In Christ

Article Written by Pastor Phil Bray

I have been to a few places in the world, without being affected by the place, if that makes sense. I’ve been to Paris, France but I’ve never stepped foot onto the soil or stone of Paris. Similarly I’ve been to Italy, London, and Amsterdam without actually interacting with those locations. How? I have been in an airport in those locations. The airport is actually in those locations and interacts so to speak with those locations. The weather and people of that place interact with the airport, but not with me except through the filter of the airport. I’ve never felt the breeze of those locations or walked the streets of those places or even interacted with the majority of the people who live in those cities. The airport functioned like a insulated case, a pocket of reality placed into another reality. That pocket of reality provided me with the needs of life without requiring me to exit and interact and so imperil myself.
​  
Recently, I’ve wondered if this is a bit what it is like to be “in Christ.” Paul writes, “But by His doing you are IN CHRIST JESUS, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, that, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD.’” (1 Cor 1:30-31). We are in the world, but not of the world. That is, we are in the location of the world, but we are in a new pocket of reality that insulates us and protects us from the actual interaction with that location. We are in Christ who interfaces with the world. We are no longer condemned, subject to the fear of death because we are in Christ (Rom 8:1). Christ is our righteousness. He clothes us with Himself so that we stand innocent and righteous (Gal 3:27). As one clothed with Christ our identity is no longer specified by the world’s divisional boundaries. We are no longer Jewish or Gentile, American or Iranian, Republican or Democrat, male or female. Rather we are all one in Christ Jesus! We belong to Christ, we are in Christ and thus our identity is the Son of God and heir of the promises made to Abraham and his offspring! (Gal 3:28-29).  

We do not interface with the world, washing or purifying ourselves from the defilement of this world. Christ is our sanctification! He is our holiness, our cleanness! In Christ we are holy. In Christ we are whole. In Christ we are capable of dwelling in uninterrupted fellowship with God. We exist in this world as those clean and whole because we are in Him. He is our bubble of holiness. In an airport you remain secure, not a threat by remaining in the airport. You have already passed through security and though this country has not checked you, you are still considered secure because you are in the airport. In a similar way you are in Christ who is our sanctification, our holiness, our purity. We have in Christ, unfettered access to the presence of God who is the source of pleasure and joy forever!  

In Christ we are redeemed, purchased out of the world. The world has no claim on us. We are in the safe zone. As in the game of Sorry! we cannot be taken out if we are in our home space. Christ is our home, our safe space as our redemption. He has become the freedom, the life separated from enslavement and death. In Christ we are safe, secure, and untouchable by the world. No one can take us out of the Father’s hands (John 10:28-29). No one can separate us from the love of God because we are in Christ! (Rom 8:31-39)! 

So, we are in Christ, in the world. We exist in a new pocket of reality in the other reality. We are kept and secure in that new reality. We live and move and breathe in the new pocket of reality, which is Christ. Thus we are comforted and protected. The question is, “Are you in Christ my friend?” ​