Being "IN Christ"

On Being “In Christ.”

Galatians 3:24-29 “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Put on Christ as you would a parachute. If you jump out of a plane you are totally trusting that parachute. The NIV translation uses the word “clothe.” Cover yourself with the fullness of Christ and everything that he is.

Romans 13:14 “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its s.“ If we have PUT on Christ and are IN Christ, we will be able resist the sinful desires of our bodies.

Romans 7:24,25 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of ?” Paul knew it was impossible to do all that is demanded of the believer without help. Religion only gives us the letter of the law. See 2 Cor. 3:6.

Hebrews 3:14 “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;” We are not imitators of Christ, but are participators in his Spirit. That means to die to self and be led totally by His Spirit in all things.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

We should not feel guilty about our past because Christ has set us free from that guilt us being forgiven by faith in his shed at the cross. We can continue to feel guilt free if we walk according to the Spirit and not practicing sin. If we do sin, we should immediately confess our sin, repent and God will forgive us according to 1 John 1:9.

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and .” The Christian Faith is not a scheme of Salvation intellectually accepted, but a Life of power and holiness that one can enjoy if we die to self and walk after the Spirit. Example: a book marker in a book will go wherever the book goes.

Romans 8:11 “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” If He dwells in you and you in Him. How can we act out the old man (old self)?
Colossians 3:1-3 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

If we try to live by man’s ways and man’s abilities we will fail. We can only have victory by trusting in “the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ”, given by his grace and achieved by Christ at the cross. We cannot trust religion. We cannot trust our own strength and abilities. We must continually fall on our knees at the cross and yield totally to the Spirit, who dwells in us. The Spirit cannot and will not help us outside the cross.

Luke 9:23-24 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Phil. 2:13 “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Again, allow God to do the work, yield to the Holy Spirit for the ability to overcome.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

These “things” and “supplies” must always be things that are pleasing to God and give Him glory, not things that are for our selfish, fleshly wants. Our whole life is meant to give HIM glory. When we operate in that capacity then we will find true joy and peace.