The Christian Life: Discovering Your Spiritual Inheritance in Christ

By Brent Adkisson

The Christian Life is a study of our spiritual inheritance in Christ. As New Testament believers in Jesus, the Bible teaches that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The blessings and promises of God have been given to each of us who have been born again into the family of God. This study explores who we are, what we have, and what we can do now that we are new creations in Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9781973630883

Brent Adkisson

Brent Adkisson has been a follower of Christ for over four decades. Raised in the mountains of Northern Idaho, in a Christ centered home, Brent discovered his passion for the outdoors and the Word of God at an early age. After serving overseas in the military, he returned home and dedicated the next fifteen years of his life to full time youth and college ministry. As a public speaker, he is known to teach with grace and truth as he brings forth valuable insights from the Word of God. He speaks with authority on various topics, such as: Identity in Christ, Covenant theology, and Salvation by grace through faith. Brent enjoys living the Christian life and is passionate about helping others do the same. Now a husband and father of four, he dedicates much of his time to his children and making great memories with his family. Brent is a very capable and savvy outdoors-man who is living his dream in the remote mountainous regions of his home state.

Book preview

THE CHRISTIAN

LIFE

Discovering Your Spiritual Inheritance in Christ

BRENT ADKISSON

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Copyright © 2018 Brent Adkisson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3087-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3089-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-3088-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018906889

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/21/2018

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Identity Crisis

Chapter 2 Old vs. New

Chapter 3 Sinner Saved by Grace

Chapter 4 Conformed vs. Transformed

Chapter 5 Who Are You?

Chapter 6 Pride vs. Humility

Chapter 7 Everything You Need

Chapter 8 Legal vs. Vital

Chapter 9 I Can Do All Things

Chapter 10 Faith vs. Works

Chapter 11 Walking in The Spirit

Chapter 12 Blessings vs. Rewards

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Many view Christianity as another of the world’s many religions, just another futile attempt by humanity to find a pathway to God. But true biblical Christianity is no religion at all. The Christian life is a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is the fulfillment of God’s promises through the patriarchs and prophets of old that offers redemption from sin, liberation from death, and freedom from eternal condemnation.

John 8:36 | NIV

Jesus replied, So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The Christian life is a life of freedom. It is a life of freedom from sin, freedom from death, freedom from condemnation and freedom from religion. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free.

The amazing news of the gospel is not simply that we as Christians have received Jesus into our hearts and lives, but that Jesus has received us into His. True freedom can only be found in Christ and as believers we can experience this freedom because we live in Him. All the blessings of God are now available to us because we are in Christ. This is the good news of the gospel of God’s grace.

John 10:10 | NKJV

Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The Christian life is a life of abundance. It is a life of abundant faith, a life of abundant love, and a life of abundant hope! In promising believers an abundant life, Jesus is stating, that in Him, we will experience a life that is greater than anything we could ever expect or imagine.

John 3:16 | ESV

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

The Christian life is an eternal life. This life begins the moment we enter into a covenant relationship with God. It is a life that offers divine protection, provision, power, and spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus.

The Christian life is not about following some impossible list of rules, reciting boring prayers, or repeating some redundant mantras. It is not a life of trying to be good enough to get to heaven, nor is it about doing good deeds to obtain God’s approval. Rather it is a life of regeneration and transformation: lost to found, old to new, unrighteous to righteous, darkness to light, death to life, and sinner to saint.

If you have never been a fan of religion, but believe in God, the Christian life is for you! If you have tried the church thing but never experience the presence of God, the Christian life is for you! If you have been a Christian all your life, but have never walked in the power of His Spirit, maybe you’re doing it wrong? If you desire a life full of righteousness, peace, and joy, I assure you, the Christian life is for you!

In the chapters that follow, you will be introduced to many spiritual concepts that will strengthen your faith and help you to live the abundant life promised to you by Jesus. Our theme verse will be:

Ephesians 5:8 | NKJV

For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

How do children of light walk? They walk according to their spiritual identity. If you want to experience success in your Christian walk, you must first understand who you are, what you have, and what you can do as a believer in Christ Jesus. Understanding and applying these biblical truths will transform your life into the image of the one who called you out of darkness and into the light!

CHAPTER 1

Identity Crisis

When I was a child, my mother used to read me a book titled, Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman. It is a fictional story of a baby bird that hatched while his mother was out getting him some food. As his mother was delayed in her return, the baby bird left his nest and began a journey to find his mother. He found a kitten and asked,

Are you my mother?

No! the kitten replied; I am not your mother.

He found a hen and asked,

Are you my mother?

No! the hen replied; I am not your mother.

He found a dog and a cow, but they were not his mother. He saw a boat, a plane, and a big machine that went Snort, but they were not his mother. The search for his mother had been unsuccessful, and now the baby bird was lost and alone. Fortunately, the Snort returned the little birdie to his nest just as his mother returned with breakfast.

The little bird was new to this world and was not sure of who he was or where he belonged. In the search for his mother, he was able to rule out who he wasn’t. He was not a kitten or a hen or a dog or a cow or a boat or a plane or a Snort. His search for identity was answered when he found his mother. His mother was a living example of who he was.

We live in a world that struggles with identity. Wandering masses of lost little birdies roaming through the night to find their place in this world. They search for value, purpose, and significance anywhere they can find them.

To experience success in this life, we all must come to understand our purpose from a spiritual and eternal perspective. In the story of Adam, we learn that we were