What it means to be “IN CHRIST”

Being “in Christ Jesus” is an awesome reality, vouchsafed by the Holy Spirit to those who have laid hold of the deeper meaning of the Christ’s command to Nicodemus, “You must be born again” (John 3:7).

To be "in Christ” is essentially to be adopted into the heavenly family of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to receive from the Christ all that He has – His victory over the forces of evil and all that He has inherited from his Father.

Below, you will find some of the scriptures that spell out our inheritance “in Christ”. However, to benefit from them it will not do merely to read them with our rational minds, neither will it do simply to commit them to memory. Each of these scriptures has sufficient spiritual power to melt mountains but to experience that power we must take them into meditation and ponder them for hours, returning to them day after day. Then, the Holy Spirit will uncover their deeper meanings and make them come to life and become real in our daily lives and experience.

“It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV).
“[God] chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Eph. 1:4 NIV).
“[God] has saved us and called uswith a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Tim. 1:9).
“the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NRSV).
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38).
“For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Gal. 3:26 NRSV).
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).
“For He made Him [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7).
“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6 NIV)
“ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2:10)
“Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:13)
“the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7 NRSV).
“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19 NRSV).
“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Eph. 2:22 NIV).

However, the fundamental question is, “How do we position ourselves “in Christ”?

Objectively, scripture says that even before God launched His creation he had already positioned us "in Christ”: “It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:30). We have this position through God’s Grace.

However, that objective truth does not become a part of our experience unless it is appropriated subjectively by faith.

Faith is fundamental

In faith I must believe what the scripture says, that I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

In faith, if I believe that I was united with Him in his death, I will find that I am also united with him in His resurrection. We see this is Romans 6:5: “if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (NRSV).