What does it mean to be in Christ?

417 what does it mean to be in Christ?A phrase we've all heard before. Albert Schweitzer described “being in Christ” as the main mystery of the apostle Paul's teaching. And Schweitzer had to know after all. As a famous theologian, musician and important missionary doctor, the Alsatian was one of the most outstanding Germans of the 20th century. In 1952 he was awarded the Nobel Prize. In his book The Mysticism of the Apostle Paul, published in 1931, Schweitzer emphasizes the important aspect that Christian life in Christ is not God-mysticism, but, as he himself calls it, Christ-mysticism. Other religions, including prophets, fortune tellers or philosophers are looking - in whatever form - for "God". But Schweitzer recognized that for Paul the Christian, hope and daily life have a more special and more certain direction - namely, new life in Christ.

In his letters Paul uses the expression “in Christ” no less than twelve times. A good example of this is the edifying passage in the 2. Corinthians 5,17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Ultimately, Albert Schweitzer was not an orthodox Christian, but few people portrayed the Christian spirit more impressively than he did. He summarized the thoughts of the apostle Paul in this regard in the following words: “For him [Paul] the believers are redeemed in that they enter into the supernatural state in fellowship with Christ through a mysterious death and resurrection with him already in the natural age , in which they will be in the kingdom of God. Through Christ we are removed from this world and placed in the mode of being of the kingdom of God, although this has not yet appeared...” (The Mysticism of the Apostle Paul, p. 369).

Note how Schweitzer shows that Paul sees the two aspects of Christ's coming linked in an end-time arc of tension—the kingdom of God in the present life and its consummation in the life to come. Some may not approve of Christians blustering around terms like "mysticism" and "Christ-mysticism" and engaging in a rather amateurish way with Albert Schweitzer; What is indisputable, however, is that Paul was certainly both a visionary and a mystic. He had more visions and revelations than any of his church members (2. Corinthians 12,1-7). How is all of this connected concretely and how can it be reconciled with the most important event in human history - the resurrection of Jesus Christ?

The sky already?

To say it right from the start, the subject of mysticism is important for understanding such eloquent passages as Romans 6,3-8 of crucial importance: “Or do you not know that all of us who are baptized into Christ Jesus are baptized into his death? We are buried with him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too might walk in new life. For if we are joined to him and become like him in his death, we shall also be like him in the resurrection... But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him..."

This is Paul as we know him. He saw the resurrection as the linchpin of Christian teaching. Christians are not only symbolically buried with Christ through baptism, they also symbolically share the resurrection with him. But here it goes a bit beyond the purely symbolic content. This detached theologizing goes hand in hand with a good portion of tough reality. Look how Paul addressed this subject in his letter to the Ephesians 2. Chapter 4, verses 6 continues: "But God, who is rich in mercy, in his great love ... made us alive with Christ, who were dead in sins - by grace you have been saved - , and he raised us up with us, and instituted us with us in heaven in Christ Jesus.” How was that? Read that again: We are installed in heaven in Christ?

How can that be? Well, once again, the words of the apostle Paul are not meant here literally and concretely, but are of metaphorical, even mystical significance. He argues that because of God's power to bestow salvation manifested in Christ's resurrection, we can now enjoy participation in the kingdom of heaven, the dwelling place of God and Christ, through the Holy Spirit. This is promised to us through life “in Christ”, his resurrection and ascension. Being “in Christ” makes all of this possible. We might call this insight the resurrection principle or resurrection factor.

The resurrection factor

Once again we can only look in awe at the immense impetus that emanates from the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, knowing full well that it not only represents the most important event in history, but is also the leitmotif for all that the believer does in this world hope and expect. "In Christ" is a mystical expression, but with a much deeper meaning it goes beyond the purely symbolic, rather comparative character. It is closely related to the other mystical phrase "set in heaven."

Take a look at the significant remarks on Ephesians from some of the world's great Bible writers 2,6 before your eyes. In the following Max Turner in The New Bible Commentary in the version of the 2nd1. Century: "To say that we were made alive with Christ seems to be shorthand for saying 'we are to rise again to new life with Christ,' and we can speak of it as if it had already happened because the crucial event of the [Christ's] resurrection is, first, in the past, and second, we are already beginning to partake of that newly created life through our present fellowship with Him” (p. 1229).

We are united with Christ, of course, by the Holy Spirit. That is why the world of thought behind these extremely sublime ideas is only accessible to the believer through the Holy Spirit himself. Now take a look at Francis Foulkes' commentary on Ephesians 2,6 in The Tyndale New Testament: “In Ephesians 1,3 stated the apostle that God in Christ has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heaven. Now he specifies that our life is now there, instituted into heavenly rulership with Christ ... Thanks to Christ's victory over sin and death as well as through his exaltation, humanity has been lifted from the deepest hell into heaven itself '(Calvin). We now have civil rights in heaven (Philippians 3,20); and there, stripped of the limitations and limitations imposed by the world... is where real life is found” (p. 82).

In his book The Message of Ephesians, John Stott speaks about Ephesians 2,6 as follows: “What amazes us, however, is the fact that Paul is not writing about Christ here, but about us. It does not affirm that God raised up, exalted, and instituted Christ into heavenly dominion, but that He raised up, exalted, and installed us into heavenly dominion with Christ... This idea of ​​the communion of God's people with Christ is the basis of New Testament Christianity . As a people 'in Christ' [it has] a new solidarity. Indeed, by virtue of its fellowship with Christ, it participates in His resurrection, ascension, and institution.”

By "institution" Stott, in theological sense, refers to Christ's present dominion over all creation. So, according to Stott, all this talk about our common dominion with Christ is not “meaningless Christian mysticism”. Rather, it is an important part of Christian mysticism and even goes beyond it. Stott adds: "'In heaven,' the invisible world of spiritual reality where the mighty and mighty rule (3,10;6,12) and where Christ rules over everything (1,20), God has blessed his people in Christ (1,3) and installed it with Christ in heavenly dominion ... It is a living testimony that Christ has given us new life on the one hand and a new victory on the other. We were dead but were made alive spiritually and awake. We were in captivity but were installed in heavenly dominion.”

Max Turner is right. In these words lies more than pure symbolism - as mystical as this doctrine seems. What Paul is explaining here is the real meaning, the deeper meaning of our new life in Christ. In this context, at least three aspects should be highlighted.

The practical effects

First of all, Christians are “just about there” as far as their salvation is concerned. They who are "in Christ" have their sins forgiven by Christ Himself. They share with him death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, and in a sense already live with him in the kingdom of heaven. This teaching should not serve as an idealistic enticement. She originally addressed Christians living in the most appalling conditions in corrupt cities without those civil and political rights we often take for granted. Death by the Roman sword was well within the realm of possibility for readers of the apostle Paul, bearing in mind that most people of the time lived to be only 40 or 45 years old anyway.

Thus, Paul encourages his readers with another idea borrowed from the core doctrine and characteristic of the new faith—the resurrection of Christ. Being "in Christ" means that when God looks at us, he doesn't see our sins. He sees Christ. No teaching could make us more hopeful! In Colossians 3,3 This is emphasized again: "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Zurich Bible).

Second, being “in Christ” means living as a Christian in two different worlds—the here and now of everyday reality and the “invisible world” of spiritual reality, as Stott calls it. This affects the way we see this world. So we should lead a life that does justice to these two worlds, whereby our very first duty of allegiance is to the kingdom of God and its values, but on the other hand we should not be so otherworldly that we do not serve the earthly good. It's a tightrope walk and every Christian needs God's help to walk on it with sure footing.

Third, being "in Christ" means that we are victorious tokens of God's grace. If Heavenly Father has done all this for us, already given us a place in the kingdom of heaven, as it were, it means that we should live as ambassadors of Christ.

Francis Foulkes put it this way: “What the apostle Paul understands God’s purpose for his church reaches far beyond itself, the redemption, the enlightenment and the new creation of the individual, its unity and discipleship, even its testimony towards this world. Rather, the church is to bear witness to all creation of the wisdom, love, and grace of God in Christ” (p. 82).

How true. Being “in Christ,” receiving the gift of new life in Christ, knowing that our sins are hidden from God through Him—all of this means that we should be Christlike in our dealings with those we associate with. We Christians may go different ways, but towards the people with whom we live together here on earth, we meet in the spirit of Christ. With the resurrection of the Saviour, God has not given us a sign of his omnipotence so that we can walk vainly with our heads held high, but bear witness to his goodness every day anew and through our good deeds be a sign of his existence and of his boundless care for every human being set this globe. Christ's resurrection and ascension significantly influence our attitude towards the world. The challenge we have to face is to live up to this reputation 24 hours a day.

by Neil Earle


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