Are You A Bad Girl?

I believe that Jesus removed the former self and brought the new creation, the new self, through His cross and resurrection and our being included in those events (Rom 6:1-7). We were crucified and raised in Him, and we are recognized throughout the heavens as the perfect sons of God—even if we don’t recognize ourselves.

We are frustrated if we believe we remain a bad self, or if we believe we are the flesh. If that were so, we would still need to be crucified—perhaps again and again. However, we were crucified, we were buried, we were raised, and one of the magnificent aspects of our new life in Christ is that we are a new self, one in union with Christ and compatible with Him.

If we believe we are or have a bad self, or that we are the flesh, we will invariably make war on that presumed self and ask God to help us in the battle. Of course, He thinks He already finished that battle! He thinks He was successful with us in Christ at the cross and resurrection, and that we are right now happily and comfortably secured in Him. It delights Him when His sons and daughters, growing in confidence that He thinks highly and accurately of them, ask, “Father, what do you think of me?” He knows the truth about them and, oh, how He loves to tell it.

Those who have never asked such a question are most always afraid of what they will hear. Think of that. God has made us new and clean and perfect and righteous and holy, He has united us with Himself (He is in us and we are in Him), yet we don’t ask the question. It’s not because we’re dumb, it’s because the enemy has sown an entrancing lie that we are not as God says we are. Nevertheless, we are! And He will see to it that we know the truth of His accomplishment and glory shared with us.

How delighted He is when, believing we are who He says we are, we come out of hiding.