Standing Our Identity in Christ October Month Study 10

Noel Merrick

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What Does It Mean to be "IN CHRIST"?

1. Mankind can be divided into two groups:

1) those outside of Christ (; );

2) those who are "IN CHRIST" (; ).

2. In connection with man's first birth he is "IN ADAM" () and he is part of the old creation that was spoiled by the fall.

In connection with man's second birth () he is "IN CHRIST" () and part of the new creation ().

3. Key passages:

1) (my new position);

2) (my spiritual blessings);

3) (my abundant wealth).

4. How did I get to be "IN CHRIST"? How did this happen to me? How did this come about?

Man's Part = FAITH () God's Part= BAPTISM (). When I was saved God baptized me (immersed me) into Jesus Christ.

This baptism is not water baptism. It is a real baptism (Spirit Baptist) that happened the moment I was saved as God immersed me or placed me into His Son, thus IDENTIFYING me with Christ. This is my POSITION, and my STANDING.

5. WHO AM I? WHAT AM I?

IN CHRIST...

I am a new creature (; cf. ; ; ). I am a saint (). I am a part of His Church (). I am a temple for God's Spirit (). I am in the eternal plan of God (; ). I am complete and filled full with the fullness of Christ (; and compare ). I am enriched (). I am accepted because God's favor has been poured out upon me (). I am light (). I am secure in the love of God (). I am established, rooted and built up (; ). I am circumcised inwardly (). I am near to the heart of God ().

MY RESPONSIBILITY IN LIGHT OF THESE FACTS:

By faith I must reckon that it is so! I must see myself as God sees me!

6. WHAT DO I HAVE? WHAT DO I POSSESS?

IN CHRIST...

I have every spiritual blessing (). I have eternal life, an eternal relationship with God (; and where "through" could be translated "in"). I have a glorious salvation (). I have a rich inheritance (; cf. ; ). I have a glorious future (). I have a heavenly position—seated with Him! (). I have a high calling (). I have the hope of eternal glory ( where "by" = "in"). I have God's perfect righteousness (; ; ). I have sanctification or holiness (; ; ). I have God's wisdom (; cf. and ). I have redemption or freedom from bondage (; ; ; ). I have security (). I have complete forgiveness (; ; --"washed").

MY RESPONSIBILITY IN LIGHT OF THESE FACTS:

By faith I must possess my possessions and enjoy (claim) my riches!

7. PRACTICAL MATTERS

IN CHRIST...

I walk and live (). I stand fast and firm (). I have constant victory (). I am fruitful (; ). I can do all things (). I can draw near to God (,). I have all that I need; every need is supplied ( "by"="in"). I can rejoice always (; ). I have a purifying hope (). I am strong (; ). I am faithful (). I have faith and love (). I can be mature ().

MY RESPONSIBILITY IN LIGHT OF THESE THINGS:

By faith may I so walk and live ()!

"IN CHRIST"

[from Truth for Believers, Vol. II, pp. 29-36]

J. A. Trench

(Of the early Plymouth Brethren)

In seeking the light of Scripture as to what the expression, "in Christ," conveys, it is important to bear in mind that the starting-point of Christianity was Christ as man taking a new place on high consequent on the work of redemption having been accomplished. "In Christ" sets forth this place as that of everyone who believes God as to the value of the work on the ground of which Christ has taken His place on high. By that work He has won the title in righteousness to set every believer in His place, in life, righteousness, and perfect acceptance before God. In Christ is found the new character of the Christian's life as possessed in Him. It is life such as it never existed before, in a risen Man, past every question of sin, death, the judgment of God, and the power of Satan. Then again it expresses the righteousness in which the believer stands: "He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become God's righteousness in him." (.) Nor is it otherwise with our acceptance; for "to the praise of the glory of his grace he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (.) And in one all-inclusive statement () we are in Him—"complete in him "—who also as the exalted Man on high is above all principality and power. Further, we learn from the Lord, in , that it was to be the characteristic portion of the believer, when the Spirit was come, to know that Christ was in the Father, and we in Him, and He in us. But there are two ways in which this new and wonderful position of the Christian is presented to us in the Bible.

First, as we have been looking at it, objectively; that is, as revealed to the opened eye of faith in all the perfection of it in Christ risen and glorified. Then in the ways of God with us in order that we may enter into the position subjectively; that is, so as to be consciously in our own souls in all the blessedness of the position of Christ before God. For the deeply interesting study of these ways of God with us we naturally turn to the epistle to the Romans, where are found the great foundation truths of how God, in grace that reigns through righteousness, can take up a poor sinner into relationships with Himself. Our place in Christ comes first fully into view in chapter viii. 1: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ." Much had gone before in the epistle to lead up to such a statement—much that is needed for our souls in order to enter into it intelligently. "No condemnation" does not merely express that I am justified, but that being in Christ I am in all the impossibility of condemnation for Him. No wave of judgment could reach Noah shut in by the Lord in the ark. Condemnation must first reach Christ where He is in glory before it can reach those that are in Him. Let us turn back then to try and trace a little what brings the believer into such a position, free to look up upon Christ, and to know that Christ's place is the only measure of ours. The whole of the first part of the epistle has been taken up with our sins, and how God has met our case in relation to them. It is by the double aspect of the work of Christ, as the propitiation through faith in His blood, laying the ground for God to be righteous in justifying any ungodly sinner that believes in Jesus (chap. iii. 25), and as substitute for all who have believed; for "He was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." (Chap. iv. 25.) So that the moment we rest upon God's testimony as to these accomplished facts of the work of Christ, we have peace with God through Him (chap. v. 1), and receive the Holy Ghost who is the power of our entrance into, and enjoyment of, the whole Christian position. But before it can be ours to enter into and enjoy, there is a deeper question than that of our sins that has to be gone into in the soul with God, namely that of sin. This is taken up from chapter v. 12, and is the subject of chapter vi.-vii. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Adam only became the head of a race when he had sinned, thus involving his race in his ruin. From him we inherited a corrupt, fallen flesh, incapable of any good; this is the root that produced all the evil of our life. The solemn truth of this our common state has to be brought home to us individually in the ways of God with us, in order that we may know in all its reality deliverance out of that state, just as we had to be convicted of our sins to know pardon and peace. The process is a painful and humbling one, as is opened out to us in chapter vii.; but it is needed to break the will of the flesh, as we learn how incorrigible the evil of it, and our utter helplessness against it. Sooner or later, whether before forgiveness is known or after, we have all to go through this experimental learning of what the flesh is in us, in order to enter into our place in Christ, and the liberty that flows from it. The fact of a struggle within proves the existence of a nature we have received from God by new birth. Only thus could it be said of any, "I delight in the law of God after the inward man." This was the beginning of a divine work in our souls. The conviction of sins was the sure mark of it. And when the newborn ones rested on God's testimony as to the finished work of Christ, they were justified from all things, and received the Spirit to dwell within them.

The epistle to the Ephesians brings out the full light of the position in Christ from the standpoint of God's eternal counsels.

But there is another aspect of the place and state we were found in, and of how it has been met, that is needed in order that we may apprehend what it is to be in Christ, according to that wonderful point of view. I refer to our connection with the fallen race of the first man, and the need of transference to that of a wholly new order of man in Christ.

We learned in the epistle to the Romans, not only that our sins had been met by the cross of Christ, but also that the root that produced them, the flesh in us derived from fallen Adam, has been condemned in the death of the Son of God. But the truth goes further still, and in the epistle to the Colossians we are brought to the end of the man to whom alone these principles of the flesh could apply. Thus in all this, while there are points of contact with the truth in Romans, there is an advance upon that epistle, which if it be spiritually discerned, greatly clears the way for what is before us as to the full positive revelation of "in Christ" in Ephesians.

But how are we to approach the wonderful revelation of what was in the heart of God for us from eternity? If the ground is simpler because it is wholly a question of God acting from Himself to make good what He has counselled for His own glory in Christ, it is so much the more beyond all thought in the immensity of the blessing that lies out befGOD-GIVEN RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES(As Found on the Pages of the New Testament)

📷📷God's Word Abiding in the believer "The Bible lives in me!:16 14 11 :9 (contrast38)The believer abiding in God's Word "I live in the Bible31 14 15 -3 97 (contrast 9)

INTRODUCTION"Moreover it is REQUIRED in stewards, that a man be found FAITHFUL" (). We are living in a day that is marked by UNFAITHFULNESS. The mystery of LAWLESSNESS is already working () and this condition of total disrespect for God's requirements will reach its climax at the end of this age (). INFIDELITY is rampant, not only with respect to marital obligations, but with respect to any moral obligations. It is a day when men cannot be counted on or trusted for anything. It seems that the only sure thing you can count on is that men will be unfaithful, and this problem is not found exclusively among those outside of Christ. Those who name the name of Christ must be counted among the unfaithful. In this age or in any age, it is a very rare thing to find a faithful man: "Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men" (). Everyone of us shall someday give account to God. The issue then will not be how FAMOUS or FLAMBOYANT (showy) or FLASHY (outwardly successful) we were, but how FAITHFUL we were: "Well done, thou good and FAITHFUL servant: thou hast been FAITHFUL over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things." (). A faithful person is the person who fulfills a given responsibility and who rightfully carries out an obligation or duty. The believer desires to please His Saviour and be faithful to Him. In order to find my God-given responsibilities and duties, I must go to the pages of God's Word, the Holy Bible. Many believers know what is required of them by God but they are totally frustrated by their continual failure to perform that which they know they should do. "For what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I...for to will is present w1th me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (). God must bring us to the point where we realize that in and of ourselves we do not have what it takes to be faithful. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only SOURCE of a faithful life and an obedient life. He is our LIFE () and He is our VINE (). Apart from Him we are totally unfaithful () but in Him we have all the resources that we need to fulfill our duties and keep His commandments (; ; ; ; ; ). It's His salvation, it's His life, it's His working, it's His power, it's His grace and He gets all the glory! Every believer should honestly confess the following: "I acknowledge that, of myself, I am totally unable to fulfill my God-given responsibilities and duties, but I TRUST, even as my Lord Jesus has commanded in His Word that I should do these things, that He will by His grace enable me to do them. I am trusting the LIFE and POWER of the RISEN CHRIST to work in me mightily." The believer finds great comfort and encouragement when he remembers that the Christ who lives in Him is FAITHFUL (see :l-2). My faithful Saviour can live out His life in me. Jesus never fails! THE PROCEDURE THAT WAS FOLLOWED:This study involved only the New Testament although the same procedure could be done in the Old Testament as well.Beginning with Matthew and ending with Revelation, I tried to examine carefully every verse in the New Testament making a note of any and every responsibility or duty toward God or man, and listing them in various categories.These Scriptures references are here listed in the various categories. The category name will first be given. This will be followed by a key verse. The responsibility will then be described and summarized by a brief sentence or two. This will be followed by all of the references in the New Testament which relate to this category, either directly or indirectly (those references which relate indirectly are put in parentheses).Due to my own frailty and weakness, I know that there are verses which relate to a certain duty which have been unintentionally overlooked and thus are missing from the proper category. Even though I examined every verse I know there are things that I missed. As you find these you can add them to this paper under the proper category.What value does such a study have? First of all, I have never seen a complete listing of all of the God-ward and man-ward responsibilities, and this in itself was very helpful. We need to know what is required of us, and this study presents God's commands and God's requirements in a comprehensive and organized way. Also I was greatly blessed by writing the summary statements and I believe that these will be helpful and edifying to all who read them. This study can also serve as a helpful tool in one's personal time of Bible reading and study. Choose a category of interest and then read all the verses listed. For example, a believer having problems at work may want to study the category entitled, "THE BELIEVER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO HIS EMPLOYER." Finally it's something that a believer can always have at hand for reference when needed.May the Lord be pleased to use this study for His glory and for the help, benefit and edification of His church!GOD-WARD RESPONSIBILITIES