What it means to be in Christ (Part 1)

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

                                  2 Corinthians 5:17

A man isn't capable of taking advantage of what's available to him until he knows what he actually has. It reminds me of one day that my mum sent me to buy some food outside. I got to the food vendor and she told me of the price of the food. I stood there for a moment- stupefied and aghast. Why? Because I didn't (or thought I didn't) carry enough money that would suffice what I was buying. The location was also quite far from home. 'What am I gonna do now?' I asked myself. I decided to call my mum and tell her about the situation. But as I reached for my mobile phone, I inadvertently brought out the money my mum had sent me with. I looked in my palm; behold, I had more than enough money to cater for the cost of the food. Was it a miracle? No. It was knowledge at work. Previously, in my mind, the money I had was not enough to cover the cost. But when I reached into my pocket, everything changed!

That's what happens when we discover who we are, what we have and what we can do in Christ. But, in the first place, what does it mean to be in Christ? To be in Christ means to be in union with Christ- to be rightly related with God through faith in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17; John 15:5). The day you accepted Jesus into your life as your Lord and your personal Saviour, you came into Christ. That means you came into a new mode of living; a place where God reigns supreme in your life and over everything that concerns you. Galatians 3:26-27 says 'For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ.'

2 Corinthians 5:17 makes it clear that if anybody at all (including you) is in Christ, he is a new creation. It means that man is a totally brand new person- he has received a new life from God. Another translation puts it this way: 'When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!' (2 Corinthians 5:17, TLB).

You need to recognize this profound truth- that once you're in Christ, you're a new person. No matter who you were before you gave your life to Christ, God has made provision for you to become a new person. Notice that the Word didn't say 'a better person'- it said 'a new person'. You see, you can wash old clothes and they'll look clean. But some stains are too tough to be removed. It's completely different when you put on new clothes. God says you are a new person; all the old properties that pertained to you no longer hold. The question is: Can you see it? What are you looking at? Is it your current lifestyle? Or your current situation? Don't look at that- look at what God has done in you.

 That's why the scripture said 'behold' because God wants you to see it, He wants you to know that's it's real and true. Your circumstances may not say what God is saying but what God says is always the truth- God doesn't and can't and won't lie to anybody, let alone His own child (Numbers 23:19). God Himself has worked inside you by His Holy Spirit and made you into a new person. You're now accepted into the family of God. God does not see you as a sinner any more- you are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)! No curse has any power over you any more (Galatians 3:13)- you're free forever! The Bible says, 'Sin shall not have dominion over you...' (Romans 6:14). Train yourself to see it! Meditate on these truths every moment! Think on them- your mind may not be able to accept it. But that's alright anyway- you believe the Word with your heart (spirit), not your mind! Hallelujah!

This is what it means to be in Christ- to receive and possess a totally new life from God forever! It's not enough, however, to be in Christ- you must live Christ on earth! What does that mean? It means you must express outwardly what God has worked inside of you (Philippians 2:12; 1 Peter 2:9). To do that, you must discover who you are, what you have and what you can do in Christ from the Word of God.

We'll have a look at some of them in the next part of this article.