Abiding Life:

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This indwelt Christian is resting, trusting, and continually yielding to the Life of Christ living inside the believer (Romans 6:13).

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Abundant Living:

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This is a lifestyle of walking after the indwelling Spirit of Christ through a consistent yielding process within the mind, will, and emotions.

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Acceptance In Christ:

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Complete and unmerited favor is offered to those in Christ through the forgiveness of past, present & future sins.  Acceptance is the fluid act of Grace demonstrated by Jesus Christ in relationship and position as Bridal members of Christ (Ephesians 1:13).

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Adamic Nature: (Old Man, Old Nature, Sin Nature, Unregenerate Nature, Old Self)

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This is the condition of Adam after he chose to sin and eat from the tree that God commanded him not to.  Before his “fall,” his nature/spirit was in complete harmony with his Father’s – God.  After his “fall,” Adam’s spirit became separated from that of God’s, resulting in spiritual death and being replaced by old man, old nature, sinful nature, unregenerate nature, old self, or Adamic nature.

 

Admonish:

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Admonish is correcting, rebuking, reproving, & warning a believer of their wrong beliefs to bring them in line with Christ, which is releasing Jesus through them. Being admonished has the appearance of negative but is positively used by Christ.

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Appropriation:

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This is an active faith decision to take what God says is Truth and bring it into daily living.  It is through appropriation that an indwelt believer begins to walk after the Spirit.  

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Baptism (Water, Spirit & Fire)

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Like the earth, the three baptisms are offered to all humanity.  The earth’s water baptism was the flood, its Spirit baptism was the first coming of our Lord, and the earth’s fire baptism will be the burning of it, as stated in Revelation 8:7.  For those who are unsaved and never become born again, they will only go through one baptism – fire (Rev. 21:8). Although many unsaved insert the water baptism as a ritual rather than a testimony of their salvation & being cleans by the blood of the Lamb.  The born again, indwelt Christian is strongly encouraged to be water baptized (testimony of salvation) shortly after their Spirit baptism – receiving the Holy Spirit into their mortal bodies & being baptized into Christ (Rom. 6:3). The indwelt Christians fire baptism (purification) is the trials & sufferings while waiting to join their Savior and Husband in Heaven.

  

Birth (First & Second)

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The first birth is physical and comes from being born of a woman.  The second birth offered to us is called; “born-again” (John 3:3).  Being born again is the experience of salvation – being regenerated and connected back to God.  This is accomplished by the “old man/nature” being crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20).  The first birth places us “in Adam,” and the second birth transfers us from being in Adam to that of being “in Christ” (Col. 3:3).

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Blood (Christ & Of Man)

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The blood of Christ is the washing element of our redemption/salvation.  It is in and through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the Cross by shedding His innocent blood that we have redemption, forgiveness, and salvation, which is made real to us by His everlasting Grace (Eph. 1:7). For blood to be redemptive and cleansing – it must be free of sin – as was the single case of Jesus.  Man’s blood became defiled (filled with sin) due to the seed of Adam, and it is through Christ that all are made new (1 Cor. 15:22).

 

Body (Of Man, Sin & Christ)

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The body's first form is that which is born of a woman.  It is being born of woman that the “body of sin” is given to us through the defiled seed of man. This makes us unsaved/ unregenerate and gives us an “old man/nature.” This is also why our old self had to be crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with – so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Rom. 6:6). As for Christ; He was born without sin in His body (1 John 3:9).  This was possible due to the seed that was placed in Mary came directly from God through the Holy Spirit.  Sin travels through the seed – not blood.  Therefore, Christ could be born of a normal human woman without having sin pass into His body.  Today, we know through science that the mother’s blood never mixes with her baby's.

 

Bride (Of Christ & Man)

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Human marriages are the physical representation of the marriage of the Lamb to the Bride of Christ – the indwelt believers (Rev. 19:7; 21:9 & 22:17). Men are to represent Christ’s headship over the Church as heads of home in and through their marriages.  Women are to reveal the practical workings of the Bride of Christ through their service to their husbands, children, and community.    

 

Christ (Real & Antichrist)

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The Hebrew root for Christ is “Messias,” the most popular Greek meaning is Messiah – the highest of all priests. Christ is not Jesus’s last name; rather, it is a statement of position, power & privilege.  The antichrist is Satan, and he will come to project himself as the “true Christ” or Messiah.  He will work to replicate the real Jesus to deceive the people into following the fake – himself.  Jesus Christ is the total deity (God's position) as the Father’s Son within the Trinity. He is the manifestation of God in the flesh. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit by the direct orders of God and born of the virgin Mary. He is true God and man (John 1:1, 1:14, 1:18; John 14:8-9; 1 Timothy 3:16).  

 

Christ’s Life & Christ as Life

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The life of Christ Jesus while on the earth was in the form of man, emptying Himself out as being equal to God (Phil. 2:6). After His resurrection and then ascension, He gave to all those who accepted Him as Lord and Savior a special gift – His Life, by placing the Holy Spirit to indwell us (James 4:5).  When we read about the life of Christ living within us (Gal. 2:20), be assured it is His actual Life, which is eternal Life.  “Christ as Life” explains a believer walking after the Spirit by allowing the Life of Christ to “do” the walking in and through them.   

 

Crucifixion & Co-crucifixion

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Crucifixion is the form of death thrown upon Jesus in His appointed time of death.  It is described as nailing a person’s hands and feet to a cross & allowing the natural processes to occur to produce death–like suffocation.  Romans 6:6 reveals a very powerful reality of freedom: “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him so that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.”  Galatians 2:20 also reveals a life-alliterating reality: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”  Both passages reveal that those of us who have the indwelling life of Christ within us experienced the believer’s co-crucifixion—what got crucified - the old man, nature, Adamic nature, or old self.

 

Co-death, Burial & Resurrection

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The reality of true salvation states that the believer has been baptized into Jesus as an actual sharing in His death, burial, and resurrection.  This truth takes the Spirit of life within the believer to understand and embrace (Rom. 6:3-7).  People who are not born-again cannot understand the mystery of co-death, burial, and resurrection – they are spiritually appraised (1 Cor. 2:14).

 

Communion

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This term is used to define the unity and unblock fellowship with the Life of Christ from within.  The word comes from “commune” or oneness, which is operative for any believer who walks after the Spirit and not after the flesh–self-life.

 

Conscience

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The conscience is the part of the mind that discerns the difference between “right” and “wrong.”  It is either seared by the Adamic nature – the unregenerate spirit of an unsaved person- or generated by the indwelling life of Christ once saved. 

 

Conscious & Subconscious

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The term conscious is the part of the human brain that is awake, aware, intentional, informed & conducts active thinking.  The term subconscious is a modern word used to define the memories filed away by the mind as you sleep at night or are purposely and/or unintentionally forgotten.  God designed the brain to hold only a certain amount of data while awake.  All “unnecessary” data/memories are filled through time or sleep.  This is why we can remember things from our past if we contemplate them or dream about them. 

 

Cross (Christ & Man)

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It is one of the most common words used in Christianity.  It classically has two common references; the first being the word used to define the form of death that Jesus experienced, and the second is used to define an indwelt believer’s description of their co-crucifixion with Christ and all the eternal benefits of understanding their identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension in their walk with Him.  This truth makes way for each indwelt believer to share in the experience of the cross and actually to have their own cross to bear (Luke 14:27).

 

Death

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There are three forms of death: physical, spiritual, and eternal, but since all mankind is born spiritually dead, it is said that the participatory deaths are just two – physical and eternal by way of the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8).  Those who become indwelt by Christ only experience one death, that of passing from this life to the eternal life.  The salvation experience is, for that reason, to deliver the individual from experiencing eternal death. 

 

Die Daily

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It is noted in the Scriptures that all believers must die daily (1 Cor. 15:31).  This “dying daily” is for the strict purpose of considering ourselves dead to sin and alive to and in Christ.  The enemy throws sins before us, and he does this by appealing to our flesh (trash left behind by the Adamic nature); dying daily is the process of appropriating the truth that we are dead to this mortal flesh. 

 

Emotions & Feelings

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Even though the Scriptures do not emphasize “feelings,” our materials will use this term to define the human soul’s response and/or reaction to Truth and lies. To define the physiological meaning of emotions – it is the hormonal part of the human body to alarm, awaken, or celebrate what the mind chooses to believe.   

 

Eternal Life & Everlasting Life

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Eternal life is the life of Christ, past, present, and future (Heb. 13:8).  Jesus has always been and always will be.  When indwelt believers receive Christ Jesus into their lives, they are placed into the Life of Christ or Eternal Life – making us one with Him.  Everlasting life is the life we receive from the point of our salvation forward, but it must be known the believer is given a new past, present, and future due to being placed in Christ.  Therefore, whatever is true about Christ becomes true for every Bridal member. 

 

Exchanged Life

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Hudson Taylor originally used this term to define the exchange upon salvation; we exchange our life for His.  Many teachers of the Cross also use this term to explain an indwelt believer appropriating their co-death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. One of the most common scriptures in this exchange is Galatians 2:20, “not I, but Christ.”  Truth being said, all believers in Christ receive the exchanged life upon the moment of their salvation.

 

Experiential Living

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Many speak Truths without living it in daily experience.  Experiential living is a believer walking in and after the Spirit as a lifestyle.  It is their experience to partake in releasing the mind of Christ within them as their norm.

 

Faith In Christ

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Faith is often subjective and overused as an expression of the firmness of what someone believes, but to have faith in Christ is much different (Rom. 4:14).  For those who have faith in Christ separate themselves from all forms of faith (Rom. 3:22). Any faith that is not in Christ is classically bound by the Law and no justification exists for them.  Those who believe in Christ Jesus are not only justified (just as if I never sinned), but they have a clear understanding and belief of what is in the eternal unseen world can be brought into their own lives through the indwelling faith of Christ from within (Gal. 2:16).  

 

Flesh & Fleshly Self-life

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There are two primary forms of flesh: the human body, where sin houses itself (Rom. 7:17), and flesh or fleshly self-life, the trash left behind by the old nature.  Indwelt Christians have had their flesh (selfish passions) crucified (Gal. 5:24), but since sin remains in our human flesh (not the old nature), we are positioned to reckon ourselves dead to it (Rom. 6:11). Our savior calls us not to continue to present our bodies to sin as if we are slaves to it, for it will produce unrighteousness (Rom. 6:13). 

 

Gifting vs. Personality

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The pop culture of psychology has adopted the term personality to describe the differences between people, even though the word does not exist in the Bible.  Although many culturally accepted translations use this term, it must be known that no Hebrew or Greek word is making use of this fable.  The description that is used is “gifting” or spiritual gifts.  All believers are given at least one occupational gift; each is gifted with all the manifestation gifts.  Manifestation gifts manifest the Holy Spirit within the believer upon the command of the Father and Christ Himself.  Occupational gifts are for exactly that – an occupation.  Each occupational gift is given at birth and made alive in Christ upon salvation.  Each gift carries traits the world now defines as “personality types.” 

 

Grace

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The unmerited favor of Christ without works is the easiest way to define Grace.  Grace is the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the believer's life through Christ's mind (Life) inside the Christian.  People who appropriate grace have manifestations of forgiveness, acceptance, favor, liberty in the Spirit, and peace in all circumstances.  People NOT of grace use the Law to change internal and external behavior.

 

Guilt (Real and False)

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It is said that for indwelt believers, “guilt is the fuel of satanic condemnation.”  Once saved, God no longer uses guilt to motivate His children – only conviction.  Conviction is a gentle reminder of an action not of Christ Jesus, whereas guilt involves punishment, fear, and condemnation.  Unsaved people not only continue to live in guilt, but they are supposed to.  God uses guilt as a condemning factor to press upon unbelievers for them to realize that they will be condemned and go to hell if they do not accept the life of Christ.  Real guilt is pre-salvation, and false guilt is a believer who does not embrace the grace of conviction. 

 

Heart

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The Greek words “kar” and the Hebrew word “leb” define the core of an individual’s thoughts and feelings.

 

Heavenlies

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The word “heavenlies” is a derivative of “Heavens.” When this term is used within the exchanged life teachings, it directly refers to where Christ is seated at the right hand of His Father (Col. 3:1).

 

Holy Spirit & Spirit of Christ

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The ministry of the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Christ) is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner upon belief & confession in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body, of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts, and empowers the believer for godly & righteous living (Mark 13:11; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16).

 

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, God's righteousness, and coming judgment (John 16:8-11). While I believe that the Scriptures do not teach that certain gifts have ceased, they indicate that the use of the gifts varies according to the need and movement of the Holy Spirit within each believer.  We do NOT encourage the Body of Christ to focus upon the gifts or their “manifestations,” but rather the Giver. Instead, we teach and focus on the transformational life principles of the indwelling life of Christ – which emphasizes the more excellent way of love as well as zeal (John 16:8; 13:15; Titus 3:5; Ephesians 1:22; 4:11-12; Romans 8:9-17; 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-5, 12:11-13, 12:19; Galatians 5:25; Hebrews 4:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:12).

 

Identification

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This is one of the most common terms to describe an exchanged life.  Since behavior comes from identity, what one believes to be one's identity (Christ or self) significantly impacts daily living.  It is of utmost importance that the indwelt believer places their identity in the message of identification with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

 

In Christ

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When “in Christ” is used, it should define the finality of the great exchange – “Not I, but Christ.” Upon salvation, the old nature is crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20), and a new nature (that of Christ) is placed in the new believer.  Upon this exchange, the indwelt Christian is placed in Christ and hidden in God (Col. 3:3).

 

Indwelling Life

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This term is used to reference the indwelling life of Christ in the true born-again believer.

 

Justification By Faith

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This is probably one of the most difficult identity Truths to believe.  Justification is a free gift of forgiving our sins; past, present, and future – all at once.  Justification is often explained as “just as if I never sinned,” which is an accurate way to view this term.  The only way the believer can embrace this is by faith, for human logic cannot accept the things of God.

 

Law vs. Law of Spirit of Life

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The Law given to us by God through Moses is for the strict purpose of revealing that no man can fulfill the Law; therefore, it must be fulfilled by someone who can – Jesus Christ. The Law must stay in place and continue to place people under its condemnation for the person to be led to the Law of the Spirit of Life and become accountable to God (Rom. 3:19).  As Rom. 8:1 states, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus but outside of Christ, condemnation is alive and well. The Law of the Spirit of Life is only found in Christ, so the new convert must be placed in Christ.  The convert cannot be free from the Law of sin and death unless this exchange occurs (Rom. 8:2). 

 

Lordship vs. Life

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Lordship is not a Biblical word, but it does refer to a release in the believer to count Jesus Christ as their Lord (owner).  This is a critical doctrinal belief that each indwelt must embrace.  Without the appropriation of Christ being the owner of His Bride, the convert will continue to manage their life as if they own themselves – thus fleshly behavior.  Legalism will manifest if the believer does not move forward from Lordship into the release of the Life of Christ. 

 

Mind, Will & Emotions

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These terms are used to define the trichotomy of man’s soul.  The mind is what Christ renews by revealing the mind of Christ within the believer (1 Cor. 2:16), the will is what chooses to receive renewal, and the emotions support what man believes to be or perceives as Truth.

 

New Man, New Nature, & New Life

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The new man, new nature, or new life is the result of a regenerate spirit in Christ, consisting of a new Spirit – that of the Holy Spirit or Spirit of Christ, which contains the literal mind of Christ (Col. 3:10; 2 Cor. 5:17).  It is also known that our pre-saved condition houses a broken & dead spirit that is made new and alive through the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer and the two become one. 

 

Old Man, Old Nature & Old Self

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The old man, old nature, or old self is the unregenerate spirit dead to Christ and made up of the Adamic nature that needs to be crucified with Christ, which is the process of making it new and regenerate.  This clearly describes the unsaved person and why they go to Hell if they do not receive new life upon salvation (Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9). 

 

Perfection vs. Sinless Perfection

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Perfection can only come from One who is perfect, Jesus Christ.  Once the convert receives Christ into their mortal being, the perfection of God is revealed through the Life of Christ housed within the convert, thus making the new man (spirit) perfect (Heb. 10:1; Heb. 11:40; Heb. 12:23).  That makes one-third of man perfect, holy, and blameless and the other two thirds (soul & body) imperfect.  The soul of man is what is sanctified, whereas the body remains in a dying state – this is why our body remains in the grave, for it houses the sin left behind by the Adamic nature.  Once the believer dies a physical death, their perfect spirit and sanctified soul are joined with a new and perfect body on Heaven’s side.  The false teaching of “sinless perfection” is a belief that once saved, the Spirit, soul, and body become perfect and cannot sin.   

 

Position vs. Condition

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The term “position” references the indwelt believer’s new position in Christ by way of their new life/spirit, seated at the right hand of God, Bride of Christ, and child of God, Holy, and all the other identity statements given to us through Christ (Eph.1). Condition is the soul’s reflection of the measurement of appropriated belief of what is True about the new convert.  This is why the Spirit must sanctify and renew the soul (Phil. 1:6; Heb. 5:12-14).    

 

Power of Sin

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This is an unrighteous force and power within all humans, saved or not. This power of sin was born into each of us due to the consequences of a single sin that Adam and Eve committed (1 Cor. 15:22).  This sin is in us, but it is NOT us and any convert who finds identity in this indwelling power of sin will appear and function as an unbeliever – one who is not saved (Rom. 7:20). 

 

Reckoning

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The term “reckoning” is used frequently within the community of the Cross.  It means to “calculate,” to sum up, or to summarize.  When the term is used scripturally, it becomes a mandate for all believers to consider and calculate what Christ said to be True about us as Truth (Col. 3:5).   

 

Regeneration & Regenerate

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This is the process of Christ placing the Holy Spirit within the convert and making them new and regenerate – as in turning on the generator. 

 

Righteousness vs. Self-righteousness

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True righteousness can only be found in One who is Righteous, Jesus Christ.  Once converts receive Christ into their lives, they become the Righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).  Self-righteousness is a fleshly and ungodly form of humans mustering up their self-created rightness before God and man (Rom. 10:3). 

 

Self and Self-life

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Self is another term for “flesh” or “selfishness” – those who practice having their own way. An unsaved person lives in and functions out of an identity of selfishness/flesh.  On the other hand, an indwelt believer makes choices to be selfish by walking after the flesh and continuing to perfect themselves by self-effort (Gal. 3:3).    

 

Self-Control vs. Christ Control

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Two forms of “self-control” exist–by flesh or the indwelling Holy Spirit.  One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control, but this kind of control is Christ's control through the Holy Spirit in the believer.  One emphasizes “self” control and the other results from walking in and after the Spirit (Gal. 5;22-23).

 

Sin, Sin Nature & Sins

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The most common definition of sin is – falling short of the mark.  This mark is the standard of the Law, and since no one can fulfill the Law except Christ, all who are not saved are in of and find their meaning and purpose in sin.  This is a result of being born with a “sinful nature” or Adamic nature, and this is why humans commit sins, deeds that don’t measure up to the standards (Law) of God (Rom. 3:23).

 

Soul, Body & Spirit

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This is the trichotomy of man.  The mission of our Lord is to preserve the body, soul, and spirit of all believers through daily sanctification (1 Thess. 5:23).

 

Subjective & Suffering

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Subjecting oneself to the Life of Christ produces suffering (1 Pet.2:21).  It is through suffering that Christ Himself learned obedience (Heb. 5:8).  Believers who typically avoid suffering are often times disobedient to Christ. 

 

Surrender, Total Commitment & Obedience

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The Hebrew word for “surrender” is “charaph,” which means “to betroth.”  Betroth is a marriage term used to describe the engagement period of a marriage.  When an indwelt believer surrenders their life to Christ, it is a willful agreement of acceptance of His invite to be the Bride of Christ.  Total commitment is the action of the Bride to remain pure and true to their Husband – Jesus Christ.  Obedience becomes the result of appropriating the first two (Rev. 21:9). 

 

Trichotomy (God & Man)

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The trichotomy of man is body, soul, and spirit, and the trichotomy of God is Father, Son & Holy Spirit.  A man was created in this image.  Many theologians attempt to reduce man’s design into a dichotomy – two parts of man (Soul and Body).  Not only is this an insult to God’s design, but it rubs in the face of all teachings hinging around 1 Thess. 5:23 and the message of co-death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20). 

 

Truth

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Truth in the Hebrew means “to betroth.”  Remember that betroth is a marriage term describing the engagement phase of marriage.  To know Truth is to know and accept your engagement with Christ.  When Christ said He was the Truth, it would be translated in Hebrew as “He is the betroth One.”  Even though we are accustomed to believing that truth is facts backed by the Holy Bible, it means much more to Christ. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and we can find great comfort and security in that whatever our Husband tells us is right and righteous – for you shall know the Christ, and Christ will set you free (John 8:32). Truth is a Person, and that person is Jesus Christ.

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Works (Christ & Man)

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There are only two kinds of works stated in the Holy Scriptures – self and that of Christ.  Works of man produce sin unto death, whereas works of Christ through the believer produce Life and Life Abundantly (Rom. 6:16; John 10:10).

 

Worship

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The act of worship is the indwelt Christian’s willingness to join in on the fellowship between the Holy Spirit from within and Christ Himself.  Jesus Christ is clear about how He jealously desires the Spirit that He has made to dwell within us (James 4:5).  All Bridal members of Christ are given the gift of partaking in this divine and Holy fellowship & intimacy that exists between God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, this is what it means to share in His Holiness (Heb. 12:10). 

 

Worthy (Christ and Man)

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The term “worthy” means to inherit what One deserves due to His worth.  The only being of eternity that deserves this kind of label is that of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When converts shout out, “Worthy are You, Lord,” they say none other has deserving worth except for Jesus Christ.

 

Yield & Yielded

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The term “yielded” literally means “generated.”  To yield is to open the passageway of generation.  If you understand the significance of being born-again, you will know that the unsaved person has an unregenerate spirit before God, and once he/she becomes saved, their spirit is regenerated.  Yield is critical for this process, and an individual cannot become yielded (generated) until this happens.

 

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