5.29 Epistles – Discovering who you are in Christ

Christianity is being “out of Adam” and being “in Christ”. In the Old Testament, they prophesied “about” Christ. In the Gospels, they disciples walked “with” Christ. But in the Epistles, it reveals that we are now “in Christ”. Don’t you love the progression of revelation from the Gospels to the Epistles? God’s Word is amazing.

Paul’s Epistles, especially the book of Ephesians focuses on the revelation of who we are in Christ. It tells you amazing things that we can never imagine with our natural mind; things that we would find it hard to believe if we still held on to our identity in Adam. Because it is so amazing, it takes faith to believe who we are “IN CHRIST”.

Below are some examples from Ephesians chapters 1&2. Try reading them aloud:

1) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places IN CHRIST (1:3)

2) IN HIM we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (1:7-8)

3) IN HIM also we have obtained an inheritance (1:11)

4) IN HIM you also trusted, … having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (1:13)

5) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places IN CHRIST Jesus (2:4-6)

The key to Christianity is found not in what we do, but in a Person – Christ Jesus. Whatever our needs are – wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption – the answer is all in Christ.

(1 Corinthians 1:30-31, NKJV)
But of Him you are IN CHRIST Jesus, who became for us WISDOM from God—and RIGHTEOUSNESS and SANCTIFICATION and REDEMPTION— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

Look at the contrast. In the Old Testament, the people had to sanctify themselves by doing certain things. They had to attain to righteousness by keeping the law. In the New Testament, sanctification and righteousness is found in a Person – IN CHRIST.

Today, we know that we died in Christ, we were resurrected in Christ, we are now seated in the heavenly places in Christ, and we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Let us glory in Christ. The Christian life is a lifetime journey to discover more and more of who we already are in Christ.