Do we know what we NOW possess in Christ because of His Finished Work?
If you look up the word “now” in the Strong’s Concordance and study every New Testament verse and/or passage where this word appears, you’ll learn what you NOW have access to that extends far beyond the New Birth…
“…Being NOW justified by his blood…” Rom 5:9 KJV
“…We also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have NOW received the atonement.” Rom 5:11 KJV
“But NOW being made free from sin…” Rom 6:22 KJV
“There is therefore NOW no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom 8:1 KJV
“…NOW it is high time to awake out of sleep: for NOW is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Rom 13:11 KJV
“NOW the God of peace be with you all…” Rom 15:33 KJV
“NOW to him that is of power to stablish you…according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret… But NOW is made manifest…” Rom 16:25-26 KJV
“NOW we have… the spirit… of God…” 1 Cor 2:12 KJV
“NOW ye are the body of Christ…” 1 Cor 12:27 KJV
“…NOW is Christ risen from the dead…” 1 Cor 15:20 KJV
“NOW then we are ambassadors for Christ…” 2 Cor 5:20 KJV
“…Behold, NOW is the accepted time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2 KJV
“…Right NOW God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you.” 2 Cor 6:2 TLB
“But NOW in Christ Jesus ye…are made nigh by the blood of Christ.” Eph 2:13 KJV
“NOW…ye are…fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Eph 2:19 KJV
“…NOW are ye light in the Lord…” Eph 5:8 KJV
“And you… NOW hath he reconciled…” Col 1:21 KJV
“…The mystery (“Christ in you”) which… NOW is made manifest to his saints…” Col 1:26 KJV
“…NOW we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.” 1 Thess 3:8 KJV
“NOW the Spirit speaketh expressly…” 1 Tim 4:1 KJV
“…The life that NOW is…” 1 Tim 4:8 KJV
“…Be thou partaker of… God… Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling… which… is NOW made manifest by the appearing of… Jesus Christ…” 2 Tim 1:8-10 KJV
“Christ is… entered… into heaven itself, NOW to appear in the presence of God for us.” Heb 9:24 KJV
“NOW the just shall live by faith…” Heb 10:38 KJV
“…NOW he hath promised…” Heb 12:26 KJV
“NOW faith is…” Heb 11:1 KJV
“…The darkness is past, and the true light NOW shineth.” 1 Jn 2:8 KJV
“Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God…” 1 Jn 3:2 KJV
“…NOW is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ…” Rev 12:10 KJV
And consider this…
Hebrews 12:22-24 (KJV) says, “But ye ARE come…”
- “unto mount Sion, and”
- “unto the city of the living God”
- “the heavenly Jerusalem, and”
- “to an innumerable company of angels”
- “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and”
- “to God the Judge of all, and”
- “to the spirits of just men made perfect”
- “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and”
- “to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”
And to these glorious things (which, if you study all 9 of them in depth, will blow your mind and renew it in the process)…
“…You HAVE come…” New International Version
“…You HAVE come RIGHT UP INTO…” The Living Bible
“…Ye HAVE drawn near…” The New Testament by Henry Alford
“…Ye HAVE approached…” The Emphasized New Testament by J.B. Rotherham
“…You STAND BEFORE…” The New English Bible
“…You HAVE BEEN allowed to approach…” The New Testament by J.B. Phillips
Notice, it doesn’t say, “But ye SHALL come…” but “…Ye ARE COME…” [Note: The 9 points in Hebrews 12:22-24 reveal depths in the Lord that are available to us NOW. While I haven’t unpacked them in this blog post, let me encourage you to study and meditate upon these 9 points of what we HAVE NOW in Christ.]
How much of this are we waiting for, to enjoy in the future, in “the sweet by-n-by,” when the writer of Hebrews (and the entire New Testament) says “…Ye ARE COME…”???
How would our lives change if we lived in the glory of what we NOW have in Christ???
Selah (pause and meditate on this)