One of the hardest things to convey and witness in my counseling office is the number of Christians who come to me who simply have no idea of what it means to be in Christ. And consequently, they have no idea of how to live the Christian life. The premise and the behavior that follows from that premise, and how they are to enjoy great assurance and have a life of faith, hope, and love based upon who they are in Christ now, but they're not being taught who they are in Christ. And this happens especially when people continue, in the absence of good teaching, they continue to habitually act out in the sinful patterns that they once lived before they were in Christ, because they're not being taught. Romans 6 tells us that it's the pattern of teaching that makes the difference for us. For example, let me just read that to you. Romans 6.15 says this, What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? By no means, he says emphatically. Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? See, there's two paths there, and there's one for the untaught Christian, who continues to act as a slave to sin, which leads to death, and the one who has been taught to walk in obedience, which leads to righteousness. And then in verse 17 he says, but thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin. See, this is the problem. So many pastors address their congregation these days. Pastors and elders and teachers address their congregations as if the congregation were still slaves to sin. You know, we're still sinful. You watch out. As if there's not been some powerful demarcation point in their life, or that their being born of the Spirit means that they simply continue in sin, but now they've got a kind of a get out of jail free card in grace. I mean, it's tragic, the lack of solid teaching that goes on in the churches, and it shows up in this painful misery that Christians live because they, in the absence of being taught to do anything different, they continue in their habitual patterns of sin. But Paul says, but thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." See, there's a pattern of teaching. in the apostolic writings, including the Gospels, that teaches us how to follow Jesus, how to be like Jesus, how to imitate Jesus, how to fix our eyes on Jesus, how to think like him, how to live like him, so that we are no longer living as slaves to sin, but have come to become slaves to righteousness. This is part of what Jesus meant, too, when he addressed the group of professing people who said in John 8 that they believed in him. Jesus turned to them and said, if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. Of course, they answered him, we are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we'll be set free? And Jesus replied, truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. See, that's the natural state for the fallen nature, to be a slave to sin. Now, a slave has no permanent place in the family. But you would think so, wouldn't you? I mean, it's getting grievous sometimes to hear sermons and have pastors refer to their congregants as sinners, and refer to Jesus as just some kind of a fire escape. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. You never know that, though. Listen to some modern preachers. They either just don't address it at all and blow it off as being even a necessity, or they get into legalism. but rarely are Christians taught who they are. Now, in 1 Corinthians 5, I just want to share with you real briefly here, there's an incident that is so powerful, tucked in the middle, there's one line tucked in the middle of this incident, where there's a man who's acting out in sexual immorality, the kind of which not even the pagans tolerated back then. And the church at Corinth is actually kind of proud of it. They're proud of their tolerance of this man. It's a distorted view of tolerance. Instead, Paul says, shouldn't you have put out of your fellowship the man who has done this? And then he goes on to explain how that they are to, when they gather in the name of the Lord Jesus, they're to put this man out. Deal with this. Don't tolerate this kind of behavior amongst yourselves. Now, he's speaking to them collectively. In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, In verse 4 he says, So when you are assembled, and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. In other words, Paul's saying, deal with this. This is not acceptable behavior within the holy people of God, the sanctified people of God. Paul addresses them. He opens the letter by calling them God's holy people, sanctified in Christ. That's who they really are. Now in verse 6, now, your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens a whole batch of dough? In other words, Paul's dealing with this sin of this man and his incest, having sexual relations with his stepmother. as if it were a problem within the whole community, which it is. In other words, our individual behaviors have an infecting effect on the community. And someone today in our individualistic mindset might say, well, hey, what I do in my private life or how I behave outside of the church is none of your business. It has nothing to do with the church. But that's not how Paul addressed the church. He said, if you're going to allow this kind of behavior, I'm going to address you collectively. You all are doing this. You're boasting it's not good. Don't you know that a little yeast leavens a whole batch of dough? Now listen to this. Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new unleavened batch as you really are. Let that sink in for a moment. Paul is saying to these people, be who you really are. This has no place in your life anymore. Even though this behavior is not even common among the pagans, any kind of old pagan sexual immorality or like behavior has nothing to do with you anymore. It's not who you are. You are, and he uses the metaphor of an unleavened batch of dough. You have been set free from sin. And so apparently they didn't realize who they were yet. So Paul is addressing them. He opens his letter again by addressing them as God's holy people to the church of God in Corinth. to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, theirs Lord and ours." He's addressing these people not as vile hypocritical sinners saved by grace. He's saying, no, they are saved by grace to become sanctified. They are sanctified in Christ Jesus. They are called to be His holy people. That's who they really are. And consequently, He wants them to grasp who they are. Let me read it again, verse 7. Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new unleavened batch as you really are. In other words, become who you really are. Become in your conduct who you really are by nature now. You are no longer rank pagans, slaves to sin, acting out in sexual immorality and other forms of wickedness. That's what you used to be. That's not who you are now. That's not who you are. who you are now is an unleavened batch. Be who you are in Christ. Well, that's just a little brief exhortation. Later in chapter 6, he deals something with this very similar thing. He's talking about lawsuits now, how people are suing each other. You see, once we realize who we are in Christ, and we have a growing awareness of that, and our minds are being transformed by the renewing of our minds, it will change how we treat each other. He says, the very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. See, our Christianity is the basis. Our faith in Christ, our union with Christ, who we are in Christ is the basis for all of our relationships. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanders, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were, past tense. past tense but you were washed you were sanctified you were justified in the name of the lord jesus and by the spirit of our god so the real issue and i i'm i'm a living example of this myself the real issue is that I am to order my conduct after the image of Christ in me and be working that out. I need to know who I am in Christ. and have my mind renewed in order to be transformed. I need to think like Christ. I need to feel like Christ. I need to act like Christ in accord with the Christ that lives in me. So that I know who I am in Christ. I'm an unleavened batch of dough. And it would become foreign. It would become repulsive for me to act out in the old behaviors at that point. So we don't, we have this principle, we don't order our conduct and change our conduct in order to be in Christ. What changes our conduct is the fact that we are in Christ. Be who you really are, be transformed by the renewing of your mind based upon who you really are in Christ, and you'll find victory over those things that have plagued you in the past. That's the principle. That's the power of the gospel. Because who you are in Christ is your true self now. Amen.