Finding Our Place "In Christ"

A few weeks ago, during our weekly webcast, Barry Adams and I explored the very important topic of being “in Christ”. This small but profound expression appears over 150 times in the New Testament, principally in Paul's letters. It's clearly an important revelation and one that we not only need to grasp but begin to live in.
 
In Ephesians chapters 1 and 2, Paul repeatedly uses this phrase as he describes the abundant spiritual blessings which have been given to us. There are not just one or two blessings, but every spiritual blessing is given to us in Christ. What Paul reveals is the unity and intimacy between the Father and Son, and how we are invited into that relationship. He explains the life and experience of Jesus and applies it to us, showing us its power to transform our lives.
 
This is a heart encounter - a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Like all relationships, it can only be understood and experienced in the heart.
 
When we examine the blessings Paul lists in Ephesians, each one is extraordinary on its own. Yet, collectively, they form an inheritance so immense that it’s almost beyond description. Even a partial understanding of this inheritance would transform our lives and the way we think. When we view these blessings through the eyes of our heart, our minds are renewed. This understanding is intended to be spiritual, not intellectual.
 
We cannot place ourselves "in Christ" through our own works; it is a gift we can only receive. Relying on our works will lead to us boasting about our own strength and ability (Ephesians 2:8–9) and will draw us away from a life that is fully dependent on the Father. When we rely on our efforts, we begin to determine for ourselves what is right and wrong, making us the ultimate judge of what a good life should be. However, when the eyes of our heart are opened, we undergo a profound shift - from self-sufficiency to complete dependence on the Father.
 
This truth cannot be fully understood by an orphan. An orphan is too focused on their own works and their striving to do the right thing. However, we have been made alive in Christ and are seated with Him in the heavenly realms - this is the home of a son or daughter. 
 
The spirit of sonship is what draws us into oneness with the Father, regardless of the circumstances in our lives. It is through this oneness that we know we have truly come home.
 
This theme is further expanded by Paul in Colossians, where he writes that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Col 2:9-10). The wonderful thing for us to grasp is that we, who were dead in our sins, have been made alive in Christ. Our sins have been forgiven, and we have been brought into the fullness, or completeness, of Jesus. Remarkably, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and we, as believers, are rooted and united in that divine fullness.
 
This is too big for our human mind to fully understand, which is why we must grasp it with our heart. We can't step into the fullness of Christ by constantly striving to determine what is right and wrong. We enter by faith in Jesus, acknowledging that he has done everything on our behalf and that there is nothing more for us to do. 
 
This leads us to freedom. A life lived in Christ is one of freedom, where we are set free from the constraints of the law and the religious mindset we often create for ourselves. 
 
How do we see ourselves? 
 
We live in a fallen broken world filled with pain and heartache. However, this is only the earthly reality and there is a greater heavenly reality that we are invited to see and live in. The heavenly reality is that we are seated in heavenly places in Christ. It is not found through human effort but in Christ alone. 
 
Paul urges us to set our minds on things above, not on the earthly things because our lives are now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). 
 
Setting our minds on things above is often easier said than done! Yet it is the key to abiding and resting in love. A simple truth which can feel out of our reach. However, this teaching of Jesus is explained through Paul's letters and so it must be possible for us to embrace. We can know what it means to be “in Christ”. We can live in love.
 
In Mark 10, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus cleverly points out that doing the right thing is not enough. What this young man needed was a childlike heart – one that would shift his dependence from his position in society and his wealth to complete reliance on Jesus. 
 
That is the challenge of the gospel. Can we humble ourselves, turn around, and embrace a childlike heart in order to enter the kingdom of Heaven?
 
Jesus laid this foundation because he understood the heavenly reality. He knows that we are loved by the Father in the same way as he is loved. Jesus is the signpost to the Father as he takes us by the hand and leads us to the One who is love. He came not only to introduce us to this love but, even more, to enable us to experience it in the same way He experienced it.

This is what it means to be “in Christ”.