Over 150 times in the New Testament is the phrase in Christ, including the related phrases in Christ Jesus and in Him. Do you suppose the Holy Spirit is emphasizing through His inspired Scriptures a most important truth? And do you suppose our enemy is tempting us to glance over and overlook these phrases?
The answer to each of these questions is a resounding Yes.
And well over a 10,000 times has the Holy Spirit brought this phrase to my heart and mind over the past few years. Meditating on this phrase continues to be the most transformational work that God is doing in my life. And I know this phrase reverberate in my heart 1,000,000,000+ more times throughout eternity!
MEANING OF BEING IN CHRIST
The phrase in Christ means in union with Christ. Being in union with Christ is not a spiritual state of the mature Christian. Every Christian is in union with Christ! Being in union with Christ is what makes each of us a Christian.
Being in union with Christ is how God in His grace regenerated us. In other words, being in union with Christ is how we were born again. God united us with Christ in His death (Romans 6:3, 6), in His burial (Romans 6:6), and in His resurrection (Romans 6:5). It is all God's work. Salvation is indeed by grace.
I've asked many Christians this question: "How were you born again?" Most answers are along these lines: "Well, Christ died for me for the forgiveness of my sins. So now I can go to heaven."
Forgiveness of sins is indeed a vital part of salvation. However, forgiveness does not cause regeneration, it only makes regeneration possible through God spiritually uniting us to Christ. No one can be reborn apart from the forgiveness of sins, but also no one can be reborn by the forgiveness of sins.
The forgiveness of our sins and our regeneration to a new life are simultaneous acts of God for saving us.
WHAT BEING IN CHRIST DOES NOT MEAN
Being in Christ does not mean that you become merged or adsorbed into Christ. Some mystics believe this.
1 Corinthians 6:17 does say: But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. And 2 Peter 1:4 notes that we are partakers of the divine nature. However, when you consider the whole counsel of God's Word, you can never conclude these and other verses to mean that we become lost in God in some type of New Age way.
Romans 7:4 and Ephesians 5:25 compare our union with Christ to marriage. In the marriage union, the husband and wife are one, but they remain individuals.
To the other extreme, being in Christ does not mean that we are in a general collaboration with Christ where we are close with Him but not vitally and directly joined to Him. Earthly examples of such unions include a trade union and the Baptist Training Union.
Such a belief in a collaborative union with Christ leads us to essentially live as if we were separated from Him. For example, when we cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ for help, this wrong belief will always lead us to see Christ close to, yet separate from, us. He is nearby and somehow provides us with help so we can then continue to try hard on our own with His help. Ugh!
The amazing truth is that Christ is not just nearby, but that He indwells us at the core of our being. As a result, the help He provides us is Himself! Our union with Him makes possible a most intimate, moment-by-moment relationship with Him.
In summary, being in Christ means that there is distinction (i.e., we remain responsible humans, and Christ is God and we are not) but no separation (i.e., we remain totally dependent on Christ as our direct source of all we will ever need).
RESULTS OF BEING IN CHRIST
The results of being in Christ are humbling and amazing! There are many objective, completed results of being in Christ. The underlying truth is that what happened to Christ once and for all in His death, resurrection, and ascension has also happened to us spiritually.
And there are many subjective, on-going results of being in Christ. The underlying truth is that we can grow in knowing Christ intimately. True worship comes out of a heart that is in union with Christ.
I'll share some of these results in the next Rest Stop.
CLOSING PRAYER
May God through the Holy Spirit open our eyes to this wonderful doctrine of our union with our Lord Jesus Christ! May He empower us diligently study it throughout His Word.
As we by faith meditate on our union with Christ, may we be more and more conformed to His image as we minister true hope through our union with Christ to a lost and dying world.
