In Christ

Q: What does the Bible say about being in Christ?

Being in Christ means that believers are united with Him through faith, and as a result, they are justified, sanctified, and eternally secure. The concept of being 'in Christ' is foundational to the believer's identity in Scripture. In Philippians 2:1-5, Paul emphasizes that crucial aspects like consolation, love, fellowship, and mercies stem from being in Christ. This unity signifies not just proximity but a profound relational connection whereby believers share in His righteousness, love, and divine purpose. Romans 8:1 proclaims that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, indicating that believers are guiltless before God due to their union with Him. Furthermore, throughout Romans 8, we see that being in Christ guarantees security and eternal life, as nothing can separate us from the love of God in Him.

Q: How do we know election is true according to the Bible?

Election is affirmed in Scripture as God's sovereign choice to save specific individuals, as seen in Romans 8:29-30. The doctrine of election, which holds that God sovereignly chooses individuals for salvation, is a biblical concept rooted in many scriptural passages. In Romans 8:29-30, Paul explains that those God foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. This sequence of foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification emphasizes that God's initiative is the source of any believer's salvation. Moreover, Ephesians 1:4-5 explicates that believers were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless. This highlights not only God's sovereignty in salvation but His benevolent intent as He chooses to extend grace and mercy unto a particular people, affirming that election is indeed true.

Q: Why is understanding justification important for Christians?

Justification is vital for Christians as it represents the means by which they are declared righteous before God, independent of their works. Understanding justification is crucial for Christians because it assures them of their right standing before God based on faith in Christ alone, not on their own efforts. Romans 3:21-26 elaborates that righteousness from God is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. This doctrine underscores that justification is a gift from God, given freely by grace, through the redemption afforded by Christ's sacrifice. The ramifications of this teaching are profound: believers can have confidence in their eternal security, knowing God does not count their sins against them. As Romans 8:1 declares, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ—demonstrating that justification leads to peace with God and undergirds the assurance of salvation.

Q: What does it mean that God preserves the elect?

God's preservation of the elect ensures that believers will remain in faith and ultimately reach salvation, as promised in Scripture. The preservation of the elect is a core tenet of the Reformed faith, emphasizing that those whom God has chosen will also be sustained in their salvation. Romans 8:38-39 reassures believers that nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus, underlying the assurance that God will keep His people. This preservation is not based on the believer's strength but on God's unchangeable will and power. Philippians 1:6 promises that He who began a good work in believers will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. This teaching provides immense comfort, enabling believers to trust fully in God's plan and power for their salvation, affirming confidence in their eternal security.

is found in Philippians chapter 2. We're doing a series right now on the first five verses of Philippians 2. Last week we looked at consolation in Christ. And as I was studying, I was going to go to the next part of that Verse which would be if any comfort of love and so I started writing that Studying that out and I said that's a message.

I got it. We that's a message Comfort of love that's second hour because first hour is in Christ. I couldn't get past those two words two simple words and But everything that stems down through the consolation, the comfort of love, fellowship of the spirit, bowels of mercies, all of that is because we're in Christ. That's the substance. That's the source of it. So I couldn't get past in Christ. So that's what we're going to look at this hour. Let's read this together.

Philippians 2, 1 through 5 says, If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not on every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The title is In Christ, In Christ, found the very beginning, if there be any consolation in Christ.

Every admonition that he gives here is accomplished for one reason and one reason only. The Lord's people are in Christ. That's the only way we can have comfort of love. That's the only way we can have consolation in Christ. That's peace, peace with him. That's the only way we can have that is if we're in Christ. Look at this again.

So if we're in Christ, we have comfort of love. If we're in Christ, we have fellowship of the spirit. If we're in Christ, we have bowels and mercies. If we are in Christ, we are like-minded. If we're in Christ, we have the same love. If we're in Christ, we have one accord and one mind.

You see what I'm saying? It's all about cause. We're in Christ. That's the whole That's the hope, that's it, that I may be found in him. Paul said that I may be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but having the righteousness, which is by the faith of the Son of God. So what do I mean by in Christ? Well, in John, our Lord was speaking pertaining the disciples. And he was speaking to the father and he said that all that would believe their message, which is the gospel, that all that would believe their message and be found in Christ. He says that verse 23 of John 17, I, and them, and thou and me. that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. I in them, and thou in me. That's the hope. We're in Christ. We're in Christ.

The best way I can describe that is a marriage. It's a marriage. When you become married, the woman, and this is not a popular thing anymore, but the woman takes the man's name. That's tradition. The woman is, her name is no longer announced. It's Mr., mine was Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Hickman. And you know the same for yourself. Why is that? Well, the woman is said to have died to her former self.

She is now bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. And so it is with our Lord. Whenever he died on the cross for his people, when he secured salvation's redemption, when he accomplished salvation, we were wed to him. We were wed to him in eternity past in the covenant of grace, but we're wed to him and therefore bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, spiritually speaking.

We have his name, Jehovah Sitkinu, the Lord our righteousness. I'm no longer seen as Caleb Hickman. I'm seen as Jehovah Sitkinu in the eyes of God. The eyes of Almighty, that's how he sees his people. That's our hope, that's why being in Christ is so glorious is because he doesn't see me, he sees the blood. He doesn't see me, he sees his son. This is why I couldn't get past those two words, because this is every believer's hope. This is every believer's hope.

Is it not true that we die to self? when we are regenerated. When the Lord comes to us and causes us to see the truth, when the Lord says live, is it not true that we die to self? We take sides with God against self. That's what baptism represents. It represents that you're identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That when he died, I died. That when he was risen, I was risen. And when he was seated now, I'm seated in him in the heavenlies. That's the confession, his finished work.

The good news is, is we are in Christ in the heavenlies right now. This is not a futuristic thing. This is right now. He says in Romans 12, five. So we being many are one body in Christ. We being many are one body in Christ and everyone members of another. So it brings us to a question. What does it mean to be in Christ?

Well, it means that God chose. to elect a people first and foremost. Everything starts with God. If a man's preaching anything to you about salvation and he doesn't start with God, it starts with you, that's not salvation. Everything started with God. God chose before time to elect a people.

One was found worthy, the Lord Jesus Christ, to loose the seals and open the book thereof, to redeem the Lord's people. He chose to elect a people and the Son agreed to redeem those people. In the election, we were placed in Christ. We were entrusted to Christ. We were given to Christ to be redeemed. That's what it means to be in Christ is where it all starts as an election. He predestinated his people to be conformed to the image of his son.

Now that is glorious news if you understand how ugly we really are, how ugly our sin really is. And if the Lord was to look upon it, what the penalty and consequence would be if he sees me, if he sees just me, me alone, because if he sees me, I'm in trouble because he sees my sin. He sees my bad. He sees my ugly.

But the good news is, is he took care of that problem by predestinating his people to be conformed to the image of his son. You know what that means? That means in the eyes of God, and by the way, how God sees it is really how it is. In the eyes of God, he sees his son when he looks upon his people.

Isn't that a glorious thought? He sees his faithfulness, not my faithfulness. He sees his love, not my love. He sees his perfect obedience, his perfect righteousness. That's what he sees when he looks at his people. Conformed to his image, he sees Jesus Christ.

Turn with me to Romans chapter eight. Verse 28, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called according to his purpose. Thee called according to his purpose. If we ever hear a message that doesn't speak of his purpose being supreme, him being sovereign, I would be careful with that message because every message should have something in it about God being sovereign and his purpose and his will being done in salvation.

Verse 29, for whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestinated, them he called. Whom he called, them he also justified. Whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Now stop right there a second, and we're gonna examine this because that's all past tense. Do we see that? That's not futuristic. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called, have already been called. And whom he called, them he also justified, already been justified. And whom he justified, them he also glorified, already been glorified. We're just waiting to experience it.

What shall we say to these things, if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, for thy sakes we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. If you're in Christ, nothing can separate you from the love of Christ. Nothing can separate you from the love of God.

Nothing can ever change his love. Why? Because he can't be changed. He can't be changed. So his love is everlasting, never had a beginning, never has an end. If we're in Christ, if he, so this is, this is the pattern. with our Lord. He chose to predestinate and to conform his people to the image of his son. He chose to love them with an everlasting love.

And what's gonna stop him from doing so? Everything's already done. Everything's already complete. That's why he said, whom he did call, then he also justified. Whom he justified, then he also glorified. That's all past tense. If we're in Christ, it's finished. It's finished, there's no more work to be done. It all started with God electing. What does it mean if I'm in Christ? It means God has predetermined my eternal destiny. Where I'm gonna be forever and ever, God decided that. God decided that.

And the good news is he loves his people with an everlasting love. And what did that love accomplish? Eternal redemption. If you, and we love our spouses, but if you loved, your spouse and you were all powerful, would you do everything in your power to keep anything bad from happening to that person? If you could prevent them from dying, would you? Well, that exactly, if we love, that's a particular love. Because I don't love every woman the same way I love my wife. If I did, I would be in trouble. I wasn't trying to be funny, but anyways. Our God don't love everybody the same way. He loves his people and everybody else he doesn't love. It's that simple. How do we know that?

Because his love accomplished something. On the cross of Calvary, whenever he died for his people, he put away their sin. By the sacrifice of himself, by shedding his own blood, he made certain that they were conformed to his image. He made certain that they were 100% justified. He made certain that they were made perfectly righteous in the eyes of God. He completed the work, everything God required, he provided.

Now if God loves everybody, then what does his love have to do with salvation? What does his love have to do with salvation? If he shed his blood for everybody, but some go to hell, what does his blood have to do with salvation? No, the Lord accomplished something. The Lord's love accomplished something. If people end up in hell that God loves, He's not all powerful, but He accomplished exactly what He purposed to accomplish.

All those words that we just read about His purpose, His will, Him, He's the doer of it. The good news is if I'm in Christ, I've always been in Christ, and I always will be in Christ, and I can't get out of it. And I love that. That means I can't mess it up. Every time I hear the good news of the gospel, I'm reminded that I can't mess it up. I can rest. I'm able to just sit there and say, stand in all of the grace and mercy of the Lord, because no matter what I do, I can't get out of his love. He's not going to fall out of love with me. He's not going to fall out of love with you. If we're in Christ, that's good news, isn't it? No, God doesn't love everybody. He literally said, Jacob, have I loved Esau? Have I hated?

Literally before time before they were ever even born. He said that turn with me to you're in chapter eight, turn over to 10 or I'm sorry, chapter nine. Look what he says in verse 10, not only this, but when Rebecca had also conceived by one, even by our father, Isaac for the children, not being born, being not born yet. having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. What shall we say then?

Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will, he will harden.

He hardeneth. Brethren, he's all sovereign. It all started with him. It's his sovereign right. It's his sovereign choice to have mercy on whom he will and not on whom he will. It's his mercy. Salvation's of the Lord. It's not of man. He can do as he pleases, and what can I do that can affect that? Name something you can do and I can do that affects God. There's not a single thing, is there? Not a single, that's good news. I can't mess it up. What does it mean to be in Christ?

It means that the great potter predetermined a vessel of honor, because I'm the clay, you're the clay, he's the potter. And he goes on to say that, hath not the potter power over the clay to make one vessel unto honor, one unto dishonor? He's the potter. We're just clay. And he chose to make some vessels of honor for his glory, for his glory.

Have you ever seen a vase or a piece of pottery? You say, man, that's really pretty. I wonder who made that. Is that not what we say? I wonder who made that. And you looked at the person that made it and said, well, they made this. This is a really pretty, the pot in and of itself is pretty. But all the glory and credit goes to the potter. Do we see that? That pot didn't pop into existence just because it will do, but yet men think that that's how salvation works. It's not how it works. God chose to take clay and turn it into something beautiful, conforming it to the image of his darling son.

If I am in Christ, it means the great potter predetermined a vessel of honor. It means he elected me and chose me before time ever began and all of his people. Secondly, if I'm in Christ, it means that I have been redeemed. I've been redeemed. I've been elected and I've been redeemed. We're going to stay in Romans. Turn to Romans three. didn't really realize I had put Romans down as all the passages to go to this morning. And that's not a problem, it's just that I didn't realize it until I started studying again this morning.

Look at verse 21-30, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe. For there is no difference, for all have sinned, and and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just in the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay, by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the Gentiles? Yes, the Gentiles also, seeing it as one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law. Our Lord redeemed us. He's the propitiation for his people. He's the one that, to put it as plainly as I can put it, he fixed the problem. He fixed the problem was our sin. That's what separated us from our God. And yet he is just and the justifier of his people. We've been justified.

That doesn't mean as if I had sinned, as if I had never sinned. It means I never sinned one time in his eyes. How is that? He said, your sin and iniquity, I'll remember no more. I will remember them no more. He put them away by the sacrifice of himself. We were ruined by the fall. He says it right here. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. That's what we are by nature. That's what we're going to do. And yet the Lord chose in his sovereign right, in his infinite mercy and grace to redeem his people.

I was speaking to someone, I guess it was, when I wrote this, it was yesterday, so it had been Friday, when I spoke to this person, and they said to me that they believe that if they do something bad, that all they have to do is something good and it'll make up for it, as if there's a scale that's gonna balance itself based upon good and bad deeds. And I told him, I said, well, until the Lord gives you repentance, you'll never see that everything you do is bad. And he said, what do you mean? It's like everything we produce is sinful.

God's not like we think he is. God's holy and sovereign. We need a redeemer. We need one that justified his people. And that's who the Lord Jesus Christ is. That's what it means to be in Christ. You've been justified freely by his grace, justified, been redeemed, made righteous. All our good deeds are filthy rags. The scripture tells us there's none good, but God. So what's the hope that God put me in Christ before the world ever began? that I was chosen and you were chosen in Christ before time ever began. That's the hope of the Lord's people. He successfully redeemed his people.

Wretched, vile creatures of dust, just stubborn clay. Well, that's a good description, isn't it? You ever mess with clay? Well, it's stubborn. You have to keep working with it and working with it, and eventually it'll start moving a little bit, but potter's hands, they have to be strong because Otherwise, you couldn't move the clay and our Lord has all power so he can do whatever he wants to. The point I'm making is we're stubborn.

We need a great potter and we have one in Christ. We have one. That's what it means to be in Christ is that he is your potter. He is your potter, your heavenly father. Here's the good news. He redeemed Wretched, vile creatures of dust, all by his grace.

Romans 8.1 says, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. There is now therefore no condemnation. What does it mean if I'm in Christ? It means I stand guiltless. Guiltless before the law. Guiltless before his throne. Why?

Because our Lord was made to bear the iniquity of us all, of all of his people. The Lord was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The Lord took our sins out of the way, nailing them to his cross. Scripture says the Lord bore our sin in his body on the tree. I could not get rid of the guilt. So he took it and put it away, but the sacrifice of himself, he nailed our sins to his cross. His soul was made an offering for sin and he put every single sin away.

Don't you love that there's not one thing left to do? Not one thing. If I can camp right there just a minute and try to really enter into that thought. We believe it and we've heard it countless times, but there's not one thing left or required by God for you to do in order for you to be saved. Not one thing.

The scripture says, somebody said, well, you have to believe. Well, yeah, that's true. That's true. But you can't believe unless the Lord gives you faith to believe. There's not one thing left for you to do. You believe, faith is the evidence of salvation. You believing is the evidence of salvation. It's not the cause. We don't choose to believe and then say that we believe because we've been saved.

That's, people have that backwards. Not one thing left to do. If you're in Christ, there's not one thing left to do. If I am in Christ, then I am perfectly righteous in the inward man. Listen to what 1 Corinthians 1-2 says, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. Not going to be, not going to be, not becoming sanctified. He says to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus. If you're in Christ, you're sanctified. You're sanctified right now. What does that mean? That means you're set apart. You're set apart. You've been made holy on the inward man. How holy? As holy as God is, because when he sees you, he sees his son. You know how he did that?

1 Corinthians 1.30 tells us, but of him are you in Christ Jesus. Of who? Of God. Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who is of God, made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. What does that mean? That means Christ is all if you're in Christ. That's what that means. Christ is all if you're in Christ. What does it mean if I'm in Christ?

It means that when he died, I died. When he was buried, I was buried. When he was risen from the grave, I was risen from the grave. When he sat down at the right hand of God, I sat down in him on the right hand of God. There's no more work to do, not a prayer to pray, not a commitment to make, not a lifestyle to clean up, not all the things and the isms and shisms and things that men say that you have to memorize or you have to do. It's finished. It's finished. There's nothing left to do.

And he gets all the glory. If I am in Christ, he provided and produced everything for my entire salvation, my entire salvation, not half of it, not three quarters of it, not 99.9% of it, all of it. He produced and provided everything necessary for my salvation if I am in Christ. If you're in Christ, he produced everything necessary for your salvation if you're in Christ. He justified His chosen people.

We've been made white as snow by His blood. So first, if I'm in Christ, it means the Father elected me. Second, it means the Son redeemed me. And lastly, it means the Spirit is going to regenerate me in time and keep me by His power until the day that the Lord comes back for me, because He promised He would. He promised He would.

He would return. Now, I may go by the way of the grave. And if that's the case, I'll still, we'll still awaken his likeness. We'll see him as he is, or we'll go by way of the Trump. But either way, it'll be the best day of our life. If we're in Christ, we're going, if I'm in Christ, it means I'm going to awake in his likeness.

I'll be changed in a moment. In the twinkling of an eye, the scripture says, when the Trump of God shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be called up together to meet him in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. And you know what it says after that? Comfort one another with these words. If you're in Christ, he's coming back for you.

He's coming back. We take, we look at our time that we live in our life and we get so distracted with all the troubles and trials and we forget he's coming back. He's gonna come back for his people. and it's gonna be a glorious day. We think, okay, well, we don't know when it's gonna be, so the anticipation, it kind of gets put out of our mind sometime. We kind of forget about that. He's gonna come back. If we're in Christ, he's coming back for me. If you're in Christ, he's coming back for you. The glory of the new man he has given will be revealed one day in every single child of God. The glory that's in there right now. Paul said, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. It's His glory, isn't that? Yeah, it's His glory, isn't that glorious?

We're gonna be made like Him for we shall see Him as He is. If I'm in Christ, I have everything I ever will need for all time and all eternity. If I'm in Christ, we can say with David, the Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, I shall not be in want of anything. Why? Because he has provided and does everything necessary in salvation and keeping me by his power. I'm not even keeping myself.

So to start with, it was God and to end with, it's going to be God and he gets all the glory for it. He's the alpha and omega. That's the good news if we're in Christ, he's the alpha and omega, whether or not I'm in Christ or not, but he is the alpha and omega of salvation. First Corinthians 15, 19 says, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we're of all men, most miserable. But we don't have hope in Christ in this life only. We have hope in the life to come. Because if I'm in him, I have eternal life.

Here's what the Lord said, and I know I quote this often. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never, never, never perish. Never gonna perish. neither shall, and I love this part because he says, neither shall any man pluck them from my hand. My father, which gave them to me is greater than all, and no man can pluck them from my father's hand. I and my father are one."

There's nothing going to get to the child of God that the Lord doesn't allow. He's going to keep his people. If I'm in Christ, I have everything. We have hope in Christ in this life. and the life to come if we're in Christ. Let's pray. Father, we ask that you would take these words and bless it for your glory to our understanding, in Christ's name, amen. Let's take a break.

In Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being in Christ?

How do we know election is true according to the Bible?

Why is understanding justification important for Christians?

What does it mean that God preserves the elect?

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In Christ

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about being in Christ?

How do we know election is true according to the Bible?

Why is understanding justification important for Christians?

What does it mean that God preserves the elect?

Sermon Transcript

About Caleb Hickman

Comments

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