Remember These Things

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
¹² if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
if we disown him,
he will also disown us;
¹³ if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

Trustworthy Truism

Paul provides us with a wonderful understanding of the truth of God.  He first states that if we have dies with Christ, we are alive with Him.  For in the association with His death, we are likewise spiritually raised from the dead in Christ.  He was the first, and we are reborn as a result.  Our identity in Christ is not only in His is death but also in his resurrection.  And although the resurrection of our bodies has yet to take place, the resurrection of our spirits has already taken place.

Sovereign State

God has promised that if we endure, we will reign with Him.  We are told to allow perseverance to finish its work so that we will be complete.  This requires endurance through our trials, as this provides us with the necessary perseverance.  God has provided for us the ability to overcome just as Jesus has overcome through yielding ourselves to His Spirit.  It is through His power, strength, patience, and endurance that we will be trained to endure with Him.  This is a necessary part of our training, as it helps us to be prepared for ruling with Him.

Don’t Disown

God says that we should not disown His Son, or we will be disowned.  If we are to properly identify with Christ, we must identify fully with Him through every trial.  Regardless of the pressures and difficulties we face, we must stand strong in our identification with Jesus Christ.  Jesus never recanted nor disowned the Father, even through torture, beatings, false witness against Him, and even through crucifixion.  In a like manner, we too must trust ourselves to God and endure through whatever difficulties await us as we publicly identify with Christ.

Forever Faithful

The good news is, even if we are faithless, God is faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.  As the image-bearers of God, it is our duty – our responsibility – to completely identify with God in thought, word, and actions.  It is through obedience to His word that we show ourselves as being faithful to God.  Jesus did everything that the Father told Him to do.  We need to follow His example if we are to identify with Him.

But even should we fail in this, we cannot through our failure show that Jesus is not faithful, for in His very nature He is God, and cannot be unfaithful nor disown Himself.  We can be assured that Jesus will forever be in identify with the Father, so that any failure on our part doesn’t reflect upon His perfect identity with God.  And it is in that identity that God the Father sees us as righteous.

A Qualifying Question

Let’s ask a question:  Am I living out my identity in Christ in complete faithfulness?

A short prayer of preparation:

Father in Heaven, thank You for the faithfulness of Your Son, Jesus Christ.  As Your image-bearer, it is my duty and privilege to identify with Him in all things.  Grant me the strength, endurance, and perseverance to overcome all of the challenges that face me today.  In this world, I face many trials.  But I know that You and You alone are able to get me through them all.  Remember me as the world, the flesh, and the devil place their soul-crushing pressures upon me through physical, emotional, and spiritual difficulties that I may overcome them all.  I know that I can do this in the power and strength of Your Holy Spirit because Jesus has overcome the world.  Thank You for all that You do in my life and in the lives of everyone, for You are not a respecter of persons.  Help me to continue on in humility this day in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Want more?  Why not try A. B. Simpson or A. W. Tozer?