Your Identity & Destiny in Christ | Mark Hankins Ministries

Paul’s system of truth begins with revelation knowledge, because the light of God’s Word brings the light of redemption, the light of what the blood has done, and that light has to be understood and declared. Romans 6:17 calls this a “system of truth” that sets a person free from sin and sets that person free to serve God and do everything God has called that life to do.

Paul’s pneuma concept says man is spirit, soul, and body, and the real change in the new birth happens in the spirit. The human spirit is joined, engrafted, and brought into union with Christ, until the same life that is in Christ flows in the believer. Identification with Adam then shows that one man got the human race into the mess, and one man, Jesus Christ, the last Adam, got the human race out. The whole Bible can be seen through those two men, the first Adam and the last Adam, the old man and the new man.

Man’s condition in Adam paints a dark picture so the brightness of the gospel can shine like a diamond on black velvet. Sin, death, and Adam’s fall damaged the human race, but God’s work in Christ far exceeds any damage done by Adam’s fall. Grace did not barely answer sin. Grace much more abounded, and God did more than enough in Christ.

The cross-to-the-throne revelation shows what happened behind the scenes. The four Gospels give the photograph of the outside, but Paul’s letters give the x-ray of what happened in the spirit, what God saw, and what the devil saw. The devil was dethroned and defeated, and everything God did in Christ was set to the credit of the believer’s account as though that believer was there.

Identification with Christ brings the believer into Galatians 2:20. “Christ took me to the cross with him” becomes more than Paul’s confession. It becomes the believer’s confession: the old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah, and now Christ lives in that person. The believer is not what the past made, not what family history made, but the workmanship of God created in Christ Jesus.

Jesus’ present ministry at the right hand of God continues as advocate, high priest, and intercessor. Life in Christ also means growing up, living by faith, being filled with the Holy Spirit, honoring the body of Christ, and holding fast to the confession of who the believer is and what the believer has in Christ.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Revelation makes redemption shine Paul’s system of truth is not just information stacked in the mind. Revelation knowledge turns the light on, until the blood, the cross, and union with Christ become real in the believer’s spirit. Freedom comes as that truth is received, declared, and lived in, not as religious struggle gets heavier. [00:34]
• 2. The spirit is joined to Christ Paul’s pneuma concept puts the new birth in the right place. The deepest change is not first behavior, emotion, or habit, but the human spirit being engrafted into Christ. The same life that is in Christ flows in the believer, and that makes Christian living a matter of union before effort. [02:20]
• 3. Grace far exceeds Adam’s damage Adam’s fall brought real ruin, but Christ’s work is not a small repair job. God’s work in Christ far exceeds any damage done by sin, death, and the fall. Grace does not merely bring the believer back to neutral, but brings that believer into a whole new creation reality in Christ. [03:53]
• 4. Paul gives the cross an x-ray The Gospels show what could be seen at Calvary, but Paul’s revelation shows what happened in the spirit. The cross was not only suffering on the outside, but triumph behind the scenes. The devil was dethroned, the old man was crucified, and the believer’s victory was secured in Christ’s resurrection life. [10:47]
• 5. Galatians 2:20 becomes confession Paul’s “I am crucified with Christ” is not merely Paul’s private testimony. The believer can say that Christ took the old identity to the cross, and that old self is dead and gone. Christian identity is now Christ living in the believer, dispensing His life into that person continually.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:34] - Revelation Knowledge and Redemption Light
• [01:16] - Romans 6 and the System of Truth
• [02:01] - Paul’s Pneuma Concept
• [02:40] - Adam and the Last Adam
• [03:53] - Grace Exceeds Adam’s Fall
• [04:50] - Man’s Condition in Adam
• [06:37] - Finding Identity in Scripture
• [08:00] - From Old System to New Covenant
• [10:15] - From the Cross to the Throne
• [11:30] - Paul’s X-Ray of Redemption
• [12:40] - Studying In Christ Realities
• [13:31] - Growing Up in Christ
• [16:21] - Galatians 2:20 as Confession
• [18:28] - Resurrection Life in Union
• [20:59] - Holding Fast to Identity and Destiny

1. In Romans 6:17, what changed in these believers, and what does Paul say they became obedient to from the heart? [01:16]
2. What two men are used to explain the whole human story, and what is the contrast between them? [02:40]
3. In Galatians 2:20, what statements does Paul make about the old “I,” Christ living in him, and the way he now lives? [16:21]
4. What repeated emphasis is made from Romans 5:20 about grace in relation to sin? [03:53]

1. Romans 6:17 speaks of obedience from the heart to a standard of teaching. What does it mean for truth to become more than information and begin to shape a person from the inside? [00:34]
2. If the deepest change in the new birth happens in the spirit, how should that affect the way a believer understands Christian growth, struggle, and transformation? [02:01]
3. Romans 5:20 says grace abounded all the more. Why is it important to understand that Christ did more than simply repair Adam’s damage? How does that strengthen a believer’s view of salvation? [03:53]
4. Galatians 2:20 says, “Christ lives in me.” How should that shape the way a believer understands identity, especially when old labels, past failures, or family history still feel powerful? [16:21]

1. Many believers know the facts of redemption, but revelation brings light. Where does truth about the blood of Christ, freedom from sin, or union with Christ still feel distant or merely mental to you right now? What would it look like to bring that truth before God until it becomes real in your heart? [00:34]
2. The old identity was crucified with Christ, and a new life now flows from union with Him. What old description of yourself do you still tend to carry around—failure, shame, fear, rejection, anger, insecurity? How might Galatians 2:20 speak directly to that this week? [16:21]
3. Grace did not barely answer sin; it abounded much more. In what area of life are you tempted to believe that sin, damage, or loss has the final word? What would it mean to believe that God’s grace in Christ is greater there? [03:53]
4. If the believer is not mainly what the past made, but the workmanship of God in Christ, what memories or patterns most compete with that truth in your life? How do those voices usually show up? [06:37]
5. The cross was not only suffering on the outside but triumph in the unseen realm. When life feels heavy or confusing, how can remembering Christ’s victory over the enemy help you stand differently? [11:30]
6. “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” Where is God inviting you to live by faith right now in a concrete way—at home, in your thought life, in a relationship, or in a decision you need to make? [16:21]
7. Holding fast to confession is part of growing up in Christ. What do you need to start saying in agreement with God about who you are in Christ, and what false confession do you need to stop repeating? [20:59]