"Of Him Are Ye In
Christ Jesus"
I Corinthians 1:30
All true believers, all
who are born again by the Spirit of God, are in Christ, vitally united to him
by a living union of faith. As the branches are in the vine,
drawing life from and entirely dependent upon the vine, we are in Christ Jesus.
And we are in Christ, not by an act of our own free-will, but by the work of
God's free, sovereign, almighty grace. Meditate upon this glorious fact. What
does it mean to
be in Christ?
1. TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE BLESSED OF GOD (Eph. 1:3). In the
everlasting covenant of grace, God blessed all his people with all spiritual
blessings, before the world began. All with which God can or will bless man, he
has freely bestowed upon us in Christ in infinite measure.
2. TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE THE OBJECT OF GOD'S FAVOR AND
PLEASURE. With whom is God well pleased? Only Christ (Matt. 17:5). But, if we
are in Christ and one with Christ, God is well pleased with us for Christ's
sake. He cannot be displeased with the body, if he is well pleased with our
Head.
3. TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE COMPLETE (Col. 2:10). In Christ Jesus
we are complete, full, lacking nothing, perfect. He is all our Wisdom, all our
Righteousness, all our Sanctification, and all our Redemption. All that God requires of us, we have in perfect fulness in
Christ. Being complete in him, there is no lack, no need, and no room. The only
way we can put anything else in is to push him out!
4. TO BE IN CHRIST IS TO BE FREED FROM ALL POSSIBILITY OF
CONDEMNATION (
Don Fortner