“Positional Truth”

Introduction

At the moment of faith in Christ, the HS places the believer in union with Christ.  This is the baptism by the HS.

A.  The baptism by the HS:

1)   Identifies the Church Age believer with the strategic victory of Christ in the Angelic Conflict.

2)   Did not occur in the Old Testament or in any prior dispensation, and is unique to the CA in which we live.  It, in fact, separates and distinguishes us from every other dispensation in human history.

3)   While regeneration makes the believer a member of the Family of God, the baptism by the Spirit makes him a member of the Royal Family of God by bringing him into union with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

B.   In 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul say’s, “For by one Spirit [HS] we [CA believers] were all [none excluded] baptized into [identified with forever, at / moment of salvation] one body [Body of Christ], whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we [CA believers] were all [none excluded] made to drink of one Spirit [a reference to / eternal indwelling of / HS, another factor unique to / Dispensation of Grace].”

C.   Historical usage of the word “baptized” prior to the Koine Greek.

1)   The English word “baptized” is not a translation but a transliteration of the Greek verb bapti/zw (baptizo), the essential meaning of which is- identify, that is, identification with a purpose.  This word was used by Greek poets, dramatists, and historians to connote the identification of one object with a second so that the nature or character of the first object is changed.

2)   Baptizo was used in the Classical Greek of a blacksmith who immerses a piece of hot iron in water, tempering it.  Also, of Greek soldiers placing the points of their swords, and barbarians the points of their spears, in a vat of blood.  E.g., Xenophon in the 4^th cent. BC tells of Spartan soldiers dipping their spears into pig’s blood before going into battle.  By identifying the spears with blood, the nature of the spear was transformed from a hunting tool to an instrument of warfare.

3)   Euripides, one of the three greatest composers of Greek tragedy, used baptizo in the 5^th cent. BC to describe a sinking ship.  As it sank, the character or nature of the ship was thoroughly altered, i.e., it was so identified with the water of the Aegean that it could no longer float, and before long was entirely submerged.

4)   The usage of baptizo in the preceding examples resolves itself into this technical definition:  “The introduction of a person or thing into a new environment, or into union with something else, so as to permanently alter its relationship to its former environment.”

D.  The verbal phrase “were all baptized,” from 1 Corinthians 12:13, is the 1^st pl., aor. pass. ind. of bapti/zw (baptizo).

1)   The ind. mood declares the verbal action of the sentence to be a reality.

2)   The pass. voice indicates that believers in the CA are baptized into Christ— never to be taken out again— by the HS.  The HS is the agent of this specific baptism; the CA believer is the recipient; and Jesus Christ is the medium into which the believer is eternally identified.

3)   The aor. tense denotes action which occurs at a point in time— the point of faith in Christ.  It  is oftentimes used to express a ‘once and for all’ idea; and that’s precisely the manner in which it’s used in our passage.  The ‘constative aorist’ contemplates the action of the verb in its entirety, gathering it into a single whole.

Summary: This particular use of the constative aor. in 1 Corinthians 12:13 cannot be repeated and excludes emotional or ecstatic experience of any kind.

Conclusion: The concept of a ‘second blessing’ or ‘second work of grace,’ as it relates the Spirit’s baptism to a time subsequent to salvation, is foreign to the Word of God!

Body

1.  Union with Christ belongs to every believer forevermore, regardless of their spiritual status.

Listen to Paul’s words to the Corinthians in 1:2 of this same epistle, “to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [positionally, by / HS’s baptism (12:13)], saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their {Lord} and ours;” and in v. 30 he say’s, “But by His doing you are in [that is, ‘in union with’] Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”

2.  The believer’s union with Christ exempts him from divine judgment in eternity.  In Romans 8:1 Paul states unequivocally, that “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

3.  The believer’s position in Christ qualifies him to live with God forever.  The believer shares the following with Christ:

A.  Eternal life.  1 John 5:11-12 tells us, that “the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son.

He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the Life [of God].”

B.   Imputation of God’s absolute righteousness.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He [God / Father] made Him who knew no sin [Jesus Christ] {to be} sin on our behalf [huper + / genitive of substitution from / pers. pron. ego means lit., ‘as a Substitute for us’], that we might become [through imputation] the righteousness of God in Him [Jesus Christ].”

C.   Election.  In Ephesians 1:4 the Word of God declares, that God the Father “chose us in Him [Jesus Christ] before the foundation of the world [this is our election to privilege in / plan of Grace]….”

D.  Destiny.  Ephesians 1:5 says, “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will.”

E.   Sonship.

1)   Concerning the Lord Jesus Christ John said, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, {even} to those who believe in His name,” John 1:12.

2)   Galatians 3:26: “For you are all [Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female] sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

F.   Heirship.  The apostle Paul told the believers in Rome, that “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit [‘human spirit’] that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs [co-heirs] with Christ, if [‘since’] indeed we suffer with {Him} in order that we may also be glorified with {Him.}”

G.   Sanctification— 1 Corinthians 1:2, 30.

H.  Kingdom.  2 Peter 1:11 says, “for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

I.    Priesthood.  In 1 Peter 2:5 Peter speaks of believers as “living stones, …being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood;” and in v. 9 as “a royal priesthood, …a people for {God’s} own possession, that” we “may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called” us “out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

4.  When a person is placed in union with Christ he becomes a new spiritual species.

A.  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul wrote, that “if [1^st cl. cond.: true statement— since or when] any man is in Christ [positional truth], {he is} a new [kainos- of a new kind, a new form, unprecedented; it speaks of something impressive, better than / old and superior to it] creature [ktisis, lit.- creation, something created out of nothing; i.e., a new spiritual species, / Royal Family of God];

the old things passed away; behold, new things have come [51 grace gifts of salvation; all / divine assets and equipment needed to become a hero of faith].”

B.   Again, in Ephesians 2:10 he say’s, “For we [CA believers] are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works [notice he doesn’t say ‘created by good works,’ but ‘for good works’], which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

5.  Union with Christ guarantees the eternal security of the believer.

Paul wrote to the Church in Rome, saying “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels [elect angels: those who did not follow Satan in / angelic revolt, those who remained on / winning team], nor principalities [a)rxh/ (arche), a word used in Eph. 6:12 for / ‘rulers,’ / highest ranking demons in Satan’s table of organization], nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers [is used here in a temporal manner, for / power and influence of / rich and wealthy; and for / power and might of military forces], nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing [Paul sums up his argument with a phrase, ‘nor any other created thing,’ which encompasses / entire universe], shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord,” Romans 8:38-39.

6.  The characteristics of our position in Christ are:

A.  Known only through the Word of God.

B.   Obtained at the moment of salvation.

C.   Eternal in nature, and cannot be changed by God, angels, or mankind.

D.  Not an emotional or ecstatic experience.

E.   Not related to human good, merit, or ability.

F.   Not progressive, and cannot be improved in time or eternity.

7.  Our position in Christ removes the problem of our position in Adam.  1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam [ / realm of spiritual death] all die, so also in Christ [ / realm of spiritual life and eternal life] all will be made alive.”