Being a Christian is not a matter of believing a set of doctrines. Of course belief and faith are crucial, but the purpose of the work of salvation is to unite us with Christ. This is the heart of what it means to be a Christian.
There is a living, vital, dynamic union with Christ that is not theoretical, but real. This is why, over 160 times in the New Testament, Paul uses the words, ‘in him’ or ‘in Christ’ or ‘in Christ Jesus’.
For instance, in Christ…
- We have every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
- We are chosen (Ephesians 1:4)
- We are brought near to God (Ephesians 2:13)
- We are created anew (Ephesians 2:10)
- We are loved by God (Romans 8:39)
- We are all one (Galatians 3:28)
A Christian is someone who is ‘in Christ’. Spiritual life comes from union with Christ, not by simply knowing what the Bible says (James 2:19). This doesn’t mean that the Scriptures are unimportant. They’re the means by which we believe, a sword wielded by the very hand of God, that can pierce the heart and bring us to God (Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23).
Nevertheless, as far as the Bible’s concerned no one can be a Christian unless they are in Christ.
Romans chapter 5 teaches that all people are either ‘in Adam’ or ‘in Christ’.
IN ADAM
‘In Adam’ means in our natural state, the state of being born human. In that condition…
- Sin and death reign (Romans 5:17)
- We are under the condemnation of God (Romans 5:18)
- Our life is marked by disobedience to God (Romans 5:19)
God regarded Adam as our representative or head and what therefore happened to him affects us all. When we become Christians, Jesus becomes our head and God regards what is true of Christ as being true of us. To see the truth of this, read Romans 5:15-19 slowly and carefully.
IN CHRIST
Understanding what it means to be ‘in Christ’ is crucial for the every day business of living the Christian life.
The first thing that happened to us in our union with Christ was that the old self was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). The old self or the old man means all we were in Adam – rebellious, disobedient and sinful. All we were in Adam was nailed to the cross. That’s done. It’s happened and the result is ‘that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin’ (Romans 6:6).
This is an amazing statement and it’s not talking of something that one day may become true of us but what we already true now, today.
This doesn’t mean that the believer lives untroubled by the possibility of sinning, but it does mean that the body of the Christian – his eyes, heart, mind, hands, etc. – is no longer a body controlled by sin. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Yes, it can still tempt us, but it can’t compel or control us. Sin is not our master anymore because we are ‘in Christ’. He is now our Lord and Master.
Paul then goes on to say ‘we are dead to sin’ (Romans 6:11), and because of this he can issue the first command in the epistle to the Romans, ‘Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires’ (6:12). Sin will only rein if we let it.
In Romans 6 Paul isn’t talking about isolated acts of sin but about its rule and dominance in our lives. All believers from time to time will fall into individual acts of sin, but no believer should leet sin dominate their life.
Something to bring this home – From Romans 5:15-19, list what is true of a person ‘in Adam’ and a person ‘in Christ’.
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For more on what Christianity teaches, check out the other topics in our ‘Bitesize Theology’ series:
God; Jesus; The Holy Spirit; The Trinity; Sin; Atonement; Grace; Regeneration; Repentance and Faith; Reconciliation; Redemption; Justification; Adoption
Inspired by Peter Jeffery, ’Bitesize Theology’, Evangelical Press, 2000
