This leaves a 16% discrepancy—suggesting that some Christians may overestimate how frequently they actually teach the Bible when asked directly. When factoring in preferred methods, it is estimated that only about 4% of young evangelicals are directly teaching the Bible to others. More research is needed on this topic!   

 

For those who do teach regularly, the verse-by-verse method was the top choice (32%). The favorite settings for instruction were:

 

·       Small groups (in-person): 27%.

·       One-on-one (in-person): 19%

 

For the respondents who do not teach weekly, fear and a perceived lack of knowledge were the primary hurdles: 

·       Do not feel they know enough about the Scripture – 42% 

·       Do not know how to teach (but want to learn) – 37% 

·       Fear of making a mistake – 34% 

 

Many young adults view informal actions as valid ways to share Scripture, such as: 

·       living a godly lifestyle (71%)

·       writing encouraging notes (62%)

·       or verbally strengthening others with verses (62%). 

 

However, 70% of respondents agreed that formal, verse-by-verse teaching holds more value than these informal methods.

 

In general, respondents had good well-being (average 4.5/6.0, with 6.0 being the best). However, those who regularly trained others in the Bible (4.8/6.0) reported better well-being than those who taught infrequently (4.1/6.0) or did not (4.4/6.0) teach the Bible (P= 0.003).

 

The survey suggests that young evangelicals generally recognize the importance of verse-by-verse teaching to others and want to learn how to instruct others. Those who teach experience better well-being than those who do not. 

 

Nonetheless, young evangelicals are often reticent to teach fearing they are not capable or are not able to answer questions. Further, some may overestimate how frequently they teach the Bible.

 

So, what is the importance of teaching?

 

1.     Problem – Unfortunately, teaching others or sharing the gospel appears to rank right below ‘going to the dentist’ among desired activities. Teleios’ research has shown that people generally fear sharing the gospel, specifically report being afraid of social rejection, offending the other person, not knowing what to say, or how to answer others’ questions.

 

2.     What teaching is not – Teleios examined people’s habits in mentioning the gospel (a part of our outreach). In a well-taught Evangelical Church, attendees indicated they conveyed the gospel to others most commonly by:

·     Sharing their lives – 78%

·     Praying for others – 71%

·     Encouraging others – 70%

·     Loving others – 68%

·     Explicitly mentioning how to accept Jesus Christ as Savior – 30%

 

Although sharing our lives is important, it does not replace actually telling someone the gospel or directly teaching the Bible. People cannot guess what we are thinking! Scripture recognizes that we do not have visual support for our faith until Christ comes again (Hebrews 2:8,) so others need to hear what to believe, and someone must explicitly tell them (Romans 10:14-17).

 

Why should we reach out to others regarding our faith? 

There are at least several reasons:

1.     It is a command – We are told to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2,15,24-26; 1 Timothy 4:6,16; Hebrews 5:12), which involves instructing others in the Word of God. However, teaching also may include admonishing others to correct action or thinking (Colossians 3:17; Ephesians 5:19).

2.     Better well-being – Teleios has found that people who teach and share the Gospel enjoy better well-being than those who do not. What initially seems fearful is actually enriching after a person has shared the Gospel or taught God’s Word.

3.     Good judgment – The ability to teach appears to indicate maturity, which is associated with accurate and efficient judgment and avoiding nasty pitfalls in life (Hebrews 5:14).

4.     Maturity – Being able to teach is associated with maturity, especially the attributes of an elder/leader (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Hebrews 5:12).

5.     Uplifting the church – The benefit of teaching others scripture or the gospel is not just for the individual but to the church itself. Teaching the Bible and the gospel is the primary way that we can grow the church and influence our culture generally (Colossians 1:5-10). Without Christians passing down the precious words of our Father to the next generation, the church certainly can suffer from a lack of support as opposed to influencing and benefiting our society.

 

So, let’s get to work! The truth we possess in the Bible is good for our family, friends, and acquaintances as well as for our society!

 

Thank you for joining me today. I look forward to seeing you next time.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/TeleiosVideos/

 

Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.