A New Kingdom, Part 2 (Onward Christian Soldier #79)

Romans 6:1-2: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

In our last lesson we began talking about sin in the life of the Christian. We reviewed how we were born into Adam’s sinful race under the influence of the kingdom of darkness, and how that through the death and resurrection of Christ we were born again into the family of God and have been placed in the kingdom of light..

When Christ passed out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light, He took us with Him! Where did God put us in Christ? He put us in Christ on the cross! When He was crucified, we were crucified with Him. When He died, we died with Him. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ..." Not only did Christ die for us, but we died with Him.

What happened when we died with Christ? We passed out of the kingdom of darkness where sin reigns. Not only did we die with Christ, but we were buried with Him, and we were raised again with Him. The Bible says that God "made us alive together with Christ."

What happened when we rose with Christ? We rose in a new kingdom -- the kingdom of God's dear Son. By our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ, we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and placed in the kingdom of God's dear Son. Colossians 1:12-13 says, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”

What does this mean to us? It means that in Christ we have been delivered from sin's authority. When we were in the kingdom of darkness, sin could command us and we had to obey. But now we have been delivered from the kingdom where sin reigns.