The exchange life is the only way Paul teaches us in Romans to live as Christians. The life of Christ became our life when we received Him. Our old adamic or sinful nature was crucified with Christ. The new, resurrected with Christ (Romans 6:4,5), us became new creations (2 Cor. 5:17) having received and now possessing Christ.

Unfortunately, we are new spirit beings still living in this old unregenerate body, or as Paul puts it, this body of death. Sin's power over us was broken according to Romans 6:6 and that we have been set free from its power (6:6,7,and 11). But according to Romans 7:17,18,19,20,21 Sin is very much alive and still within our bodies. It is this Sin which controls the old man or nature.

The life of Christ has replaced this controlling factor in us. According to Colossians 3:4 Christ has become our life. We were never created to be independent. Adam (us included) was created to be motivated and controlled by God. This does not mean that we were to be puppets but we were to have our natures derived from God Himself. Satan exchanged God's control for his. The system he introduced to control us was the evil power called Sin. Satan through Sin controlled man, so man's nature became sinful. Man's nature became identified with its controller. All that was Satan's became man's. (Read Ephesians)

Now because of the exchange (being born again of the Spirit) we Christians are identified with Christ and no longer with sin. His life becomes our controlling factor. His Life becomes our new identity, His nature our nature. All that is Christ has become ours. We are now to yield ourselves to Him (Romans 6:13) and He will live His Life in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

But, according to Paul, if we yield to Sin, we will fall back into his control and find ourselves under his mastery (Romans 6:16). This is the reason the just shall live by faith. Because as long as we trust Christ to live for us, in us, through us, we will not sin or fall under Sin's control. Walking in the Spirit or by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, Romans 8:4) is our yielding to God.

There are two ways of falling under Sin's control. First, the flesh, the cravings of our bodies outside of God's control, may fall to Sin's control by simply falling to one of his constant temptations. Since Sin was past on to us through our father's seed, he has been with us all our lives and knows us in detail. Sin knows how to tempt us and with what to tempt us and He is very good at it. But remember, we are to yield to God and not to Sin according to Romans 6:12,13. Yes, he may tempt us, but he powerless to force his will on us.

The second is trying to live by the law. The law was given to expose sin. Christ is given to us to live out the law through us. Indeed, it is to be an unexplainable, miraculous life. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Romans 8:3,4

Many of us as Christians are struggling because of the sin in our lives. We think we have to overcome our sin or sins before God will use us. We simply do not understand that God is no longer dealing with sin. We focus on sins. God focuses on life. God forgave us of our sins because of the Blood of Christ. God dealt with the source of our sin by our co-crucifixion with Christ on the cross. But for some reason we only associate the cross of Christ with forgiveness.

But read Romans 6:6, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Christ that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. This means that the power that sin had over us in broken by our union with Christ on the cross. Now read Romans 6:11-13, Likewise, reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

God now wants to deal in your life as your life. He is there to deal in issues of life, not sin. Simply yielding to God through Jesus Christ will produce the life we have been called to.

Start today to focus on Christ as life. Don't worry about the sin in your life. Yield to God. Christ will live your life for you and your life will become full of glory. This is the Christian life. Christ in me (us) is my (our) hope of Glory, Colossians 1:27. This does not mean that we can sin and not worry about it, read all of Romans 6. If we yield to God, we simply will not sin. As Christ lives in us He lives a righteous, holy life.

Now read Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.

For God So Loved the World...
After a time not publishing I have decided to resume writing. I have been learning so much in Romans I want to share, and as we approach Easter I will be digging out some prophecies concerning Jesus' crucifixion.

Genesis 3:15(A) Prophecy of the birth of Christ, Offspring of the woman;

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring; He will bruise and tread your head underfoot, and you will lie in wait and bruise His heel.

Moses wrote this prophecy approximately 1400 years earlier.

The Offspring referred to here is the Son of God as fulfilled in the following verses.

Luke 1:35 Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.

Luke 2:11 For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!

Luke 8:28 And when he saw Jesus, he raised a deep (terrible) cry [from the depths of his throat] and fell down before Him [in terror] and shouted loudly, What have You [to do] with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? [What have we in common?] I beg You, do not torment me!

Luke 22:70 And they all said, You are the Son of God, then? And He said to them, It is just as you say; I AM.

Rom. 1:4 And [as to His divine nature] according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated the Son of God in power [in a striking, triumphant and miraculous manner] by His resurrection from the dead, even Jesus Christ our Lord (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Galatians 4:4 But when the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born subject to [the regulations of] the Law,

Of course these are but a few of the verses declaring Jesus Christ being the Promised One.

Enmity

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her Offspring;

The Dictionary tells us that enmity is the extreme ill will or hatred that exist between enemies. It was Satan’s plan to kill the Son of God. Jeremiah prophesied the out-working of the enmity over 600 years earlier.

Jeremiah 31:15 Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.

The fulfillment of this verse is also found in the Christmas Story passage in Matthew.

Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.

Satan tried to use (his seed) Herod to kill the baby Jesus. He failed here! (Although later he would be successful in killing Jesus on the cross. Successful he thinks, but it would result in a crushing blow to himself as we will see later.)

God saved the toddler Jesus by sending Him down to Egypt. (Many scholars believe Jesus could have been an eighteen month old toddler who was living in a house by the time the Wise Men arrived to give to Him their gifts. see Matthew 2:11)

Matthew 2:13 Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [Tenderly] take unto you the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise], for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.
14 And having risen, he took the Child and His mother by night and withdrew to Egypt
15 And remained there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son.

Out of Egypt have I called my Son is also the fulfillment of this prophecy written approximately 750 years earlier by Hosea.

Then when Herod had died God brought Him up out of Egypt.

Hosea 11:1 WHEN ISRAEL was a child, then I loved him and called My son out of Egypt.

The fulfillment is also found in Matthew.

Matthew 2:19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20 And said, Rise, [tenderly] take unto you the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.
21 Then he awoke and arose and [tenderly] took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel.
22 But because he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being divinely warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.
23 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He shall be called a Nazarene [Branch, Separated One].

That He shall be called a Nazarene [Branch, Separated One], according to some scholars, is the fulfillment of Isaiah 11:1 written over 700 years earlier.

Isaiah 11:1 AND THERE shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David’s father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit.

I have given the Strong’s Concordance numbers for Branch. Bible scholars believe there is a connection between Nazarene and Natsar.

5341. natsar, naw-tsar´; a primitive root; to guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.) or a bad one (to conceal, etc.):—besieged, hidden thing, keep(-er, -ing), monument, observe, preserve(-r), subtil, watcher(-man).

5342. netser, nay´-tser; from 5341 in the sense of greenness as a striking color; a shoot; figuratively, a descendant:—branch.

Micah 5:2 Prophecy of the birth of Christ, Bethlehem;

Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. Both were prophets to Judah, the southern kingdom.

Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephratah, you are little to be among the clans of Judah; [yet] out of you shall One come forth for Me Who is to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth have been from of old, from ancient days (eternity).

This is the prophecy of Bethlehem. Remember the visit of the wise men to King Herod.

Matthew 2:1 NOW WHEN Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [astrologers] from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,
2 Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at its rising and have come to worship Him.
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed and troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him.
4 So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5 They replied to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least or insignificant among the chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler (Leader) Who will govern and shepherd My people Israel.
7 Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east].
8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully and diligently, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.
9 When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east an its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy.

Verse 5 is a clear reference to Micah 5:2. Micah's verse was written over 700 years before the event took place.

Here is Luke’s account of the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy.

Luke 2:1 IN THOSE days it occurred that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole Roman empire should be registered.
2 This was the first enrollment, and it was made when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3 And all the people were going to be registered, each to his own city or town.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
5 To be enrolled with Mary, his espoused (married) wife, who was about to become a mother.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her delivery,
7 And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.
8 And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night.
9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people.
11 For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord

Bethlehem is little among the thousands but it does have a recorded history in the scriptures. In Genesis 35 we are introduced to Bethlehem as the place where Rachel dies giving birth to a son she called Benoni (son of my sorrow). Jacob renames the son to Benjamin (son of my right hand). In this naming and renaming we are given two aspects of Christ. Son of my sorrow relates to His death as described by Isaiah 53:3, and the son of my right hand relates to the honor the Father bestowed upon Him as described by Mark 14:62, Mark 16:19 and 1 Peter 3:22. Jacob buried Rachel in Bethlehem. He then journeys a few miles and spreads his tent beyond the tower of Edar. This is Midgal Edar, the tower of the flock, which is located just outside of the town of Bethlehem on the road to Jerusalem. Many people believe this may actually be the location of the stable that Jesus was born in.

Could this be the meaning of another prophecy given by Micah?

Micah 4:8 And you, O tower of the flock, the hill and stronghold of the Daughter of Zion, unto you the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the Daughter of Jerusalem.

Read The Bethlehem Story by Jimmy DeYoung at www.jimmydeyoung.gospelcom.net for more information about Midgal Edar.

Isaiah 9:6 Prophecy of the birth of Christ, A Child is Born:

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Of course this was fulfilled in the Christmas story. Let’s read from Luke chapter 2.

Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

This announcement in verse 10 to the shepherds is one of greatest communications from God to man ever recorded. Could you image being one of those shepherds in the field watching over his sheep. There you are, setting or laying down, half or even fully asleep and suddenly out of the starry night an angel appears bright as the morning sun, speaking in a voice that was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire area. I think I would have been afraid too. But to be personally invited by an angel to be a witness of the birth of the Savior of the world would have indeed been an unspeakable privilege.

Verse 6 of the prophecy written over 700 years earlier was fulfilled as recorded by Luke chapter 2. The prophecy of verse 7, now over 2700 years old, is yet to be fulfilled.

Isaiah 7:14 Prophecy of the birth of Christ, The Virgin;

Some people describe my paintings as realistic, others as impressionistic. My earlier open-air paintings were more impressionistic than the work I am currently doing. When I painted outside I always felt the need to hurry, to get it down and move on. The result was a faster way to paint as compared to now in my studio when I can work at a slower pace.

The New Testament is full of stories/history about Jesus Christ that are more detailed in scope fulfilling many of the prophecies of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is full of short impressions about Jesus Christ. These impressions are quick strokes of a particular time of His future life in the flesh. They range in topics from His birth, life, and death to His second coming.

Here is one that relates to His birth written by Isaiah over 700 years before the event took place.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, the young woman who is unmarried and a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]. AMP

The New Testament goes into great detail describing the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Luke 1:26 Now in the sixth month [after that], the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee named Nazareth,
27 To a girl never having been married and a virgin engaged to be married to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!
29 But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean.
30 And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.
31 And listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus.
32 He will be great (eminent) and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His forefather David,
33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob throughout the ages; and of His reign there will be no end.
34 And Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband?
35 Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.
36 And listen! Your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is now the sixth month with her who was called barren.
37 For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.
38 Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.

Now read the Matthew account.

Matt. 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place under these circumstances: When His mother Mary had been promised in marriage to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be pregnant [through the power] of the Holy Spirit.
19 And her [promised] husband Joseph, being a just and upright man and not willing to expose her publicly and to shame and disgrace her, decided to repudiate and dismiss (divorce) her quietly and secretly.
20 But as he was thinking this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary [as] your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of (from, out of) the Holy Spirit.
21 She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus [the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Savior], for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].
22 All this took place that it might be fulfilled which the Lord had spoken through the prophet,
23 Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel—which, when translated, means, God with us.
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from his sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: he took [her to his side as] his wife.
25 But he had no union with her as her husband until she had borne her firstborn Son; and he called His name Jesus.