Greetings,
I think there is a lot of confusion about being IN Christ and abiding IN Christ.
Being in Christ is by association...being part of a household. And abiding in Christ is by a direct union with God.
Paul says..
"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy." 1 Cor. 7:14
This means that the covering of holiness on the individual saint sanctifies those who are of the same household. And this is the principle for those who are in Christ but not yet abiding in Christ. In Christ we are as strong as our strongest link (unlike the world).
Are the children mentioned in the above verse individually holy? Of course not. Is the unbelieving spouse individually holy? Of course not.
So here we see the difference between a CORPORATE covering and an INDIVIDUAL covering.
Most people make no distinction between them...and the differences are vast.
ALL believers who remain faithful to Christ and to the brethren are covered by Christ CORPORATELY. This does not mean that each believers is individually covered by the righteousness of God. To those who are of the household of faith and are NOT individually covered, humility and the fear of the Lord are required to not take back one's own headship.
So then a person cannot be corporately covered and individually contentious. Submission to the anointing of those who are anointed is necessary to maintain a corporate covering. A house divided cannot stand. Inasmuch as we do right or wrong to the least of the brethren that are abiding in Christ...we are doing it to the Lord.
I think there is a lot of confusion about being IN Christ and abiding IN Christ.
Being in Christ is by association...being part of a household. And abiding in Christ is by a direct union with God.
Paul says..
"For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy." 1 Cor. 7:14
This means that the covering of holiness on the individual saint sanctifies those who are of the same household. And this is the principle for those who are in Christ but not yet abiding in Christ. In Christ we are as strong as our strongest link (unlike the world).
Are the children mentioned in the above verse individually holy? Of course not. Is the unbelieving spouse individually holy? Of course not.
So here we see the difference between a CORPORATE covering and an INDIVIDUAL covering.
Most people make no distinction between them...and the differences are vast.
ALL believers who remain faithful to Christ and to the brethren are covered by Christ CORPORATELY. This does not mean that each believers is individually covered by the righteousness of God. To those who are of the household of faith and are NOT individually covered, humility and the fear of the Lord are required to not take back one's own headship.
So then a person cannot be corporately covered and individually contentious. Submission to the anointing of those who are anointed is necessary to maintain a corporate covering. A house divided cannot stand. Inasmuch as we do right or wrong to the least of the brethren that are abiding in Christ...we are doing it to the Lord.
