Union With Christ

In the sermon we looked at the theme of union with Christ in the NT, taking Romans 6:1-11 as our starting platform. How do you identify yourself primarily? What label do you use? Christian? Believer? These are perfectly fine titles, but I would suggest there is an even better way to identify yourself even than these. How did believers in the NT identify themselves? How did Paul identify himself? Probably not as “Christian.” The word Christian is relatively uncommon in the NT. The far more common way that Paul identifies believers is as those who are “in Christ”, a phrase used nearly 200 times in its various forms by Paul in his 13 letters. Paul talks about every part of a believer’s life, from eternity past in the mind and heart of God to eternity future in the presence of Christ, all as being “in Christ.”

Election is “in Christ” – Eph 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”

Regeneration is “in Christ” – Eph 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Justification is “in Christ” – Eph 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

Adoption is “in Christ” – Eph 1:5 “In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.”

Sanctification is “in Christ” Rom 6:5-6 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

In death we remain “in Christ” – 1 Thess 4:16 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”

Our glorification is “in Christ” – 1 Cor 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Being “in Christ” is who you are if you are a believer, and it’s who you will be for ever and ever. Let’s therefore consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.