Positional Truth

Positional truth refers to the eternal, unchanging facts about a person's relationship with God, grounded in their position in Christ, established at the moment of salvation. It contrasts with experiential truth, which depends on one's unique personal experiences and the quality of one's fellowship with Christ. While positional truth is secure, personal fellowship can vary based on a believer's choices and actions. This fellowship is affected by the strength of his confidence in who Jesus is and what He accomplished. Understanding positional truth helps believers recognize the strength and ability of their position in Christ, that the righteous man lives by his faith in the quality of that position, demonstrated at Calvary by the personal love God has for each one.

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge [epignosis – personal, experiential knowledge] of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge [epignosis] of God; strengthened with all power [dunamis – divine ability], according to His glorious might [kratos – strength], for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued [rhuomai – delivered] us from the domain [exhousia – authority] of darkness, and transferred [methistemi – transplanted] us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.          Colossians 1:9-14

Transplanted

When Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born of the Spirit —from above —in John 3, He was introducing the concept of a spiritual life that is not derived from religious obedience to the Law of Moses. Paul’s vision for the church at Colossae was for their fullness in a personal, experiential knowledge of God and His will, through a spiritual wisdom and understanding. In that spiritual place, they would find their walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects. It is a place of empowerment, where one has access to the divine ability to remain steadfast despite worldly opposition that each faces this side of heaven. The Apostle tells them that in their faith, they have been rescued or delivered from the authority of the domain of darkness and spiritually repositioned into the kingdom of His beloved Son. This position is a spiritual reality that can be experienced as the believer chooses to live by faith; it is the righteous life since it is His life, the life of the Righteous One.

In John 5:24, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. Eternal life, the life of Christ, is not judged, and the believer shares in the righteousness of the Righteous One. Instead, he has passed (perfect active indicative of metabaino, a change of place) out of death and into His life. Romans 8:2-4 testifies: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. This is the testimony of positional truth, that there is freedom from the law of sin and of death. This position is not dependent on keeping the Law, but on faith in the strength and character of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

But God

Among them, we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with [aorist active indicative, suzoopoieo – raised from death to life with] Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace, you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.      Ephesians 2:3-10 

Paul further explains that the position is defined by two principles: by grace and through faith. Grace means that it cannot be based on the works of man, but is a free gift from God. Faith is a trust in the person of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on behalf of everyone who believes. This faith is the fulcrum into His righteousness. It provides the pathway to the spiritual life where the believer no longer needs to depend on his own actions, but depends totally on Jesus. The believer has been seated with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, the perfect position. As Watchman Nee writes in “Sit, Walk, Stand,” before he walks, the believer must know where he is seated. The kindness of God is manifested in the Finished Work of Christ. So, the believer is no longer on the hook to perform; instead, he walks in God’s works prepared beforehand. There is complete rest in knowing that it is not up to the believer to figure out what to do next, but to follow Jesus in His work.   

A Spiritual View of Calvary

Surely His salvation [yesa – hope and welfare despite strife] is near to those who fear [reverence] Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth [emet -faithfulness] have met together; righteousness [sedeq – conformity to God’s standards] and peace [shalom – tranquility, wholeness] have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, the Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.             Psalm 85:9-13

Romans 9:8 tells us that faith in God's promises— a willingness to trust God for something one could not accomplish on one's own —is always the basis of a relationship with God. Psalm 85:9 refers to it as a reverence for God, recognizing Him as savior and deliverer. Just as Paul wrote of all the fantastic supernatural blessings associated with salvation in Ephesians 1, this psalm gives us an inside view of what salvation looks like. It appears that the above passage from Psalm 85 is a spiritual view of what Jesus accomplished on Calvary. 

Regarding this passage, Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament says:

The glory that has been far removed again takes up its abode in the land. Mercy or loving-kindness walks along the streets of Jerusalem, and there meets fidelity, like one guardian angel meeting the other. Righteousness and peace or prosperity, these two inseparable brothers kiss each other there and fall lovingly into each other's arms. The poet pursues this charming picture of the future further. After God's emet, i.e., faithfulness to the promises, has descended like dew, His faithfulness to the covenant springs up out of the land, the fruit of that fertilizing influence. And sedeq, gracious justice, looks down from heaven, smiling favor and dispensing blessing.

Job’s Search for Wisdom

In Job 28, Scripture draws out a magnificent contrast between human skill and ingenuity and Divine wisdom. Man possesses and exercises mastery over nature, yet is ignorant of wisdom unless God bestows it on him. That Job should say this is but natural, after his painful experience with his friends and their lack of spiritual understanding. Job understood that his perfect position before God was real, and he resisted his friends’ view that the trials he faced were somehow the result of something he had done wrong. Job recognized a distinction between the natural and the supernatural, between the religious and the spiritual. 

“But where can wisdom [chokmah - the knowledge and the ability to make the right choices at the opportune time] be found? And where is the place of understanding? “Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. “The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ “Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price. “It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire. “Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. “Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned, and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. “The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. “Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? “Thus, it is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the sky. “Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ “God understands its way, and He knows its place. “For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. “When He imparted weight to the wind and meted out the waters by measure, When He set a limit for the rain and a course for the thunderbolt, Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’”                 Job 28:12-28 

Since wisdom produces right choices, the consistency with which the right choices are made is an indication of maturity and development. Despite man's technological skills, he cannot find, unaided, the greatest treasure of all, God’s wisdom. Man does not fully appreciate its value. He can discover other hidden treasures under the earth's surface, but he cannot find divine wisdom in the land of the living or in any ocean, nor can wisdom be purchased in a market with other precious metals and jewels man has uncovered, for wisdom far exceeds their value. Ultimately, this wisdom is not a commodity, but a divine disposition. It provides a roadmap by which man navigates the distresses and difficulties of life from a spiritual plane. The source of all wisdom is a personal God who is holy, righteous, and just. His wisdom is expressed against the background of his omnipotence and omniscience. The believer who understands his eternal position in Christ is able to experience that position by walking in the power and ability of the Holy Spirit, who is the source of divine wisdom. This believer has found the fear of the Lord and departs from evil.

Time & Eternity

He has made everything appropriate [beautiful, lovely, in harmony] in its time. He has also set eternity [olam – time beyond this temporal sphere] in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.        Ecclesiastes 3:11 

The above verse contrasts time and eternity, showing God’s active participation in time while dwelling in eternity. As Isaiah 57:15 declares, Isaiah saw the God of eternity, who dwells in eternity, but who enters time and space through those of a crushed and lowly spirit to reach others with new life —His life, eternal life: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity [ad – perpetuity], whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite [dakka – crushed] and humble [sapal – lowly] spirit, to revive [hayah – make alive] the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. God’s will is manifested in time as beautiful and lovely. At the same time, the believer has been given a conception of eternity in his heart, without a definition of the future apart from walking by faith. Man’s history is not sufficient to predict the future; he needs divine wisdom to navigate his life. Wisdom connects time with eternity.

Last Words of David 

Now these are the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, declares, the man who was raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue. “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, ‘He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.’ “Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting [olam – time beyond this temporal sphere] covenant with me, ordered [arak – arranged, set in order] in all things, and secured [samar – kept, preserved]; for all my salvation and all my desire [hepes – delight], will He not indeed make it grow?                        2 Samuel 23:1-5

Above are David’s last words from Scripture according to the passage. He is acknowledging the anointing God has given him to speak on His behalf as the primary author of the Psalms. David recognizes the necessity as king to rule over men with righteousness, with the fear of (reverence for) God. In 2 Samuel 7, God spoke to David through the prophet Nathan:

“Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. “I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. “I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly” (2 Samuel 7:8-10).

David is getting a picture of the position (place) that God has ordained for His people in the Kingdom Age to plant them, with David as king to live in their own place. David saw the everlasting (unconditional) covenant, ordered or arranged, and secured or preserved to make it grow. The security of positional truth is the foundation for experiencing spiritual growth in the believer’s life. David understood that God had forgiven him for all of his failures (see Psalm 32) because the lovingkindness of God would never depart from him. Nathan further promised David:

“He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you (2 Samuel 7:13-15). 

Moses’s Testimony

Moses wrote Deuteronomy during the last weeks of his life. His last words are found in Deuteronomy 33, where he first addresses the twelve tribes of Jacob, followed by the passage below:

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun [the upright one], Who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty [gawah – loftiness]. “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting [olam - perpetual] arms; and He drove out the enemy from before you, and said, ‘Destroy!’ “So, Israel dwells in security [betah – calm assurance], the fountain of Jacob secluded, in a land of grain and new wine; His heavens also drop down dew. “Blessed are you, O Israel; Who is like you, a people saved [yasa - delivered] by the Lord, Who is the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty! So, your enemies will cringe [kahas – fawn] before you, and you will tread upon their high places [bamah – places of worship].”                     Deuteronomy 33:26-29 

Like David’s last words, Moses saw the positional truth of the believer’s faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting [olam - perpetual] arms. He saw the Lord as the shield of your help and the sword of your majesty, meaning that the believer’s enemies will cringe, and the believer will trample on their high places!

Considering Righteousness

The distinction of positional truth from experiential truth (fellowship with God) can best be understood in consideration of God's righteousness. Since Jesus satisfied the just demands of a holy God in His first coming by being the perfect sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:11-14) on man's behalf, the believer is given His righteousness by faith in who He is and what He accomplished. Receiving it happens in a moment of time, at salvation, since He became to us righteousness as a past event But by His doing [ek autos – out of Him] you are in Christ Jesus, who became [ginomai – aorist indicative passive] to us wisdom from God, and righteousness [dikaiosune – standards of a higher authority] and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, "LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Experiencing this righteousness is a byproduct of a living faith, as 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Becoming the righteousness of God is conditional. According to Romans 1:17, For in it [the gospel], the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." The original Greek could be better translated as “by or out of faith into faith.”  When the believer exercises his faith in a given situation, he experiences the righteousness of God, and this leads to another opportunity to trust God. 

Take Up Your Cross 

And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.                  Luke 9:23-24 

Once the believer accepts that his position before God is perfect, he is ready to move forward in his fellowship with Christ. It is when the believer identifies with the cross of Christ and accepts his own death that he begins to experience Christ’s life. Paul may have said it best in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Death to self means that he prioritizes the will of God over his own, thus living the life of Christ. Thus, positional truth becomes experience.

For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.       Psalm 26:3

 

There is no life - no life without its hunger

Each restless heart beats so imperfectly.

But when you come, and I am filled with wonder.

Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity

 

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains

You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas.

I am strong when I am on your shoulders

You raise me up to more than I can be