As I wrote earlier, I recently finished reading a book by Charles Leiter entitled Justification and Regeneration. It is inexpensive on Amazon (link: Justification and Regeneration (Expanded Edition): Charles Leiter: 9780981732152: Amazon.com: Books). I suggest that you take the time to read this book.
Chapter Twelve discusses the eighth representation of regeneration which is the Christian’s translation from the earthly sphere to the heavenly sphere. Christians are no longer living in this world, but have died to this realm (earth) and passed into a different realm (heaven). The Christian has been raised up with Christ. He cites Colossians 2:20-22 and Colossians 3:1-0 as support.
The first heading is “Not of This World.” He makes the point that believers are not of this world even as Christ is not of this world. A believer’s wants and desires are different from those of the world. A believer has the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). The world hates Christians (John 15:19).
The second heading is “Citizens of Heaven.” The cited text is Philippians 3:19–20 (NET):
19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Pastor Leiter notes that believers are already citizens of heaven wherein they live and move in the heavenly kingdom where their minds are set on the things above. Colossians 3:1-2. A believer’s heart is in heaven from which they early await Jesus’ return.
Citing Hebrews 11:10,16, Pastor Leiter writes that believers are a part of the heavenly Jerusalem along with those who already have died and gone before them to heaven.
The third heading is “Seated with Christ.” He cites Ephesians 1:3 and Ephesians 2:4–6 (NET):
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!—6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
He points out that a believer has no need from something more than Jesus. Their great need is to see and enter into the reality of what they already have in Christ.
The fourth heading is “Keep Looking Down.” A believer has their sphere and source of life in heaven. Christians are not on earth looking down, but in heaven looking down. His advice is “keep looking down” because a believer is above and not below.
He closes this chapter by making two points: (1) a Christian needs to believe what Jesus has already some for them and to walk in it, and (2) Satan has already been defeated by Jesus on the cross (Colossians 2:15 and John 12:31) and that being “in Christ” a believer is seated far above all the hosts of evil.
If you are unsure about your salvation or are not a Christian, it is vital that you continue reading.
IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT YOUR SALVATION
If you are unsure about your salvation, you need to check out my book The Salvation Meter: Biblical Self-Diagnostic Tests to Examine Your Salvation and Spiritual Growth (book link at Xulon Press: https://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781662828638 ). At Amazon the book link is https://www.amazon.com/Salavation-Meter-Biblical-Self-Diagnostic-Spiritual/dp/1662828632 . I also have a website in which I am updating the content in the book. The link to my website for the book is https://thesalvationmeter.com .
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
… please (1) read through “God’s Plan of Salvation” so you can understand what God did for you through His only unique Son, Jesus Christ, and (2), from the bottom of your heart, pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” meaning every word. If you do, you will be reconciled to God – saved – through Jesus Christ.
God’s Plan of Salvation
In the beginning, God, who is holy, created the entire universe. As a part of His creative actions, He made humans (male and female) in His image to know Him. For a while, everything was right between God and our ancestors, Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve sinned, whereby sin was passed down to all of humankind so that we became sinners separated from God. Nothing we could do on our own could bridge that separation so that without God’s intervention, hell would be our eternal destination.
Fortunately for us, in His great love and mercy God provided humankind with the only means of salvation, which is through Jesus Christ who is God’s only unique Son. While retaining His deity, God the Son became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died a substitutionary atoning death on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever repent and trust in Him for their salvation. Jesus rose from the dead, showing that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice and exhausted God’s wrath against every believer. He now calls all unbelievers to repent of their sins and trust alone in what Christ did to save them.
If we repent of our sins and completely trust in Christ alone that He died for our sins and rose to life from the dead, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.
Scripture References: Genesis 1:1, 26, 31; Habakkuk 1:13; Genesis 2:7-25; Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24; Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:19-20, 23; 5:17-19; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Colossians 1:15; 2:9; Matthew 1:18, 20, 24-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:24; Hebrews 2:17; 9:25-26; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; 1 John 4:10; John 3:16-18; Mark 1:15; Acts 17:30; 26:20; Romans 1:4; 4:25; John 3:5-8; 1 Peter 1:3.
“Sinner’s Prayer”
Lord, Jesus Christ, the only unique Son of God, thank You for Your free gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner who cannot save myself no matter what I do, and I deserve to spend eternity in hell. But, I know that because You loved me so much, You voluntarily died on the cross for me taking my sins upon Yourself, and You physically bodily rose from the grave showing that Your sacrificial death was sufficient payment to give me eternal life in Heaven. I now repent of my sins and completely trust alone in what You did for my eternal salvation. Please take control of my life as I now receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You so much for saving me. I am now Yours forever!
(Scripture references: John 1:1-4, 11-14; John 3:16; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:21-26; Isaiah 53:4-6; Mark 1:15; Acts 16:31; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; John 10:27-29).
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