“In Christ” and “Christ In”
In Christ" and "Christ In". These special words in the Bible form the basis of everything that we as Christians believe. These words are so important that a proper understanding of them will determine whether we are a success (live abundantly) or failure (live in constant defeat) in our Christian walk. Here is what the Bible says about being In Christ.
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let those who boast, boast in the Lord.”
“Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking about Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness- the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. ”
“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
As Christians we are In Christ and Christ is in us. This is such a marvelous revelation that it can boggle the mind. However, there is a right way and a wrong way in which you can interpret this.
You can say that you are in Christ as if you are simply saying that you are associated with Christ. This is like when we say that we are a member of a certain organization. For instance, if we were members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority, we could say that we are "In AKA." This is how most of the world views being In Christ. It is as if they have simply joined a club or an organization. Now, even though it is usually wonderful to be a member of something good, membership in this sense has the potential to be only temporary. There could come a day that it is decided by someone, or some group of people, that you are no longer eligible for membership in the club. This would mean that you could be voted out or dis-fellowshipped. And quite often, that is the view that we have of God. We see him as the one who is making all the rules. We believe that at any time he could see us as falling short of the rules and therefore he would disassociate us from Christ. However, the Bible says this:
“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so, through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ”
This means that God is not out to dis-associate us, because he is out to make certain that what he started in us gets completed. Our union with Christ is much more than an association. And, according to the Bible, God is out to see that it is a union that will never be broken. He started it and he will finish it.
So, if being In Christ is not the same as being in an organization, what other meaning can we give to the term "In Christ?" Well, we could think of being in Christ the same way that we think of being in a certain location. For instance, we say that we are in the living room or that we are in the store, or even that we are in church. Still this would be inadequate in that you can be in a beautiful park, observing the flowers and enjoying the smells and sounds of nature, but by your being there the park has not changed you, and you have not changed the park. You are just a spectator in your surroundings. Although you may have felt some emotions about the park, you will still be hat same person when you leave as you were when you came in.
This is how some Christians view being In Christ. They go to church on Sunday, observe the service like spectators, watch others in the act of worship, perhaps feel a little emotional about it, but are never affected or changed by any of it. Being in Christ for them is just another part of their day, a part of their weekly routine. These are they that have a "worldly" view of being in Christ. But the Bible describes being In Christ like this.
“So, from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
The Bible says that we are changed by being In Christ; that we are made something new. In Christ, all the old self that we were has passed away and we have been "Born Again," simply because we have been reconciled to him.
It sounds wonderful, doesn't it? But what does it mean? Paul explains it like this:
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being. ‘As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ “Therefore, since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-an image made by human design and skill.”
The place that God determined for us to live is "In Christ." And not only that but he made us to be sustained by Christ as well; so that while we live in him and interpret our every experience by him, he is also living in us and enabling us to walk as he walked.
Jesus said,
“I have given them the glory you gave me. I did this so they would be one, just as we are one. I will be in them, just as you are in me. I want them to be brought together perfectly as one. This will let the world know that you sent me. It will also show the world that you have loved those you gave me, just as you have loved me. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am. I want them to see my glory, the glory you have given me. You gave it to me because you loved me before the world was created.”
Jesus says that we are to be joined in him in order to let the world know that God loves them. Our being "In Christ" will cause us to have a unity that will enable us to be connected to God. Christ being in us will allow the world to be able to see the glory of God.
"In Christ," we are more than just associated with Christ or located in Christ, but we are new creations so intimately inter-related with Christ that we take our every breath from him, and he makes his every move by us. In Christ, we are one with God.
This is the central message of the Gospel and thus bears repeating:
“...The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”
Be Blessed