Real Christianity, authentic Christianity, is God alive and functioning in a human being. It is the pulsating life of Christ in a human body. Jesus came to make fellowship with God possible for man. This was the very essence and purpose of Jesus in the earth. Jesus Christ came to bring us into a living relationship with his father (God). Once you come into this relationship with God, everything changes for you.
The legal aspect of salvation is based upon acknowledgement and acting on the word. To acknowledge means to hear it, recognize it and accept it (2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:13). The vital aspect of salvation is based upon our confession: it is activated by confession" (Romans 10:9-10). Confession makes the vital aspect of salvation produce result in the life of the one who is born again. Salvation is spiritual. It becomes real to the one who believes and confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.
God is very legal. And this is why he has dealt with the devil in legality. God can't destroy the devil yet because he is operating on legal grounds - Adamic Authority. Adam submitted his authority to Satan by obeying him. And so, Satan gained the Adamic authority. If you give yourself over in obedience to a spirit, you become subject that spirit (Romans 6:16).
When the glory of God departs from a man, that man becomes naked; that means, he or she becomes subject to attack. Once Adam became naked spiritually, he was subject to attack. This meant anything could happen to him. Now God had committed all things on earth to Adam's authority, hence, when Adam submitted himself to obedience, he lost the right of the Adamic Authority. Satan is operating today with Adamic authority, which was higher than his authority as an anointed cherub.
Jesus was sent by God as the second and last Adam. And he heads up the new creation. Being the first to rise from spiritual death. Therefore, all those who are born again have arisen from spiritual death. Every man that is born into this world is born into spiritual death. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The kingdom of God is a kingdom of light. The kingdom of God is the kingdom of life.
Until a man is born again, he dwells in darkness and is under Satan’s domain: he cannot see or have fellowship with God since he is under the domain of darkness. Jesus described those who do not have eternal life as those whose father is the devil.
The reason we preach the gospel is because the gospel is about Jesus Christ and what he has done, which if any man would accept that what he did was enough, that man or woman would receive remission of sins and justification from all things (Acts 13:37-39). Satan has legal power over every human being until they are taken out of the domain of darkness when they are born again (Colossians 1:13). When a man proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord, he is translated from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.
You are legally a child of God and you are vitally a child of God. Your claim (reason for declaring and stating the reality of your health, and why you must have it) to health is a vital aspect of salvation. God saves through the words from men. This is why it is our honour and blessing to preach the gospel (2 Corinthians 5:18-19 KJV).
This article was culled from The Legal and Vital Aspects of Christ. Download the full message for this article at Pastor Chris Digital Library
