Q: What does Paul mean in Ephesians when he says that we are to be ‘in Christ’?
Ephesians 1:18, 2:6, 10, 15, 21, 22; Colossians 3:3, 18, 20
A: The Greek word for IN denotes a fixed position. It is your entire focus, has the attention of your body, soul, and spirit. It is where you get life and energy, purpose, and drive. Just as you physically live in the town where you are, so you can live in …
in us – Christ in you happens when you submit your life to God, which is when His Spirit takes residence in your life. This is a permanent habitation with the focus and purpose of making us like Christ.
Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
in Christ – You in Christ is the other side of Christ in you. Here the focus is on your habitation in the way of Christ, and full dedication to becoming like Him through submission to His Spirit.
Galatians 3:25-27 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Got Questions “To enter the presence of a holy God, we must be hidden in the righteousness of Christ. To be “in Christ” means that God no longer sees our imperfections; He sees the righteousness of His own Son. Only “in Christ” is our sin debt cancelled, our relationship with God restored, and our eternity secured.”
in the Church – You in the church demonstrates the life that you get from being a part of Christ’s body, the universal church, a small demonstration of which is the local body of believers. Remember that the church is not an organization, but a living organism!
in His people/saints – That which God does for us, He does in us, not to us. All that is accomplished in us, encompasses every part of our being.
in one body – Again, the church is one body, the body of Christ … a living organism.
in His flesh – it was the physical body of Christ Jesus that accomplished the salvation of our souls, His flesh took the stripes and brought spiritual healing.
in God – Christ submitted to God in His life, just as we are to now submit to Him.
in the Lord – Christ is known to us as Lord, which is master, and Abba, which is Father.