Positional sanctification

1. The mechanics for positional truth: the baptism of the Spirit. God the Holy Spirit takes every believer at the point of salvation and enters him into union with Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:13; Acts 1:5; Ephesians 4:5; John 14:20.

2. Positional truth belongs to the carnal as well as the spiritual believer. All believers have the same security, 1 Corinthians 1:2,30.

3. Positional truth protects the believer from divine judgement in eternity, Romans 8:1.

4. Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with Christ forever. To live with God forever you have to have two things. God has perfect righteousness and cannot tolerate anything but perfect righteousness. Jesus Christ has +R, the believer enters into union with Christ, he shares His righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21. God has eternal life. If you are going to have fellowship with God forever you have to have eternal life. Jesus Christ is eternal life. The moment you accept Christ as saviour you enter into union with Christ, you have eternal life. Positional truth qualifies you to live with God forever and ever. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11,12; the imputation of divine righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21.

5. Positional truth explains both election and predestination. Election and predestination are two ways of describing the plan of God. You enter into union with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was elected in eternity past, therefore He has a destiny. When you enter into union with Christ you share the election of Christ, you share the destiny of Christ. In sharing the destiny of Christ you are predestinated; in sharing the election of Christ you are in the plan of God forever. Election and predestination are explained on the basis of positional truth, they are the basis of your security, Ephesians 1:3-6.

6. Positional truth produces a new creature in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

7. Positional sanctification guarantees the eternal security of the believer, Romans 8:38,39.

8. Positional truth exists in two categories. retroactive positional truth is found in Romans 6 and Colossians 2:12; 3:3. In retroactive positional truth the believer is identified with Christ in His death. When Christ died on the cross He died spiritually by bearing our sins. The first Adam died spiritually when he partook of the forbidden fruit. He was immediately spiritually dead. The children of Adam are born with an old sin nature. We do not die spiritually, we are born spiritually dead, Romans 5:12. It is to solve the old sin nature problem that Jesus Christ went to the cross as the last Adam. The last Adam went to the cross, the sins from the old sin nature were poured out upon Him and judged. The human good from the old sin nature was rejected. There is no place in God’s plan for human good. We are identified with Christ in His death, which means down with human good, up with divine good. The work of Christ on the cross is divine good. Our sins have been judged; they are not the issue. Human gold has been rejected; that is the issue in retroactive positional truth. We are identified with Christ is His death, we are also identified with Christ in His resurrection and ascension. .

9. The implications of current positional truth.

a) We share the righteousness of Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21.

b) We share His life (eternal life), 1 John 5:11,12.

c) We share His destiny, we share His election, Ephesians 1:3-6.

d) We share His sonship, 2 Timothy 2:1.

e) We share His heirship, Romans 8:16,17.

f) We share His sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2,30.

g) We share in His kingdom, He is going to resign forever, 2 Peter 1:11.

h) We share in His priesthood. Christ is a priest, Hebrews 10:10-14.

10. The characteristics of positional truth.

a) Positional truth is not something you experience. It is neither an emotion nor ecstatics, it is something you possess on the basis of grace. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience.

b) Positional truth is not progressive, it can never be improved in time or in eternity.

c) It is not related to human merit or human good. This is the implication of retroactive positional truth, there is no place in the plan of God for human good at any time. Grace escalates divine good and excludes human good.

d) Positional truth is eternal in nature, it will last forever and it cannot be changed by God, by angels, or by man.

e) Positional truth is known only by the Word of God, and it must be communicated to you, it isn’t something you would ever pick up on your own.

f) Positional truth is obtained in toto at the moment of salvation. This is accomplished by means of the baptism of the Spirit, it is one of 36 things you receive at that point.