Being “in Christ” Is More Than an Expression
The Bible often uses a phrase to describe the secure position of those who have trusted in Jesus. They are said to be “in Christ.” But what does this actually mean – to be “in Christ”? If we aren’t careful, we may embrace the term without understanding it’s meaning. If we aren’t careful, we may begin to tell people they are in Christ without telling them who Christ is. We cannot know who we are in Christ unless we first admit who we are without Christ, and who Christ is for His people.
Defining Terms
Who is Christ? His name is Jesus, the second Person of the Triune God. He is the spotless, sinless Son of God. In Him dwells all the fullness of God, all the Holiness of God, all the beauty of God, all the righteousness of God, all the perfection of God, all the love of God, all the justice of God and all the Judgment of God. This is Christ the Messiah our Prophet, Priest and King and our Redeemer and Sovereign Lord.
Then who am I? I am the opposite of all those things. I am finite and unholy; I am hideous like the lepers described in the gospels. I’m unrighteous, imperfect, full of hate and full of injustice. My mind is an idol factory. I am totally unable to redeem myself. So here is Christ, Beauty and Perfection – Deity. Here am I, grotesque and deformed by sin unable to save myself from the bondage of sin.
But God gives me saving faith that leads to repentance then places me inside Christ. What is evil, hateful, deformed and hideous, He places inside the pure and perfect Holy Temple of God. This is what it means to be in Christ.
Not Self-Help, but Salvation in Christ
How can this be? How did Jesus ransom me? When Christ paid my ransom my sins were placed upon him. He died in my place and rose from the dead. Now I belong to Him. The wrath that I deserved was poured out upon Christ instead of me. The Holy One took the Father’s wrath in my place. So if indeed I have faith in Him, this is where I am when God looks for me. He finds me in his Son.
All the while, the Bible affirms that God will judge the wicked at the last day. He will pour his wrath out upon every nation of the whole world on account of humanity’s unrighteousness (cf. Romans 1:18; Colossians 3:6). But those who are in Christ will be safe on judgment Day. Because Christ has already borne the penalty; we are now forgiven and set free. As sinners placed into the care of the holy and righteous Son of God, we no longer need to fear the coming day of God’s justice.
And when God places us in His Son, this new status necessarily changes us. He regenerates us. He declares us to be just, because Christ’s righteousness has been credited to us. Also, he gives us the Holy Spirit of Christ to help us live in light of this righteousness. And as thus we stand before God, no longer defined by our sin, but instead dressed in His spotlessness.
When we’re in Christ, we’re both here on the Earth yet also raised up to sit with Him in the heavenly places. As we walk with Jesus on earth, His presence in us and with us motivates us to live for our Maker’s good purposes. We struggle against temptation and selfish desires. We keep the faith. We obey God and the Holy Spirit helps us. He ensures that we will emerge triumphant with our faith intact from the difficulties of life, and He keeps us in Christ. All the while, we are (right now!) seated above with Jesus. He has granted us secure, eternal access to God through His work on our behalf. Being in Christ changes everything.
Returning to the Centrality of Jesus
But before any of that can happen, you and I must first know who Christ truly is and believe on Him in faith. Many preachers today focus on us and our experiences. But they neglect to point us away from ourselves to the supremacy of Christ. The preaching is ultimately (woefully) me-centered. And though the teaching may initially sound inspiring or pleasant, it lacks lasting substance. Because it misses the central significance and sufficiency of Christ. We need more sermons on the attributes of Christ. We can never be reminded enough that being in Christ, and living in his fullness is alone the great boast and assurance for His people.
Colossians 1:15-22 beautifully reminds us of the preeminence of Jesus.
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
