No Longer A Mere Man
YOU ARE THE WORK OF GOD!
for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you,
are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
—1 Corinthians 3:3
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
—2 Corinthians 5:17
In this lesson, we are unlocking kingdom purpose and potential through a discovery of our kingdom identity.
What does the Father God have on His mind for you? DEPLOYMENT
Deploy – a military term; “to move (troops) into position for military action”
Identity empowers activity!
Not a Mere Man
1 Corinthians 3:3 – Paul told the Corinthian believers that they were carnal and behaving “like mere men.”
“…and like mere (unchanged) men?” (AMPC)
“…are you not mere human beings?” (NIV)
“…are you not being merely human?” (ESV)
Why would Paul correct them for being reduced to “mere men”? Because they were NOT mere men! Through their “envy, strife, and divisions” they were being reduced to mere humanity. But in reality, they were, as we are, “a new creation in Christ.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
2 Corinthians 5:14-16 – Now that Christ has died and rose again from the dead, the Holy Spirit instructs us through Paul, “…from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.”
“…we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view.” (NLT)
Now that we are born again, we must stop identifying ourselves from a mere human point of view, as if we are “just human.”
All identities other than true kingdom identities will limit you! That’s why Paul “counted all things as loss” pertaining to his earthly, natural identity; so that he could walk in the power of his new identity which could only be “found in Him.” (Phil. 3:3–9)
A New Creation in Christ
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away;
behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God…
— 2 Corinthians 5:17,18
“A NEW creation” refers to A NEW KIND of creation.
What kind of creation is the new creation? “…now all things are of God…”
The new creation has the LIFE OF GOD. (Jn. 3:16; Jn. 10:10)
The new creation has the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. (2 Cor. 5:21)
The new creation has the LOVE OF GOD. (Rom. 5:5; Jn. 17:26)
The new creation has SPIRITUAL EYES and EARS that see and hear. (Eph. 1:18; Mk. 4:23)
The new creation has the FAITH OF GOD. (2 Cor. 4:13; 2 Pet. 1:1)
There are NO SPIRITUAL BIRTH DEFECTS in the new creation. The new birth is a perfect birth of incorruptible, divine seed. (1 Pet. 1:23; 1 Jn. 3:9)
The divine is no longer only for the pastors, the clergy, or the spiritual elite. The divine is for you — the new creation in Christ!
Jesus — the first of the New Creation
Jesus is the firstborn of a new type…a new race…a new kind. Jesus is the firstborn of the new creation species!
Since the resurrection, we don’t regard Jesus according to the flesh anymore. (2 Cor. 5:16)
In reference to Jesus’ earth life and ministry, the gospels refer to Jesus as the “only begotten of the Father.” (Jn. 1:14,18; Jn. 3:16,18)
In reference to the resurrection, the epistles refer to Jesus as “the firstborn from the dead” and the “firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:12–15; Heb. 1:3,6; Acts 13:33,34; Heb. 12:22,23; Rev. 1:5)
“Only begotten” implies that there are no others like Him. And in truth, no one except Jesus could complete the work of redemption for mankind.
“Firstborn,” on the other hand, implies that there ARE others like Him: a second-born…a third-born….and so on. Through the work that the “only begotten” accomplished on the cross, He has brought “many sons to glory” so that now “as He is, so are we in this world.” (Heb. 2:9,10; 1 Jn. 4:17)
Through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the new creation has been made available to all, with Jesus as the head and firstborn of this supernatural new race! You are no longer a mere man!
“What Jesus has, I have! For He got it for me!
What Jesus is, I am! For that is what He made me to be!
You are the work of God…not the work of any man!
A consistent theme found in the book of 1 John is “born of God.” Your spiritual new birth is “OF God” and not “of men.” (1 Jn. 4:4, 6; 1 Jn. 5:1)
Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are HIS workmanship…” Who’s workmanship? HIS workmanship! We are the work of God.
Philippians 1:6 – “…HE who has begun a good work in you will complete it…” WHO has begun this good work in you? And WHO will complete it? The Lord! You are the work of God!
1 Peter 1:23 (AMPC) – We have been born again “not from mortal origin.”
Men certainly have their role in our spiritual development. After all, God uses people! “He gave gifts to men” (people) for our spiritual development and training. And because we understand that, we will forever acknowledge, honor, and submit to those the Lord has assigned for our development. We cannot fulfill what God has for us apart from the people that God sends in our lives.
However, we must never forget that we are not the work of any man. We are the work of God! We are God’s building! (1 Cor. 3:9) And we are being built up for His purposes…not man’s purposes.
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
— 1 Timothy 2:5
The men and women that God has used for our development have only contributed to our development because they “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet .1:21) It has ultimately been God’s doing!
The 5-fold ministry gifts are given for our “equipping” and “edifying.” But even through their anointed role in our lives, we are to “grow up in all things INTO HIM.” (Eph. 4:11–16) We are being built up unto God and not unto men.
You are REBORN OF GOD….and BUILT UP OF GOD…for GOD’S KINGDOM PURPOSES.
You are not built by man for man’s purposes. You are not built by your family for your family’s purposes. You are not built by your pastor for your pastor’s purposes. You are built by God for His purposes! You are being built up to follow God and to walk with God!
God’s kingdom purpose for your life will often include being a strong support to your pastor, or perhaps even to work closely with your pastor. But you will do this because it’s God’s leading for your life, and not only because the pastor needs your assistance.
You Belong to Christ…and all things are Yours!
If you read 1 Corinthians 3, you will find Paul dealing with men’s carnality, as they falsely sought to find their identity in one preacher or another. He went on to explain the primary role of the man of God in our lives, which is to plant the Word of God in our lives, for we are “God’s building.” (1 Cor. 3:9)
Because God uses men for such a vital function in our lives and oftentimes so powerfully, it can be tempting to make too much of men. But Paul brought things into proper order when he wrote, “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?” (1 Cor. 3:5) In other words, Paul was saying, “God is the one who gave us these truths so that we can serve them to you and build you for His purposes!”
He continues later in the chapter to drive the point home with this powerful statement: “Therefore let no one boast in men, for all things are yours…and you are Christ’s…” (1 Cor. 3:21,23)
We don’t belong to any man. We are not the work of any man. We belong to Christ, and all things are ours in Christ. God sends us preachers and men of God, not for identification purposes, but so that we can walk in our full inheritance — for all things are ours!
So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you…and you belong to Christ…
— 1 Corinthians 3:21,23 (NLT)
We are not to seek or try to find our identity in a certain church group, ministry, denomination, or preacher. To do so reduces us to the level of “mere humanity.” Certainly God is the one who sets us in churches. (1 Cor. 12:18) And we are thankful for where He has set us! Certainly God is the one who ordains certain preachers in our lives. And we are forever grateful for those He sends and uses! But our true identity, which will allow us to fulfill all that God has planned for us, can only be found “in Christ.”
Share this Message
Listen to the Audio Message
To discover more about your true kingdom identity, you may listen to the free online audio message “NO LONGER A MERE MAN”
If you’ve been blessed by this message, please share your testimony HERE.
We would be happy to hear from you.
We would be happy to hear from you.
If you encountered any technical issues, please let us know by clicking the button below.