The Motivation of Worship – Part 2

Dr. Charles Stanley calls the revelation of the believer’s position in the Lord Jesus Christ the “most liberating truth” he has ever discovered, one that changed his entire perspective on life, God, and worship. Drawing primarily from Colossians 3:1-4 and Romans 6, Stanley details five non-negotiable spiritual realities that define the life of every born-again Christian. This position provides eternal security, resurrection power, and inner sufficiency, serving as the true motivation for holy living.

The Foundation: Identity Transformation, Not Addition

Stanley emphasizes that salvation is not merely adding Jesus to a person’s existing life or having sins forgiven; it is an absolute transformation. The moment a person receives Christ, they are not only translated from the kingdom of darkness to light, but God deals fundamentally with the problem of “sin within us”.

This change is so profound that the Bible calls it a new birth, resulting in a new life and a new beginning. The Christian life is meant to be an expression of the life of Jesus Christ who lives within us through the Holy Spirit.

The Five Pillars of Your Position in Christ

According to Stanley, God the Father related us to Himself through five core actions in Christ, providing a complete and secure relationship:

1. Crucified with Christ

When Jesus died, God the Father likewise saw the death of every single believer. This identification with Christ’s death was necessary because simply forgiving sins was not enough; God needed to deal with the inherent sin within us to enable us to live victoriously and triumphantly.

• The Death of the Old Self: Paul states that our “old self was crucified” (past tense, completed action) with Christ. This was done so that our “body of sin might be done away” and we should “no longer be the slaves to sin”.
• New Creation: What we were before salvation was dealt with by God on the cross. We are now “new creations in the Lord Jesus Christ” and partakers of His divine nature. Although believers (saints) still commit sins at times, they are not what they used to be and can never return to that state.

2. Buried with Christ

Being buried with Christ signifies the death of the old life. This is Paul’s way of emphasizing that when we were saved by God’s grace, we did not just add something to what we were; we became somebody new.

• Eternal Relationship: The believer, having died to the old life, has been “placed eternally in a relationship with him which can never be broken” because the Father Himself established it when we responded by faith. This relationship is absolutely eternal and secure.

3. Raised Up with Christ

Since we were crucified and buried with Him, we have also been “raised up with him” from death.

• Newness of Life: We are risen to “walk in newness of life,” possessing Christ’s resurrection life and power.
• Enabled for Victory: This resurrection power is “alive [and] available inside of us,” enabling us every moment of our life to overcome every challenge Satan throws in our path. We have the power of God to see us through every single thing we face. Friends who know we are saved have a legitimate right to expect our actions and behavior to be different because Christ has become our life.