As I was listening to an interview I wrote these words- Salvation is – Union in Christ, Through Faith in Christ and from the Grace in Christ. What does ‘in Christ’ mean? In Christ means- we are one with Him and nothing can separate us from HIM.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 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. Romans 8:37-38
So when we say “in Christ” it starts with believing in him leading to justification, and then goes through the entire process of sanctification and glorification. Let us try and understand what this seemingly simple and often used phrase, ‘ in Christ’ means and what does it practically do to our lives. I tried to explore this in five time lines in the life of christ although this may be limiting, as God (Christ) has no time. I just wanted to use this approach to illustrate through Biblical verses the truth we should understand and use it in our lives.
- In the life of Christ– Be humble, to become nothing and endure with joy; show selfless love and obedience in all things
- In the death of Christ – No condemnation in life, no more sin; Share in his suffering, share in his glory; Receive Substitution the exchange on the Cross
- In the risen Christ– Receive the glory of the Father, God’s children; Receive the Holy Spirit, Indwelling Spirit, Walk by the Spirit; Sanctified- renewed and transformed into a new person
- In the Christ to come– Freed from Judgement; Saved from Wrath; Glorified and made one with Him
- In the eternity of Christ– Discern the will of Sovereign God- Providence of the Father; Receive His promises- A Faithful God; Enter into everlasting life with Him
In the life of Christ
Be humble- to become nothing and endure with joy
Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
Show selfless love
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20
Obedience in all things
“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42
And anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me…Matthew 10:38-40
In the death of Christ
No condemnation in life, no more sin
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11
Share in his suffering, share in his glory
Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in
his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17
Receive Substitution- Exchange on the Cross
He forgave us all our trespasses, having canceled the debt ascribed to us in the decrees that stood against us. He took it away, nailing it to the cross! Colossians 2:14
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
In the risen Christ
Receive the glory of the Father, God’s children
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Romans 8:15-16
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4
Receive the Holy Spirit- Indwelling Spirit, Walk by the Spirit
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26-27
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:11-14
Sanctified- renewed and transformed into a new person
But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
Romans 8:10
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by
the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11
In the Christ to come
Freed from Judgement
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:1-27
Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, Revelation 20:1-15
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— …2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:26
Saved from Wrath
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-21
Glorified and made one with Him
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
In the eternity of Christ
Discern the will of Sovereign God- Providence of the Father
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6
Receive His promises- A Faithful God
To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33
Enter into everlasting life with Him
And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 2 Timothy 2:11
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
