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Before the world began, God who cannot lie, promised us eternal life. He promised it before Adam was ever created. He promised it before sin ever existed. He promised it before the serpent ever deceived any person. Consequently, God's promise of eternal life was not a reaction to our sin. Hear This! When we cried out to Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, God was not looking down from heaven seeing a messed up, no good piece of trash. That's how we saw ourselves. Now, the truth is, without Jesus we are nothing. But God didn't see us that way the day we cried out to Him for the first time. How do I know that? Because that was not the first time He saw us. Ephesians 2:10 gives us a glimpse of how God saw us for the first time:

For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)

Did you see that? We are God's own handiwork, re-created in the Anointed Jesus. God actually saw us before the foundation of the world, before sin ever occurred. Before you ever confessed Jesus as Lord, God saw you as whole, sound, complete and wonderful in the Anointed One and in His anointing. No matter how bad you were, remember, He is the master and you are the piece. Do you know what that makes you? A Masterpiece! I don't care what has been told about you, God has prepared from the beginning of time that you walk the path of the good life!

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:1-3 (KJV)

What Jesus did for us on the cross was birthed out of the very heart of God. It is a work that cannot be topped. It brings us into a place of completeness and satisfaction in God. You rest when you have confidence in what has taken place. And what Jesus did for us on Calvary, we need to be busy receiving and entering into His confident rest! 

To summarize the three scriptures from Titus, Ephesians and Hebrews: We were chosen in Christ Jesus, promised eternal life, and the works were finished, all before the foundation of the world. What a promise! If God is satisfied with the job that Jesus did, than why do so many of His people continue to deny the works that were finished for them? 

Wrong Thinking About those Works

Luke 15:11-24:
And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am not worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, "Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." 

Because of sin in his life, the son could no longer see himself as a son, but as a servant. The father continued to see him as a son. Even during the well-rehearsed "Dirty Dog Servant" speech that his son tried to give, the father would have no part in that. He could only see him as his son. First thing on the father's mind was getting him back into right standing as heir of his house. But the only thing on the son's mind was that old religious spirit of unworthy dog status. What's the problem? In short, SIN! Disobedience will not bring you closer to the Father, it will draw you away from Him. Sin destroys confidence. Sin will cause you to feel unworthy to even ask for forgiveness. It will separate you from the works that God intends for you to rest confidently in; the very works, which cause you to live confidently in "favored child status."

Notice how even the elder son reacts:
Vs. 25 - Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. I wonder what he was doing out in that field? Let's continue:

Vs. 26-31 - And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

Even the older son saw himself as a servant rather than a son. The problem with the body of Christ has been that we've been so busy trying to be servants of God, that we have failed to take our position as sons and daughters of God. "Brother Doug, are you saying that we're not supposed to serve God?" No, I'm just drawing attention to what Jesus revealed as wrong thinking. Our servant-hood towards God comes out of our willingness and obedience to do His Word. Our servant-hood to God does not eclipse our child status. You are first a child of God. Service is what you do. Son-ship is who you are. Hebrews 2:10 "For it became God, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory." 

Who Defines Your Image?

For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed one).
Romans 5:17 (AMP)

God wants His children to know what it means to rule and reign over the circumstances of life. Not to be ruled by the circumstances. The key to holding this authority is receiving this gift of righteousness. It is accepting by faith the image of this righteousness. I'm telling you, this is the centerpiece of the Bible. Accept the fact that you are the child of God, created in the image of God. Accept the fact that because of the righteousness of God, God is offering to us all that He is and all that He has. But this acceptance has to be more than you just saying you accept it. It has to be demonstrated in your life's applications! This can be demonstrated in what you do, what you say and how you carry yourself. You're no longer a dirty dog sinner. 

I heard a man say one time, "I'm just an old sinner saved by grace." I said, "Which one is it? Are you and old sinner or are you saved by grace?" He said, "Well, uh, I don't know, what?" I said, " Com'on man, don't stammer! What are you? Make a decision! Are you an old sinner or are you saved by grace?" Suddenly, he caught on to what I was saying to him. He smiled and said quietly, "I'm saved by grace." I said, "You sound like one of those Christians who has that little "flick-your-bic" flame on your head. Do you have the fire of God in your life?" He said, "Yeah!" I said, "Then tell me like you mean it! What are you?"  He shouted, "I'm saved by grace!!" 

It took all that probing for him to realize that a religious spirit had been causing him to compromise his image before God. And sadly, he didn't even realize it. I know people who think it's funny to say things like, "I'm just suffering from an Alzheimer's moment." I'm telling you that God doesn't think there is anything funny about sickness or disease, or anything else the blood of Jesus was shed to abolish. But a lack of discipline in these matters can separate you from the fullness of the works that were done for you. 

When you accept the righteousness of God, you lay hold of it by faith. You start by becoming a doer of what the Word of Righteousness says. You become obedient to the "perfect law of liberty." You start speaking like you're the righteousness of God. You start praying like you're the righteousness of God. You start praising, giving and living like you're the righteousness of God. And suddenly, your image will begin to be re-defined by the Word of God. And through that Word, you will discover that you are bigger on the inside than you are on the outside. "Greater is He that is In You than he that is in the world."