In Christ Jesus

What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? That's our focus today on Truth for Life weekend. Alastair Begg explores the answers found in the Bible and explains how these three little words affect the identity, security, and mentality of every genuine follower of Christ. Let's open our Bibles to Ephesians chapter two.

Well, we're picking up our study at verse thirteen here. And since we're going to move very slowly this morning, we're not going to get beyond the opening phrase. In Christ the Jesus, in Christ Jesus. This actually is the most common description in the Bible of a follower of Jesus. that he or she is a person in Christ.

You might be surprised. Uh to be reminded of the fact that neither Jesus nor Paul Certainly in their recorded teaching, I used the word Christian. At all. In fact, Christian only appears in the New Testament three times. But you know when you think this out It makes sense that Paul, and he does this over 150 times in his letters, over 160 actually, not necessarily the exact phrase in Christ Jesus, but synonyms for that essentially.

He comes to it again and again and again. He understands how vital it is that those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ understand that what has happened to them is that they have been united with Christ, that they live in union with Christ, that he is not an add-on to their profession of faith. They are in him. And it is on account of the fact of their union with him that everything else flows.

So that, for example, when you tell somebody these days, if someone says to you, well, what are you? and you say, well, I'm a Christian, well, they will often come back and say, well, either what does that mean? Or what kind of Christian are you? and so on. And the term itself is not actually particularly helpful.

Because you constantly have to go back and explain: no, not one of those, no, more like this, more like that.

So we could make a case for saying that we start to just tell people, they say, what are you? Say, I am in Christ Jesus. They'll say, well, that's a strange thing to say. And you say, yeah, I did it deliberately because I wanted to tell you what it actually means. And they will say, you mean to does it mean to be inside Christ?

the way my keys are inside my glove box. Or the way my clothes are in my closet inside Christ. No, we will say no, it doesn't mean that at all. It means to be united to Christ. The way a limb is part of a body.

or the way a branch is part of a vine. In other words, that the union that exists is a personal, organic union. That is brought about, as we've seen already in Ephesians here, as a result of God's gracious initiative.

Now, the danger in doing what I'm going to do in the balance of time. In sticking with one phrase, is that it becomes a bit of a rabbit trail. And I I confess that it is a purposeful rabbit trail, which I hope you will agree with by the time I finish. If you don't, then let me apologize in advance. But let me turn you to a number of passages in the Bible.

First of all, in John chapter 15. Because it is here in John 15 that Jesus uses this very terminology concerning the vine and the branches. In fact, in chapter fourteen and verse twenty, When he's Thinking about Leaving his followers, he says, I won't leave you as orphans. This is the 18th verse of John 14. I will come to you.

Chapter 14. And uh Yet a little while and And the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live you also will live. In that day, you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. That's quite a thought, isn't it?

That the context in which his followers find themselves is that they are united in Christ, they are included in Christ. And so, when he goes into chapter 15, he picks a picture that would be familiar to them: the vine and the branches, and he says, I am the true vine, my father is the vine dresser. And every branch in me, notice the terminology, notice the preposition, every branch in me. That does not bear fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

So the reality of our Christian experience is that we are united with Christ, we are placed into Christ. Inside of Christ. In fact, there are two sides to this because the Bible also speaks in fact, Jesus here is speaking of He being in us by the Holy Spirit and we being in Him by the Holy Spirit, two sides of one coin expressing the fact of our union with Christ. Classically in Paul, 2 Corinthians 5, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. And of course, Paul is going to go on to speak about this new creation that God is making.

That comprises all who are redeemed, put in this new family, brought together in a tribe that no one will be able ultimately to number, that will have every flavor and category and language and picture and face that we could ever imagine in one great gigantic jigsaw puzzle of God's grace. That's what He's doing. And every time that another face is added to the collage, as it were, it is a testimony to the wonder of God's goodness.

Now, the reason this is so important is because it establishes your identity as a believer. You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is your identity. You are in Christ Jesus. You're not in.

It doesn't mean that because you have an admiration for Jesus, because you like the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount, because you are able to rehearse the creeds. No, it means. that you by grace through faith Have been personally, organically brought into a relationship with Jesus which can only be described in this terminology, in the mystery of it, in the wonder of it, in the entire nature of it. And it's vital that we understand it. Because if we don't understand it as individuals and as a congregation, then we will tell the wrong story and we will lead people up the wrong path.

What we're talking about here is what God has done for us in Jesus. The authentic follower of Jesus. Is In him.

Now Paul has described for these Ephesians, reminded them, the Gentiles, of the way in which this came about in their lives. If you go back to chapter one of Ephesians, you will recall, I hope, That having spoken of those who were the first to hope in Christ. Namely, the Jew, because salvation is first for the Jew and then for the Gentile. All the early believers were Jewish. We, including himself, in that group, with that group, Paul says we, verse 12, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory.

Then verse 13, in him, notice again, in him you also, When you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, believed in him, and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

So, this is of absolute vital importance. When these folks rehearse the story of God's grace in their lives. They would have marveled at all that Paul has said in Ephesians 1. They would have said, you know, the amazing thing about this is. That I was chosen in my Maker.

I was hidden in my Savior. And this before even the mountains were formed. And someone says to him, Well, How about How did you personally engage with this? And they would have said, well, Verse 13. I heard the word of truth.

I realized it was the gospel of salvation. I believed it. And I was sealed, I was authenticated, I was marked with the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. God invaded my life. And this is something that I actually did.

I believed.

Now, we've said this before, and we need to keep saying it: that while God elects to salvation, He doesn't believe for us. We believe. John chapter one. You needn't go there, it's part of the rabbit trail, but let me quote it to you. He came to his own.

His own people didn't receive him, by and large. But to all who did, notice the verb receive him. Notice the verb, who believed in his name. He gave the right to become the children of God. That's why Jesus says to Nicodemus: Nicodemus, here's the deal.

Unless A man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Well, did you bring about your own birth? Physically? No? Spiritually? Oh, I know that somebody told you, you must turn to Christ and be repentant of your sins, and you did all that, and it seemed like you were doing everything.

But now you've gone along the road a little while, and you keep looking back and further back and further back and say, you know, it's remarkable that I was even there. It's remarkable that He gave me that book. It's remarkable that she shared with me what she did. And as you trace the line further back, where do you trace it to? You trace it to Eternity.

In him you heard. The gospel. You believed.

Now, the fact is, and this is what Paul is, of course, pointing out in the classic section of. eight, nine and ten of chapter two. That The faith Our faith, our laying hold of the promises of God is actually rooted. in the activity of God. For by grace you have been saved through faith.

It's your faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God.

So, the identity that is ours in Christ and the mystery of the work of Christ. Are there with each other.

Now, let me take you to two other places. First of all, to Romans chapter 6, and then to Colossians chapter 3. In order just to make this point. Paul in Romans, as you know, begins by. Showing how the whole world is accountable before God.

All have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. He points out that there's no way that we can work out our condition and put ourselves in a right standing with God. He then says, But the glory of the good news is that the righteousness of God has been manifested. It's apart from the law, and it is. It is that which the law and the prophets have testified to, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

For all who believe.

Okay?

So a righteousness that is alien to us. Through Jesus Christ, as a result of what Christ has done, he has kept the law in its perfection. He's the only righteous man that ever lived. He has borne the penalty of sin, which we deserve, but he took in our place. And now that righteousness.

is imputed to all who believe. Therefore, it is not to those Who don't believe? As Calvin says, all that Christ has done for us is of no value to us.

So long as we remain outside of Christ.

So that there is an appropriation. There is an acceptance, there is a gift that is to be received. And whether that takes place instantaneously in a great dramatic moment, or whether it takes place over a period of time, whatever way it comes about, eventually the person begins to sing the songs and suddenly says, you know, I actually believe this.

Something has happened to me. I guess I have been born from above. And I believe. And as a result of believing. I know myself.

To be included in this company.

Now, by the time he gets to chapter six, Paul is recognizing the fact that somebody will put up their hand and say, well, if this justification by faith. means that I am completely righteous in Christ. That I am now raised with him, as he said in Ephesians 1, that I am seated with him in the heavenly places. But the whole thing is signed, sealed, and delivered. Why don't I just sin as much as I want to sin?

Actually, I can't affect the thing at all. Paul says, now listen, let's just think about this. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin? We'll just go on sinning so that grace may abound, so that we can say, look how wonderful God is, that He forgives?

By no means.

Now what's his argument? How can we who died still live in it? What do you mean died? We're alive. No died With Christ In his death.

And then he says, Picture it in terms of baptism. Don't you know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus? were baptized into his death. We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism. Not that baptism achieved this, as the Roman Catholic Church teaches.

By the baptism, portrayed this.

So When the person Has been brought face to face with the word of truth, the gospel of salvation, and has believed. Has discovered who Jesus really is, as Paul did, Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus. Then it follows Logically That they would then be prepared to let everybody know that they are under new management. that they have been brought underneath the jurisdiction of another other than themselves.

So the baptismal pool, which I stand on top of here, closed mercifully, but the baptismal pool is like a grave. And it is purposefully like a grave.

So that when the person is baptized, the metaphor unfolds. Buried with him in baptism, Raise with him to newness of life. Nothing special in the water. All accomplished by Christ, but portrayed then in this way.

Now, what is Paul's argument? He says, you live in a society where they regard sex As Just fun with anyone you want, anytime you want. But you have been united with Christ. You now live in a community. Where Jesus says sex is for the enjoyment of relationships within the commitment of marriage and only within the commitment of marriage.

Therefore, since you have been united with Christ. It is absolutely incongruous For you then, To engage in that which He who is now your Lord and King has told you is of limits. You can take it all the way down the line.

Society says, You are what you have amassed. Jesus says, where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Society says it's the tough guys that win. Jesus says, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Society says, give as good as you get, get them back. Jesus says, forgive your enemies and do nice things to those who can't stand you.

So he says, what is the impetus for this? It is that you are united with Christ. It is not that you've decided to be religious. It is not that you've determined to live a better life. In fact, you even surprise yourself.

Because you know yourself to be sinful. You know how easy it is to be tempted. And the answer to it is not to pull the shutters up and run for your life. The answer is to remind yourself who you are. This is who I am.

I am a new creation. I died with him. I have been raised with him. He ascended, and I ascended with him. I have been seated with him in the heavenly places.

It is absurd. It's not impossible. But that's the appeal you see. Dementia is a dreadful thing, is it not? When people go older, especially, I guess, pre-senile dementia.

Where there is a loss of identity, people no longer know who they are, you find them in the street, they have no way of identifying where they're going or what they're doing. It's a terrible thing. But what is an even worse thing? is for that to happen. And in that case, you've known who you are and you've forgotten who you are.

But in the case of some of us in Jesus, we've never known who we are. We've never known who we are. We've got a kind of dementia as it relates to our identity. And that's why Paul, 160 plus times, says to his readers again and again and again: you need to know who you are. You need to know that your life is Is Christ's life?

And when you go from Romans six into Colossians three, as I suggested, it comes across with great clarity. Indeed, I've already been dipping into it. You can te you can sense that when you turn to Colossians three. If then, or since then, equally good, If then, since then, you have been raised with Christ, what does that mean?

Well, we've been united with Christ. That's his argument in Ephesians 1. The same power, he said, that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that has been unleashed in your life to bring you from death to life. He was raised and you were raised with him. He has ascended and you have ascended too.

This is absolutely done and certain. It's not questionable. We are both in Christ and we are in Cleveland. We are raised and we're down here. We are both perfect and horribly imperfect.

Perfect in the righteousness of Christ. He looks on us and he sees us in his Son. Our wives look on us and they don't see us like that. We look on ourselves, and if we look inside of ourselves, there's only reason for discouragement. There's only reason for disappointment.

Because I haven't done what I said I would do, I've done what I said I wouldn't do, I was going to do this and I didn't do that, and I probably did it again, and so on.

So, where do I look?

Well, I look to my identity. I am in Christ, a new creation. That's what he's saying. Since then, you have been raised with Christ. Seek the things that are above.

Set your minds on things that are above. Not on things that are on the earth. For you have died And here's this amazing phrase, and your life is is hidden with Christ in God. My life is hidden with Christ in God. We used to sing it as children: safe in the arms of Jesus.

Safe On his gentle breast I used to love that song as a child. Such a beautiful metaphor. I'm safe. He's got me. And he's keeping me.

And he won't let me go. Why? Because he took the initiative in getting a hold of me. And he didn't get a hold of me to let me go. On our best day, we can only approximate to that.

But God says that. That's exactly what God says. When He took a hold of you, when He drew you to Himself, when you, in childlike trust, opened up your empty hands and took hold of that which He made available to you by His death on the cross, He promised. In fact, way before you even did anything, he had already promised. That's what makes it so amazing.

I'm going to love you forever. Loved with everlasting love. Led by grace, that love to know. Spirit breathing from above, thou hast taught me it is so. Oh, what perfect peace is this.

His forever, only his. Who the Lord and me shall part Ah with what a rest of bliss Christ can fill the loving heart Heaven and earth may fade and flee, And earth born light in gloom decline But while God and man shall be, I am His And He is mine. That's what Paul is saying. He's saying this is what has transformed my life. I was a radical Jew.

I hated this Jesus thing. But he has transformed me. And I know now that the reason that I tell you this story, the reason that he says in 2 Corinthians 5, I say to you, I beseech you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. In other words, receive the reconciliation that God has provided for you in Jesus. And when you do, You'll discover.

That your identity is just this. And that your security is found in this, and that your mentality will be governed by this. You're listening to Truth for Life Weekend with Alastair Begg. A message like the one you've heard today touches at the very heart of our mission at Truth for Life. We're here to teach the Bible, and that means preaching the gospel clearly so that unbelievers can become committed followers of Christ, believers can grow in their faith, and local churches will be strengthened.

Along with the sound biblical teaching you hear on this program, we carefully select books to recommend to you to help you grow in your understanding of Scripture, and today we're recommending a book titled The Quiet Time Kick Start, Six Weeks to a Healthy Bible Habit. The author of this book points out that reading the Bible isn't a thing you do, it's a conversation you have with the living God who loves you. The Creator God who knit you together and saved you so you can live with Him forever. He wants to speak to you every day. Having a quiet time is about coming into His presence, basking in who He is, remembering how He feels about you, listening to what He has to say to you, and telling Him what's on your mind.

The Quiet Time Kickstart is a short guidebook that will guide you to establish a workable schedule for spending meaningful time in God's Word each day. To find out more about the book, visit our website at truthforlife.org. I'm Bob Lepine. Thanks for joining us today.

So where do you go to find peace? Go to the beach or the mountains or the woods? Maybe you have a garden or a special room?

Next weekend, we'll learn about the only place where true peace can be found. The Bible teaching of Alastair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life. Where the Learning is for Living.