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N E I L   A N D E R S O N   D A I L Y   D E V O T I O N A L
             from Freedom in Christ Ministries

January 17

SPIRITUALLY ALIVE

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and
this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does
not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11, 12 NIV).

When God breathed life into Adam, he was both physically and
spiritually alive. Adam was spiritually alive because his soul
was in union with God. We were never designed to be separated
from God or to live independently of Him. We were born to be
spiritually alive.

For the Christian, to be spiritually alive is to be in union with
God. This concept is repeatedly presented in Scripture by the
prepositional phrase in Christ. Being in Christ is the theme of
the New Testament. Like Adam, we were created to be in union with
God. But Adam sinned and his union with God, and ours as well,
was severed. It is God's eternal plan to bring human creation
back to Himself and restore the union He enjoyed with Adam at
creation. That restored union with God, which we find in Christ,
is the essence of our identity.

When you were born again, your soul was united with God and you
came alive spiritually, as alive as Adam was in the garden before
he sinned. As the New Testament repeatedly declares, you are now
in Christ, and Christ is in you. Since Christ who is in you is
eternal, the spiritual life you have received from Him is
eternal. You don't have to wait until you die to get eternal
life; you possess it right now!

The apostle John wrote, "He who has the Son has the life" (1 John
5:12). He probably remembered Jesus' statement to Martha: "I am
the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live
even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall
never die" (John 11:25, 26). After Jesus said this to Martha, He
added, "Do you believe this?" (verse 26).

The Word of God is clear: Because of Jesus, we will continue to
live spiritually even after we die physically. Do you believe
this?

Dear Father, I declare my wholehearted belief that my spiritual
life--eternal life--is in You. Help me live today with eternity's
values in view.


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This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com.  It is written by Neil Anderson at
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You can purchase "Daily in Christ" and other titles by Neil Anderson at
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Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
< http://devotionals.crosswalk.com >.
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