How God Sees You

New Life in Christ

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV)

We find powerful words of encouragement in these verses. God makes four proclamations about the believer in Jesus Christ. Father God proclaims that the believer in Jesus is viewed by Him as forgiven, chosen, holy and dearly loved. Let us take a closer look at these proclamations.

How often do we beat ourselves up unnecessarily over our past sin? We revisit the very things that Jesus came to pay for by dying in our place. When we accept Jesus as Savior, we are covered by His blood and totally changed. We are no longer children of this world. We become the children of God. Galatians 3:26-27 says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” and 1 John 3:1, How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

The covering of Jesus and the love of the Father enables the Father to see us as forgiven, chosen, holy and dearly loved. What we must realize is that when He sees us this way it is not as if God were blinded to our past sins or even overlooks them. God does not put on blinders or turn the other way to be able to tolerate us. He sees us this way because we are truly changed in Christ. The past is no longer there to be viewed by God. The sin and its guilt are gone. Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” and Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” The enemy may accuse you before God the Father, but God’s response can only be “What sin? I see no record of sin.” The enemy may accuse you in your thoughts, but you too can respond with “What sin?” In Christ, we are completely forgiven. Can you give praise to God for His great love and forgiveness?

This forgiveness brings about a great change in us. The change is wrought in us by Jesus. What is this change? When Jesus comes in and removes our sin by washing us in His blood the result is a holy individual. The reason is that when sin is removed only that which is pure can be found. There are no impurities. The blood of Jesus fully cleanses. Two verses exemplify this truth well. Hebrews 10:19 says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,” If we were not truly holy we could never be granted access to the Most Holy Place. This invitation to enter affirms our new condition. Hebrews 13:12 says, “Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” We are a holy people set apart for God by God through the blood of Jesus. Do not misunderstand. This is not a holiness that we accomplish on our own. This holiness comes through Jesus. Due to this change, we become holy in Christ. The spirit is completely changed at salvation. The flesh will be changed at the rapture. Regarding this change, we need to be reminded that the change is so radical that it is called being “born again.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

What does it mean to be chosen? We will address two points. 1) It is God Who sought us out. He is the one that makes it all possible. 2) We could not have overcome our sin nor been able to find Him if not for the fact that He sought us out. Our whole life, present and eternal, are wholly dependant upon Him. If you know Jesus as your Savior, then, praise God that He chose you!!!

In Christ, we are blessed. We are God's chosen people, holy, dearly loved and fully forgiven.