In this chapter we continue our search for a deeper understanding of God’s grace – that being the overwhelming kindness that God showers upon us as His altogether undeserving children.
With this objective in mind, let us first of all consider the following verse from the book of Ephesians:
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)
For years I was blessed every time I read this passage, but when I finally grasped the deeper significance of what it means to be "
in Him," this verse, and many others, took on a whole new meaning, and my comprehension of God’s grace suddenly expanded to new heights.
The grand objective of this chapter, therefore, is to answer the question:
What exactly does it mean to be
"in Christ" or, "in Him."
To open our study, I draw your attention to a simple, one-sentence summary of the gospel:
| • |
"Our sins were laid on Christ, |
| • |
punished in Christ, |
| • |
put away by Christ, |
| • |
in order that His righteousness might be imputed to us." (7ABC468.2) |
What a trade-off? Jesus took our sin upon Himself and, remarkably, He even took the full penalty for all the sin of all of humanity upon Himself.
Then, as yet another sweet fruit of His incredible and all-encompassing sacrifice, He gives us His perfect righteousness in exchange for simple faith.
What unfathomable grace! Mysterious, marvelous, magnificent!
Using the foregoing as our foundation, let us now consider a thought-provoking statement from the pen of Pastor David Vandenberg:
"We must know that when Christ died on the cross He didn't die alone; potentially [in theory] we died with Him.
"How did this work?
| 1. |
"First, God put us in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). |
| 2. |
"Then Romans six says that God dealt with us in Christ. |
| |
• |
"He crucified us in Christ; |
| |
• |
"He buried us in Christ; |
| |
• |
"He resurrected us in Christ. |
| |
• |
"Now we are seated in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2:6)." (Collegiate Quarterly, Oct-Dec 1990) |
|
For the remainder of this chapter, we will be paying special attention to the two main points that are underlined above:
1. God Put Us In Christ
Not everything has been revealed to us about this somewhat mysterious concept, but that which has been revealed is sufficient to have us standing back in breathless wonder as we contemplate the awesome dimensions of God’s lovingkindness.
What we do know, and this with absolute certainty, is that in some mysterious way we, as believers, live in Jesus:
"In Him we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
With reference to this verse, may I humbly suggest that there are at least three ways in which we live in Him.
| (1) |
Firstly, we live in Him in that we are totally dependent on Him for life. Every breath, every throb of the heart, is the evidence of an ever-present God. (6BC1062.5) |
| (2) |
Secondly, and in an altogether different sense, we live in Him when we believe in Him, when we give ourselves to Him, and when Jesus is the central object of our affections. Thus we connect our life to His life and, in a deep spiritual sense, He lives in us, and we live in Him. (FLB141.4, OHC61.3, 2 Corinthians 13:3-5; 1 John 4:4,15-16) |
| (3) |
Thirdly, we also live in Him from a corporate perspective. As the representative of humanity, Jesus took all of humanity into Himself and, in this sense, all of humanity lives in Him, or, to put that another way, we all, as humanity, have been given an extension to our existence in Him. |
Question: But why did Jesus take humanity into Himself? Why did God put us in Him?
Answer: God put us in Him so that He could deal with us in Him.
Question: But why would God want to deal with us in Him?
Answer: Because if God dealt with us as we deserve to have Him deal with us, the outcome would have been nothing other than eternal death for all of fallen humanity.
This is why Jesus condescended to stand as the representative of humanity and, as our representative, He took humanity into Himself. Then, remarkably, this arrangement enabled the Father to deal with humanity and with humanity’s sin in Him. As Pastor Vandenberg tells us:
| • |
He crucified us in Him; |
| • |
He buried us in Him; |
| • |
He resurrected us in Him. |
| • |
Now we are seated in heavenly places in Him |
At first this aspect of the gospel may challenge our thinking, yet it is rock-solid truth. I would even go so far as to say that this mysterious facet of truth is a major contributor to the very foundational layers of our faith.
In support of this claim, let us carefully consider the following passage:
"By His obedience to all the commandments of God, Christ wrought out a redemption for man. This was not done by going out of Himself to another, but by taking humanity into Himself. Thus Christ gave to humanity an existence out of himself [or, out of itself]. To bring humanity into Christ, to bring the fallen race into oneness with divinity, is the work of redemption. Christ took human nature that men might be one with Him as he is one with the Father, that God may love man as He loves His only begotten Son, that men may be partakers of the divine nature, and be complete in Him." (RH, April 5, 1906 par. 15)
While this passage may be shrouded in mystery, our faith is nevertheless challenged to accept of the fact that we, as humanity, enjoy an existence outside of ourselves in Him. This, in fact, is the very basis of God’s salvation plan and, once accepted, this truth should fill us with wonder and amazement, and with no small measure of hope, peace, courage and gratitude.
"Christ unites in His person the fullness and perfection of the Godhead and the fullness and perfection of sinless humanity." (FLB219.3)
This is a "wondrous union of man and God!" (17MR339.2)
"Heaven is enshrined in humanity, and humanity is enfolded in the bosom of Infinite Love." (DA25.3)
"What manner of love is this, that the eternal God should adopt human nature in the person of his Son, and carry the same into the highest heaven!" (YI, July 29, 1897 par. 7)
But how can this be? What made this union possible? On what basis did God adopt human nature?
In response to these perfectly legitimate questions we can only humbly bow our heads in acceptance of the fact that . . .
"We cannot explain how divinity was clothed with humanity." (7ABC444.5)
But "God has told us that He did do it, and we are to accept the Word of God just as it reads." (1SAT65.1)
What we do know is that the Father put humanity in Jesus, that He accepted Jesus as the full and perfect representative or embodiment of humanity, and that He dealt with humanity and with humanity’s sin in Him.
What we also know is that . . .
"Christ was invested with the right to give immortality. The life which he had laid down in humanity, he again took up and gave to humanity. [He] became one with humanity, that humanity might become one in spirit and life with him. By virtue of this union in obedience to the word of God, his life becomes their life." (YI, January 3, 1905 par. 5 & 7)
Please notice that Jesus took humanity into Himself, and that He became one with humanity, that He might give life, not to just a few, but to all of humanity.
Thoughts such as these demand our prayerful meditation, and they call us to bear in mind the fact that . . .
"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever." (Deuteronomy 29:29)
In this light, we may be comforted by the thought that though we stand on the edge of an infinite field of unexplained wonders, there is an eternity beyond in which God will make clear all that it is expedient for us to comprehend.
With these introductory thoughts in mind, let us now consider how Jesus opened the doors of salvation when He took humanity into Himself. I invite you to stand aghast with me as we allow the infinite grace of God to embrace our minds.
| • |
When Jesus lived a perfect life on earth, He did so as the representative of humanity. This enabled the Father to consider Jesus’ perfection as though it were our perfection. Thus we may rejoice in the fact that the Father accepts us as perfect, not because we are perfect, but because we have a perfect Substitute, and because, as far as the Father is concerned, we, humanity, are perfect in Him. |
| |
"His life stands for the life of men. Through the victory of Christ, the human race was elevated in moral value, not because of anything they had done, but because of the great work that had been wrought out for them through the only begotten Son of God." (DA762.2; BEcho, December 1, 1893 par. 8) |
|
| • |
When Jesus died, He died as the representative of humanity. This enabled the Father to consider the substitutionary death of Jesus as though it were all of humanity dying in consequence of their sin. Thus we may rejoice in the fact that the debt for our sin is paid in full, for, as far as the Father is concerned we, humanity, died in Him. |
| |
"Jesus, by the law of sympathetic love, bore our sins, took our punishment, and drank the cup of the wrath of God apportioned to the transgressor. . . . He bore the cross of self-denial and self-sacrifice for us, that we might have life, eternal life." (TMK289.4) |
|
| • |
When the Father accepted Jesus as the victor over sin, He accepted Him as the representative of humanity. This enabled the Father to accept the victory of our Substitute as though it were the victory of all of humanity. Thus we may rejoice in the fact that we are accepted as victorious, not because we are victorious, but because the Father accepts humanity as victorious in Him. |
| |
God "accepts humanity in the person of His Son" and, in this sense, "His victory is ours." (DA111.6; DA123.1)
"It is the righteousness of Christ that makes the penitent sinner acceptable to God and works his justification. However sinful has been his life, if he believes in Jesus as his personal Saviour, he stands before God in the spotless robes of Christ's imputed righteousness." (FW106.1) |
|
| • |
When the Father declared that He was "well pleased" with His Son, He spoke these words to Jesus as the Representative of humanity. Thus we may rejoice in the fact that we have a glorious Substitute, and that we, humanity, are pleasing to the Father in Him. |
| |
"We stand in favor before God, not because of any merit in ourselves, but because of our faith in `the Lord our righteousness.’ The word that was spoken to Jesus at the Jordan, `This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,’ embraces humanity. God spoke to Jesus as our representative. The voice which spoke to Jesus says to every believing soul, This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased. With all our sins and weaknesses, we are not cast aside as worthless. `He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.’ Ephesians 1:6." (FW107.2; DA113.1) |
|
Could any news be better than this news? God put humanity in the Beloved, He dealt with humanity in the Beloved, and now that the Beloved has lived a perfect life on our behalf, and now that the Beloved has died for us the death that we deserve to die, the Father accepts us, humanity, in the Beloved!
What an amazing salvation plan! What an amazing God!
Surely these thoughts must soften even the hardest of hearts, for they are the substance of our hope and our courage, they are the foundation of our joy and our peace, and they are the springboard that enables us to leap with energy, enthusiasm, excitement, confidence and gratitude into the waiting arms of our infinitely kind heavenly Father.
"In Christ every provision has been made, every encouragement offered." (PK325.5)
2. God Dealt With Us In Christ
As mentioned earlier, once the Father had put us in Christ, He was able to deal with us in Christ.
This fact presents us with a spiritual "pill" that is both bitter and sweet. It is a bitter pill because of the pain and the shame that Jesus had to endure as a result of this arrangement. You and I may accept it as a sweet pill, however, for it is perhaps the most comforting and inspiring thought that could fall upon the guilt-ridden mind:
| • |
The Father dealt with MY sin in Jesus. |
| • |
The Father put MY punishment on Jesus. |
As a result of this arrangement, you and I may rejoice in the fact that God’s justice was satisfied, not by simply wiping away our penalty (which option would have resulted in universal anarchy and ruin), but by placing our penalty on Another.
"As man [Jesus] suffered the consequences of man's sin. As man He endured the wrath of God against transgression." (DA686.3)
Jesus "was treated as we deserve, that we might be treated as He deserves. He was condemned for our sins, in which He had no share, that we might be justified by His righteousness, in which we had no share. He suffered the death which was ours, that we might receive the life which was His." (RC45.4)
"Though he was rich, yet for [our] sakes he became poor, so that [we] through his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Surely the unlimited kindness that God has showered upon us must reach into the deepest recesses of our hearts and fill us with wonder - and with an ever-deepening love for our Maker, Redeemer and Best Friend?
Jesus, and shall it ever be,
A mortal man ashamed of Thee?
Ashamed of Thee, whom angels praise?
Whose glories shine through endless days?
But, again we must ask, what manner of Love is this that would allow an innocent Lamb to suffer infinite pain and shame on behalf of a people who are altogether ungrateful and altogether unholy? How will we ever come to terms with the fact that . . .
"It was the LORD'S will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer." (Isaiah 53:10 NIV)
How could a God of perfect justice subscribe to such absolute unfairness?
And the answer comes back to us:
"It was for the joy that was set before him, - that he might bring many sons [and daughters] unto glory, - that he endured the cross and despised the shame." (GC88-671.1)
Jesus chose infinite suffering rather than live forever without us. This fact proves, beyond any doubt, that His love for you and I is stronger than the greatest fear imaginable.
More than this, Jesus understood all too well that His suffering would heal a mortally wounded universe.
| • |
"By His wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5) |
| • |
"The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him." (Isaiah 53:5) |
In short, therefore, our healing and our peace could only be secured at the cost of infinite unfairness. The measure of grace that has been poured out upon us is matched only by the measure of injustice that was heaped upon the innocent Lamb of God – for us.
Oh what pity we must feel for our precious Savior! What sorrow should overcome us as we consider the incredible pain that we brought upon the gentle, meek, lowly and undeserving Lamb of God?
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down,
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
We simply have to marvel at the thought that God would consider putting humanity in the Lamb, and that He would then find it within Himself to deal with humanity in the Lamb – and this He did knowing all too well the measure of pain and horror that this arrangement would bring upon the Lamb - and upon Himself.
"The anguish that sin has brought was poured into the bosom of the Sinless." (PK701.1)
"He suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness and His hatred of sin." (DA700.3)
This means that His suffering was of infinite proportions for the simple reason that His holiness is of infinite proportions, and this fact proves once again that God’s love for you and I is of infinite proportions.
And this is why He was able
to pour out upon us a measure
of grace that is of infinite proportions.
Are you, my dear reader, rejoicing in the healing that God has secured for you at so inconceivable a price? Is the peace of God that surpasses all understanding guarding your heart and your mind? Are you enjoying that brand of peace that will always see a caring heavenly Father – even at those times when you are engulfed in the darkest of clouds?
"Jesus is ever ready to speak peace to souls that are burdened with doubts and fears." (DA803.3)
In The Beloved
Having considered the deeper significance of what it means to be in Him, let us now focus our attention on some of the more prominent passages in Scripture where this term is used.
Please take note that the information below is not intended for casual reading.
For Your Meditation
| • |
In Him, humanity was chosen. (Ephesians 1:4) |
| • |
In Him, humanity was circumcised. (Colossians 2:11) |
| • |
In Him, humanity was crucified. (Romans 6:6) |
| • |
In Him, humanity was buried. (Colossians 2:12) |
| • |
In Him, humanity died to the law. (Romans 7:4) |
| • |
In Him, humanity has redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7) |
| • |
In Him, humanity became a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22) |
| • |
In Him, humanity became a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) |
| • |
In Him, humanity was raised up and seated on the throne in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 2:6) |
| • |
In Him, humanity was given perfection. (Colossians 2:10) |
| • |
In Him, and thanks to Him taking our condemnation upon Himself, the finger of condemnation no longer points at humanity. (Romans 8:1) |
| • |
In Him, and through His blood, humanity has been given citizenship of the Kingdom. (Ephesians 2:12-13) |
| • |
In Him, humanity has peace. (John 16:33) |
Loving Father, I stand aghast as I consider the lengths to which you have gone in your quest to encourage me, to save me, to motivate me, and to instill in me a deeper love for you. Thank you for putting me in the Beloved, thank you for dealing with me in the Beloved, and thank you so much for accepting me in the Beloved. Truly Father, your ways are beyond finding out. Surely, Master, you deserve to receive all honor, all power, all glory, all majesty, all blessing, all praise, and all thanks, for your greatness, your goodness, and your grace are magnificent beyond measure. It will take a trillion eternities and more to even begin to understand the measure of love that persuaded you to stoop so very low that we might be lifted so very high – in Him?
"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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved." (Ephesians 1:3-6)
"Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ." (2 Corinthians 2:14)
