Dear Partner,

Believers are supposed to live by faith. How does faith come? Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God [Rom 10:17]. But sometimes we hear the Word of God and even though we do our best to "believe" it, our understanding of it is so foggy we are not able to appropriate the life-changing power that is in it. Jesus says it is possible to hear the preaching of the Word of God and not understand it. When that happens, it is possible for the wicked one to steal it from our hearts.

Mat 13:19   When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

For many years I had a very minimal understanding of what the apostle Paul meant when he wrote the following words:

2 Cor 5:17   Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

I did a lot of study on that verse over the years. I found out that the Greek words for "new creature" are actually "kainos ktisis" and literally means "a new species that never existed before." That helped a little but my understanding at the time was sort of like this, "I am a Christian. I have been saved by the blood of the Lamb. I am no longer on my way to Hell. I am on my way to heaven." All of that is true, but there is so much more to understand.

This year I have been teaching extensively out of the book of Ephesians. I have read the book dozens of times in order to equip myself for "day and night" meditation as described in the first Psalm. I have spent untold hours in prayer asking for the Father to "open the eyes of my understanding" just like Paul prayed in Eph 1:18. As more and more revelation began to dawn upon me from the book of Ephesians it was as if then those "threads of revelation" began to weave themselves together with the other books of the bible, both Old and New Testament. The phrase "in Christ" from Eph 5:17 began to stand out to me as being the most important part of the verse. Finally one day the threads of revelation included this verse and my understanding instantly became clearer:

1 Cor 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Oh my God! I began to see the truth. There are only two types of people on planet earth. They are either "in Adam" or they are "in Christ." The whole natural born human species is descended from the first man Adam. It doesn't matter what color their skin is, all who are born of woman are descended from the first man Adam. Eve is called the mother of ALL LIVING [Gen 3:20], and even Eve came out of Adam [Gen 2:22].

1 Cor 15:45   And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Jesus is called the Second Man … the Last Adam. When a person believes the gospel and is born again, he changes from the "species of Adam" to the "species of Christ." He is literally a "new creature" … something that did not exist before. By "faith" I had always said "I am a new creature in Christ" but in my actions I was showing what I really believed, "I am the same old person who has simply been forgiven now." I remember hearing many preachers from times past thundering from the pulpits, "You are just an old sinner saved by grace." Well, it is true I "was" an old sinner … because I was "in Adam." We all received the sin nature passed down to us from him. But by faith in God's grace through the preaching of the gospel, I was born again. When I was born again I didn't become a forgiven "same old creature." No, the bible says I became a "new creature" … a new species of human, no longer spiritually descended from the first man Adam, but now descended from the last Adam … Jesus Christ!

Yes, my body is still descended from the first Adam. It has the motions of sin working in it. It loves pleasure and is subject to sin. But my spirit is born of God. "I" … the real "me" on the inside of this body is a new creature. I don't have a sin nature any more. I am a child of God. I was "born for dominion." I am a child of the living God on temporary assignment to planet earth to seek and to save as many sons and daughters of Adam as possible during my lifetime. This changes everything! God is the creator of all people, but did you know He is not the Father of all people on earth? What makes a person a child of God?

Gal 3:26   For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Faith in Christ Jesus is the ONLY way a person can be born of God's Spirit. No other religion, no amount of good works, nothing on earth can cause a person to be no longer "in Adam" except the gospel of Jesus Christ. No wonder Jesus said,

John 14:6   I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Sue and I love you and appreciate you.   We thank God for your generous and giving heart.   God bless you!

Your friend and co-laborer,

Gary Carpenter

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