Who you are now

This is written for every child of God. It is here to help you understand exactly who you are in Christ and all that he has done for you.

It never ceases to amaze me how much Jesus has done for us, and how little we understand of what he accomplished on the cross. Most new converts know that something happened to them. Fewer can tell you what. That gap is where doubt gets in, and where the enemy does his best work.

So this is a study about the benefits Christ has secured for you. You have been washed by the blood and sanctified by his Spirit, and you have absolutely no need to be ashamed. Paul said it first: "I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God's saving power for everyone who believes."

Five things are true of you now that were not true before. You are new. You are free. You are clean. You are his son. And you are royal. Each of those is a chapter, and each chapter is a few short sessions. Every session gives you the verses first, because the Bible is the source and everything I say is only there to help you read it. Then a few plain words. Then one question to sit with, and a verse to memorise.

The first church did exactly this. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. Before anything else, they learned. Do one session at a time. Read the verses out loud. Write something. And if anything does not make sense, ask someone at church, because nobody in the book of Acts did this alone.