(41) IN Christ/Christ in you

I have heard some who very quickly say - "You're in Christ - so Christ is in you" and I'd like to ask "WHY" do we say things like that with no explanation ?

There are some similarities, but some concepts are partly very different. So - let's separate first. "You're in Christ" is a covenant phrase which means we joined Christ's history by faith. We are "grafted into" Christ's family tree of faith in God's performance and faithfulness. Romans 11 talks about Israel being "cut off" from that tree. But - Paul reminds us - Israel can get grafted back into the original vine - so the Israel of faith can be joined by the Israel of History. And - Paul concludes "all Israel can be saved". But - he makes it clear that FAITH is the concept that joins us to Christ; the concept that gives us righteousness as a gift. So - that is how we get to be "in Christ" - we join Him by faith - first century Christians had a ceremony of faith for that - we call it baptism, a well known initiation ceremony to Hebrew folks.

Christ in you - is something else, but it is one result of the ceremony of initiation. It refers partly to the new identity we get when we receive HIM as our source of hope. We are "sons of the Living God" - and since we are sons, then heirs - joint heirs with Christ, Romans 8:16-17. IF Christ in is YOU - then you are a son of God by identity. If you received HIM to be your life - by faith - then HE is in YOU, through the Holy Spirit. Problem is, the Holy Spirit concept causes all kinds of misunderstandings. And - since it is mysterious, we can only understand it by what the Bible actually SAYS about it - along with our common sense. Since Jesus is the New Covenant (I believe) then when He says He will come to us (as He explained to the Apostles) in the person of the Holy Spirit, then from that point on (John 14-16) we know that receiving the Holy Spirit is the way we receive Christ. And - HE promised to be with them ALWAYS (as opposed to being WITH them in Judea IF He was in Judea) and actually be IN THEM. Later Paul would say, "Christ, who is your Life" Colossians 3 - so it is appropriate to say the Holy Spirit is now our Life because Christ is in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. One complication though is - we CHOOSE to be led by the spirit, Galatians 5:22, and if we use our regular lifestyle principles we also realize that sometimes we allow things that are just "NOT US" to lead us. Paul is challenging the Galatians to not be allowing "the works of the flesh" to have their influence in our behaviors.

Confusing ? Well, it is to me - but I have watched my 4 children be born and BIRTH - the most common experience of all of us - is pretty confusing as well. Even after all those drawings in Biology and experiencing birth firsthand - much mystery remains for me - but that doesn't bother me - in fact, I enjoy the fact that something as common as LIFE - is still beyond our grasp at the same time. I anticipated that a little bit when Jesus talked to Nicodemas about being "born from above - or born again" in John 3. (Speaking of confusing - tell me what was wrong with translating the word "from above" simply and plainly - instead of using the concept of AGAIN - which is true but redundant ? Sorry - my rant - I do that sometimes in the middle of the night.) Anyhow - Jesus uses the wind to talk about the Spirit - and says we don't "see" it but we do see its results - same with the Spirit.

Now - mystery is revealed according to Paul and he claims it to be an original mystery - "Christ in YOU" Colossians 1:27. To a Hebrew, this concept wasn't hidden - as in not able to be known, it was hidden in that God had to REVEAL it in the coming of Christ. Jesus then is the answer to many mysteries - and Paul reminds us that Jesus is the substance of that which the Old Testament was the shadow. That's an area of needed study - we do see some "fulfillment" of OT prophecy in Christ and we do see some pictures in Israelite life and activities in Christ, but sometimes we cannot see that Jesus gets ALL preeminence and HE is everything and we HAVE HIM IN US. So - we get everything. OK - I already said that.

Results - well, being "in Christ" means what He gets, I get and where He is, I am - as Paul said "When Christ who is our life appears, WE MUST appear with Him in Glory" Colossians 3:4. It is simply a covenant concept that what happens to the covenant head, happens to the covenant recipient. That was understood by Paul. We don't "do covenant" the same way, so some things that were very familiar to first century folks are not simple to us at all.

But - isn't that strange language - Christ is in you - but when He APPEARS, then we must appear with Him - like we were not with Him - but we were or at least He was with US - or something ! Well - now He is with us through the Holy Spirit - but then FACE TO FACE ! (That's an old figure of speech which means full knowledge by full intimate relationship.) We may well LONG for that day - but, sometimes that is because we don't have any full relationship with the Holy Spirit now ! And - since the Holy Spirit is our badge of being God's kids - maybe we need to focus a little more in that arena of thought. In fact, Paul teaches that the Holy Spirit is our GUARANTEE of salvation. There is an interesting thought - for now let's say it this way - the Holy Spirit is God's LIFE in us - and God's LIFE in us - is our guarantee of salvation and our cause for full confidence on Judgment Day - as we've already said - as HE is, so are WE in this word - so we have confidence on Judgment Day (1 John 4:17) means that God assures us that our key to entering Heaven is the mark of HIS life in us - His identity that we NOW have which makes us sons - the Holy Spirit (Romans 8) and to conclude for today - I use the DNA concept spiritually - God knows our spiritual DNA and therefore claims us as HIS OWN - so we have full confidence on Judgment day because if we have CHRIST IN US - and WE are in HIM - we are RECOGNIZED by God as belonging to HIM. Awesome - and mysterious - just terrific ! More to come