If all you understood was Christ in you, you would do very well in the life of faith. Start relentlessly identifying with Christ alone, believing that he has made you righteous as he is, and you will increasingly bear the fruit of righteousness, putting “to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13). The flesh does not define you, and it is not a reliable representation of what is true about your spirit.
But now, let us look to another very important and powerful piece of the gospel — you in Christ. Admittedly, it is a little harder to wrap the mind around. But without this understanding, it is more challenging to see how the finished work of Christ effectively translates into the life of the believer. And with it, we can see quite clearly how Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into glory become more than a metaphor, a motivator, or a symbol of hope for our future. His work is not something we simply admire from a distance but something that has happened to us, too, which has real-time benefits in our everyday lives, all of which are accessed by faith in him.
What you are about to read may be a new concept to you, and if so, it is liable to some scrutiny and judgment. Anything labeled as “new” usually deserves this kind of reaction, and it at least ought to raise our suspicion. So, just to be clear, I do not believe there is anything new about this, but rather, that it is the clear and consistent biblical witness of our salvation. It is, in my best discernment, an important piece of the original apostolic message, which, for some reason that I do not know, seems to have been hidden for a long time, though in plain sight in our Bibles. Each reader will have to discern for themselves what is true, but I believe that if one does so humbly and prayerfully, scripture will speak for itself. This is not some wacky tangent or intellectual trip. It is a foundational aspect of the kerygma, the proclamation, the power of the gospel.
In Christ
When we say that the Spirit of Christ (or the Holy Spirit) dwells in you, this ought to be understood as literally in your body. For "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you" (1 Corinthians 6:19). It is as true as the fact that your spirit dwells in your body (see 2 Peter 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:1-9; Romans 7:24). This, then, should lead us to the obvious conclusion that the Spirit of Christ can be in more than one place at a time — not only on earth in every believer but also in heaven in Jesus’ own body (see Colossians 1:19 and 2:9). For the Spirit certainly has not left Jesus' body in order to fill ours! So the Spirit of God is both in heaven and on earth, in Jesus and in us.
Now, remember what we discussed — that “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). Well, if we are truly one with the Spirit who dwells in Jesus’ own body as well as ours, then doesn’t it make sense that we, too, dwell in our own bodies as well as his, on earth as well as in heaven? If “Christ in you” means him in your body via the Holy Spirit, then it only makes logical sense that “you in Christ” means you in his body via the Holy Spirit.
You may wonder how exactly this is so, technically speaking, but I am perfectly comfortable leaving room for a little mystery here. Perhaps your spirit itself is there in the most literal way possible. Perhaps it is not. Perhaps you are in him like a branch connected to a vine, and it is impossible to determine where one ends and the other begins. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit…” (John 15:5). Whatever the case, here is what matters. It would be a huge mistake to say that we are not really there, for in this truth, and from this perspective, the gospel comes to life, and the Scriptures begin to make sense.
Quickly, I'd like to point out that this is where theologians often use words like "positional." They'll say they agree that we died with Christ, that we've been raised with Christ, that we've been seated with him in heaven, etc., but these are only true "positionally" (whatever the heck that means). It's a cute way of dancing around the scriptures and making it look like you believe them when the truth is that you just don't know how to make sense of them. So your conclusion to everything you don't understand, with regard to our new life in Christ, is "yes, but not really."
Well, friends, I reject this, and I think you should, too. Find me one place in the New Testament where the word "positional" (or anything like it) is used, and I will consider changing my stance. But I do not believe you will succeed in doing so.
Modern teachers nearly always go out of their way to let us know that we are only symbolically seated with Christ, not literally. So, if this is true, wouldn't we expect Paul to have the same courtesy? Surely, if Paul knew that there was some important nuance to how these things are so (or not so), he should have shared it, and he would have. But he didn't because it was actually as straightforward and literal as he wrote it.
The Bible has plenty to say about this. It is no problem at all if you are not fully on board yet. At this moment, I would just ask you to join me in a simple thought experiment. As you read the following scriptures, read them from the perspective of being currently in Jesus’ body in heaven. Take time to sit with it and pray for understanding, believing that he will give it to you in time.
God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:3, my italics).
God has “raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6, my italics).
“For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him” (Colossians 2:9-10, my italics).
“[Y]ou were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:12).
“[Since] then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4).
Can one, in any real sense, be raised with Christ into heaven, currently seated with him at the right hand of God, and not be in Christ’s risen body? How else could this be so? Where else would we be? How else should we explain being in him at this very moment? The way that I see it, given what the Bible has to say about this, either we are literally in him (just as he is in us), or else we have not, in reality, been raised with him. For he alone has been raised and is the firstfruits of many to come (see 1 Corinthians 15:23).
Or think of it this way. Paul says that we are seated with/in Christ at the right hand of God. But I assure you, there is only one seat at God's right hand, not one billion. So, how are we there? Because he's there, bodily.
The central theme in the book of Hebrews is, in fact, this very thing. Jesus, the great High Priest, has gone into the real Holy Place, into the presence of the Father in heaven, and his bodily presence there now is our means of access to the Father — of course, by the Spirit whom we share (see Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 7:25; 8:1-2; 9:11-12, 24; 10:19-22; 12:2, 22-24). “For through him we… have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). In other words, only because he is there can we be there, too. And there, since we are literally clothed in him, we are clothed in glory and perfection (see Hebrews 10:14) and can approach the throne with great confidence. This is another dimension to “the grace in which we stand” and which we “access by faith” (Romans 5:2).
This is also why Jesus says to his disciples before his departure, “In my Father’s house are many rooms… And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again [via Holy Spirit?] and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3). This verse has often been interpreted to be speaking only about the afterlife. However, the rest of chapter 14 makes a solid case for the fact that Jesus is speaking of the time after he would ascend into heaven and send them the Holy Spirit. It is also worth noting that the only other time in the Gospel of John when Jesus uses the term "my Father's house" is John 2:16, and John comments that "he was speaking about the temple of his body" (John 2:21).
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:18–20).
This is not only a future reality for believers but a current reality, which comes with many benefits. It means more than just a new home or location, and even more than access to God. It means a new life and new nature in God, and therefore freedom from the law and the flesh which once held us captive to sin.
Jesus Was Born Again
To understand more fully the significance of being in Christ’s body, we must better understand what actually happened to Christ regarding his incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension.
To start, let us reflect upon the Cross and the Resurrection. Concerning these events, it is important to recognize that they were bodily in nature. In other words, Christ’s spirit — the person of Christ, the Word himself — did not change at all when he died and was raised. He remained God, he kept his spirit, he remained perfect and pure, etc. It was not his heart (or spirit) that changed, but his body of flesh that was put off in death and put back on — in glorified fashion — in the resurrection. Following the pattern of Paul’s discourse in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57 (which I encourage you to read now), Jesus died in weakness but was raised in power (see also 2 Corinthians 13:4); died in a natural body, but was raised in a spiritual body (see also 1 Peter 3:18); died in Adam, a man of dust, but was raised in God, a man of heaven. Please recognize, again, that none of this describes a change that occurred within the Spirit of Christ but the change that occurred to the body of Christ. It has nothing to do with identity or personhood.
Of course, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul is describing the bodily resurrection that we will experience. But it is inferred within the context of the chapter — and it is a basic premise of the gospel — that this is the same sort of change that Christ underwent, from being in the flesh just as we are to being resurrected in glory. In fact, that is the whole point. What happened to Christ will happen to us. He is the forerunner, the first of his kind, a new race, a new type of human. He is the “second Adam,” and we believers shall follow (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Acts 26:23, Romans 8:29).
Next, you might wonder, wasn’t Jesus already from heaven? Yes, and he was God, and in God, the whole time that he was on the earth. But his body was of the earth — a body of flesh, just like ours (see John 1:14; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 2:17; 2 John 7). While the fullness of God dwelt in that body (see Colossians 1:19 and 2:9), his body was not of God but of man. Although he was from heaven, his bodily nature was not heavenly but earthly like ours. This is the meaning of the incarnation. In taking on our human nature, God became just like us. Then, in his resurrection, he obtained a new bodily nature that was not earthly but heavenly; not perishable, but imperishable; and he returned to where he came from. In just a moment, we will see why this matters, but let us briefly consider another important scripture:
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6, my italics).
In this verse, Jesus does not contrast the two parts of a person — flesh and spirit — which we discussed in the last chapter; rather, he contrasts two kinds of nature, both of which are physical and bodily, but of different realms. In other words, someone who “is flesh” is of the substance of the earth, and someone who “is spirit” is of the substance of heaven. Someone who “is flesh” has the nature of man, and someone who “is spirit” has the nature of God. It makes sense, then, why “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50), but only those who are born of the Spirit (see John 3:3, 5). Our earthly bodies were made for the earthly realm. They cannot access the spiritual realm. Therefore, a change of bodily nature, from flesh to spirit, must occur in order to be with God, bodily, in his kingdom.
From the beginning, humanity was destined for this, but it had to be merited, or earned, through perfect obedience. By law, anyone who failed to obey God would die in the flesh and never obtain the new nature, thereby failing to enter the kingdom of God and have eternal life (see Genesis 2:17). Even before Adam and Eve ever sinned (despite having the breath of God in them), they were still from the dust of the earth, not from heaven; still with a natural body, not a spiritual one (see 1 Corinthians 15:44-49; Genesis 2:7). God could dwell in their realm, but they could not dwell in his. Therefore, contrary to some popular belief, humanity did not start with its perfect and final nature and then lose it. Rather, we started with a destiny and then failed to obtain it.
And here is where Christ comes in.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18, my italics).
Notice in the verse above how it states that Jesus, in his death and resurrection, made a transition from flesh to spirit, just like he said was necessary to see the kingdom of God. The phrase “made alive in the spirit” is very interesting and deserves our attention. First, you might wonder if “spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit. Since the original Greek was written in all capital letters, it is not always clear whether the "spirit" in question refers to the Spirit of God (which deserves an upper case 'S') or not. In this case, we know that Jesus was made alive by the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:11), but it does not make a whole lot of sense to say he was made alive in the Holy Spirit. So, that appears to be a non-option. Next, we might consider it to mean that after “being put to death in the flesh” — that is, after putting off his body — Jesus’ own spirit was simply raised apart from his body. But we know better than this, for he was raised bodily (e.g., Luke 24:39). In terms of how he was “made alive,” it would make no sense at all to speak of his spirit apart from his body. Therefore, this explanation also seems inadequate.
The third possibility (which is the one that I endorse) is that the phrase “in the spirit” does not refer to the person of the Holy Spirit nor the spirit/self of Jesus. Rather, it refers to the spirit realm and, therefore, the nature in which Jesus was raised. Just as “flesh” refers to the body in this passage, so does “spirit.” He was put to death in one bodily nature but made alive in another. In this new and glorified body, he could eat and drink with his disciples on earth (e.g., Luke 24:41-43; John 21:12-13), appear out of nowhere in the midst of locked rooms (see John 20:19), as well as ascend into heaven (the spirit realm) and dwell at the right hand of the Father.
This is the kind of “spiritual body,” which Paul juxtaposes with our “natural body” in 1 Corinthians 15:44. It refers to the spiritual/heavenly nature of God, which those who are saved will receive from him. It is in contrast to our earthly nature. It is divine in origin — incorruptible, eternal, immortal, and without the passions of the flesh. Only in this nature can one enter the kingdom of God. “[T]his is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does” (1 Peter 4:6, my italics).
According to this interpretation of 1 Peter 3:18, in the resurrection, Christ himself was born of spirit, or born again (see John 3:6). That statement should only offend us if we misunderstand what “born again” means, thinking of it as an inward renewal of the heart/spirit, which we know that Jesus didn't need. Thankfully, we have already determined that Christ did not experience this kind of renewal but only a bodily renewal. In essence, to be “born again” is not to receive a new heart (though that is certainly a part of it for us) but to receive a new nature. Therefore, when Christ was born again (i.e., resurrected), he did not receive a new heart, but a new human body — not of flesh, but of spirit; not of man, but of God.
The fact that Jesus was born again is why he is referred to as “the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29, my italics) and, more pointedly, “the firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18, my italics) and “the firstborn of the dead” (Revelation 1:5, my italics). Here, it is quite plain that Jesus’ resurrection is described as a birth. It was a birth into the spiritual realm from which he originally came. He did this not for his own sake — for he was already divine — but for the sake of humanity who failed to obtain it for themselves. Now, in him, we benefit from the work he has done.
Is This All Just a Metaphor?
At this point, you might be wondering what this means for us now. It is true that we must wait for our resurrection bodies, which we will not receive until Christ returns. But in the meantime, we are not without the power of his resurrection. For we are in him in a very real sense.
This is, in fact, what baptism represents. Just as we receive Christ by receiving the Holy Spirit into ourselves, Christ receives us by receiving our spirit into himself. We are literally baptized into Jesus and, therefore, into his death and resurrection (which, again, were bodily events). Here are some verses that make the point.
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3, my italics).
“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4; cf. Colossians 2:12).
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13).
“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27, my italics).
The predominant understanding of what actually occurs in a believer’s conversion and/or baptism usually includes the receiving of the Holy Spirit and some sort of change within the person. It is widely accepted that there is an old life that is left behind and a new life that has begun and that these are somehow connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus. But the clarity usually ends there, leaving one to inevitably wonder, Have I actually died? If so, then how? And how did Jesus’ death cause me to die, too? Is this all just one big metaphor?
We cannot really blame anyone for asking the question. After all, as we have already discussed, Jesus did not die a spiritual death but a bodily death. And his resurrection was a bodily one, too. This should cause us to speculate how it is that we have actually been crucified with Christ (see Romans 6:6 and Galatians 2:20). Is not death, by definition, the putting off of the body (see 2 Peter 1:14)? Yet, after baptism, we clearly remain in our earthly bodies. The cognitive dissonance is inescapable. Ask almost any Christian today to explain how it is that Jesus’ death and resurrection effectually killed them and made them new, and you will see what I mean. It is likely that any explanation they can offer of their own “death” and “new life” does not in any way capture the essence of Christ’s death and resurrection, which were bodily events.
But if we take into consideration the idea of being literally in Christ — like in his body — it starts to become easier to see. From this perspective, we are not in the flesh or in the world (see Colossians 2:20) at all. Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, “Yes, I am,” as you look down at your two fleshy hands. But then you are not thinking from the heavenly perspective of being in Christ, with whom your true life is now hidden (see Colossians 3:1-4). You are walking by sight, not by faith.
In his body (not our own), we have died to the flesh and been raised in the spirit. We have received our just punishment for sin — death by crucifixion. We have also received his just reward for righteousness — the divine nature. We did not "spiritually die” like him; we died his very own bodily death (see Romans 6:3). That is to say, we “died… through the body of Christ” (Romans 7:4, my italics). We were not metaphorically crucified like him; we were actually crucified with him (see Galatians 2:20) as he hung on the Cross. Only because we are in his body was he able to “[bear] our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24). Only because we were “baptized into Christ” (again, think literally), could we be “crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin” (Romans 6:6). His body is now ours, just as our bodies are now his — for we are one body. And in his body, we have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3, my italics). In other words, we have been born again through Jesus being born again — not yet in our bodies, but in his. Hence, it is a “living hope.”
Previously, we discussed the circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit, but this circumcision is also described in another way.
“In him also you were circumcised… by putting off the body of the flesh… having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11-12).
Do you see how a believer’s death and new life are real bodily events? In Christ, we are quite literally a new kind of creature, no longer of the flesh, because he is no longer of the flesh.
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17, my italics).
So consider all the following terms: “born again” (1 Peter 1:3, 23), “born of God” (1 John 3:9, 5:1), “born of the Spirit” (John 3:3, 6), “regeneration” (Titus 3:5), “newness of life” (Romans 6:4), “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15), and “firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18). These are all descriptions of the new nature we have in Christ, not merely of the new Spirit we have inside us. They correspond to us becoming “partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (2 Peter 1:4, my italics).
For us believers, these things have already occurred in Jesus’ body but have not yet occurred in our own since we obviously have not yet died and been raised in our own bodies. The fact that scripture says over and over again that we have died and been raised through his death and resurrection makes no sense whatsoever from the perspective of our own flesh and our own life here on earth. But it makes perfect sense from the perspective of our being in him. And “[a]s he is so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
So, if we have imagined our life “in Christ” to be some sort of metaphor, let us do so no longer. This is no mere symbolism as I once supposed it was. When Christ says, “This is my body, which is given for you” (Luke 22:19, c.f. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:12; 1 Corinthians 11:24), he means that it is the very vessel through which we have died and been raised to new life, transferred from the darkness to the light. If the story of Noah’s ark corresponds to our baptism (see 1 Peter 3:21), then Noah represents the only righteous man — Christ — and the ark represents Christ's body, which carries us safely through the waters of judgment and into the new creation.
All this to say, the “born again” experience, which has been so inaccurately propagated as a one-time decision and a ticket to heaven, is vastly more profound and amazing than it has often been described. It seems the furthest some have gotten is to call it a relationship with God, which is wonderful and true but still lacking. It is more than a relationship; it is a new life defined by oneness with God. It is not an addition to the old self but a new creation entirely. It is not an ever-changing mix of old and new, of true and false, of sin and righteousness. It is death and resurrection in a single moment — putting off the old nature (flesh) and putting on the new (spirit). It is liberty and victory now, not later. It is an immediate change in the unseen realm, where at one moment, we are in sin, and the next, we are in Christ. At one moment, we are unholy, and the next, we are a holy dwelling place for God.
“[T]he mystery hidden for ages and generations [has now been] revealed to his saints” (Colossians 1:26). It is “to unite all things in him…” (Ephesians 1:10, my italics). It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). It is that the two have become one — Christ and his church (see Ephesians 5:31-32). Now, in Christ, God has given us a new and unseen reality in which to live and, therefore, a new perspective from which to operate.
Not in the Flesh
Remember, in the last chapter, we discussed the problem with our flesh. "[W]hile we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death" (Romans 7:5, my italics). But pay attention to the first phrase in that verse: "while we were living in the flesh," which suggests that we are doing so no longer. Remember, also, Paul crying out, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). Well, now we know why he says, "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 7:25)! Not only will God deliver us from the body of death, but he already has. For he has transferred us out of the flesh realm and into the spirit realm. He has given us the body of Jesus as a vessel for death, resurrection, and newness of life, in which we are free from the corruption that we were originally born into.
“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
The “law of sin and death” to which Paul refers here is a law of nature within the body of flesh (see Romans 7:18, 23). This natural law of sin is why “[t]hose who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8), even if they desire to please him. But now, in Christ, we are “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and our new nature comes with a new law — not sin and death, but righteousness and life. Once, we were dead branches, cut off, with no source of life. Today, we are connected to the Vine, and his new life gives us new life, defining who and what we are.
Believers are now to walk by faith according to this new life of freedom and victory that is found in Christ. In doing so, the power of his resurrection is conveyed through the Spirit to our mortal bodies now (see Romans 8:11, 13). We are to “walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). We have spoken of this concept already — that we are not to identify with the thoughts and feelings of the flesh — but this becomes even easier when we realize that, in Christ, we are no longer even in/of the flesh.
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the [s]pirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9)
Just like 1 Peter 3:18 (which we discussed earlier), when Paul says here that we are “in the spirit,” he is not referring to the Holy Spirit but to the spirit realm into which we have been raised in Christ. Because Christ is in the spirit, we are in the spirit since we are in him. And the Holy Spirit within us is the guarantee that this is so.
Moreover, Paul’s point is not to say that we are no longer technically in our earthly body, nor that we have already experienced our own bodily death and resurrection. He is saying that our life in our own flesh is no longer our true life (see Colossians 3:3), and therefore, it is not the perspective from which we are to live. Most importantly, it is an identity statement that permits us to believe what we cannot yet see.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Notice in this verse that Paul does not deny the fact that he still lives in the flesh, despite that he claims to have died to it (cf. Galatians 5:24). But he says, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God…” My point is this. We do not have to pretend in the name of “faith” that our own bodies have already died or been resurrected, nor that we are no longer in our bodies, despite what we can easily see. On the other hand, we should not reduce the work of Christ to merely a renewal of the heart when it is more. There is only one solution. The life we now live in the flesh, we are to live from a different perspective — that is, in Christ by faith. Like Paul, we are to live according to the unseen reality where we are risen with him in the spirit realm and no longer in the body of flesh.
It goes without saying that our new life in Christ, to quite a great extent, remains unseen. There is much that is true about us in him, which we simply cannot observe through our earthly lens, or perhaps, which may even seem to directly oppose what is easily observable. Therefore, if we are to effectively walk in this new life and capitalize on the power of the gospel, we can only do so by faith, which is “the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Our faith is what will bear the fruit of the heavenly truth.
This leaves each believer with a choice in every moment. Do we live as if the Holy Spirit is a nice little addition to our otherwise earthly nature and old life? Or do we live as if Christ is, in fact, our new life, nature, and identity? Do we live according to the unseen reality, where in Christ, we have died to sin and been raised to righteousness, with total freedom and victory? Or do we live according to what we see, feel, and experience in the flesh — sins, temptations, failures, flaws, brokenness, etc.? Are we defined by Christ’s strength and glory, or are we defined by our own weakness and depravity, no better than our most recent sin or deepest wound? Will we walk by faith, or will we walk by sight? Will we set our minds on the Spirit or set our minds on the flesh?
It takes no faith whatsoever to say that we are still in the body of flesh. It is a nearly incontestable truth to anyone with a pair of eyes, common sense, and a trace of humility. We need not deny this reality, but we would do well to ask what kind of fruit comes from focusing on it. Do we not have a higher reality to live by? Do we not have a new and better life to put on? These only describe the life we can see with our natural mind, through our worldly lens, and we “are not of the world” (John 15:19; cf. Colossians 2:20). “[O]ur citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Thus, if we have no other perspective through which to view ourselves, except that which is based on what we can see and feel, we will undoubtedly miss out on our wonderful new life in him.
It takes faith to say, “I have died to sin,” or, "I have been crucified with Christ." Initially, it may even feel like a lie. But it is as true as the fact that Christ was crucified because your new life is in him. And when we live according to (or believing in) this new life and nature which we cannot immediately see or feel, we will find ourselves inevitably dying to sin, for it is simply no longer who or what we are. “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). It takes faith to say, “I am no longer in the flesh, but in the spirit,” when one look in the mirror tells you otherwise. But once you begin believing it is true, then the flesh will miraculously lose its power over you. “From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).
By faith, heaven is manifest on earth, and Christ is manifest in you. As you live through Christ in heaven, Christ will increasingly live through you on earth. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
Before we move on, I feel the need to stress that the truths we have discussed in this chapter (and the others, for that matter) will do you little to no good if you do nothing more than think about them intellectually. I urge you to meditate on them, pray for wisdom, and allow them to penetrate your heart. There is certainly far more to explore here than the little we have covered in this chapter (see Ephesians 1:3). Boldly approach the throne through Jesus and give thanks to God for what he has done. Marvel at him in the Holy Place, rejoicing that he is in you and you are in him.
Putting On Christ
I believe there are various ways to "put on Christ" (see Romans 13:14) in a practical sense, but they all have to do with simply believing the Truth. For this, we've been given all sorts of scriptures, each offering unique insights into how we put on Christ. There are even various ways to describe the action itself, like walking by the spirit (Romans 8:4 and Galatians 5:16), abiding in Christ (John 15:5), renewing your mind (Romans 12:2 and Ephesians 4:24), setting your mind on things above (Colossians 3:2), putting on the armor of God (Ephesians 3:16), and so forth. We can tell that all of these are speaking of the same thing by the fact that they all have the same result — the deeds of the body are put to death (Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5); the desires of the flesh are not gratified (Galatians 5:16); we are transformed (Romans 12:2); we bear fruit (John 15:5 and Galatians 5:22); etc. In other words, this is the "how" to spiritual growth. But keeping in mind what we've discussed in this chapter, I'd like to share one specific way of putting on Christ that uses what we've learned here.
We now see that, according to the scriptures, our life is hidden in Christ, and we are seated with him bodily at the right hand of God in heaven. We also know that we are one spirit with him and that "we have the mind of Christ" (1 Corinthians 2:16), just as we have his Spirit. Using all of this truth, let's prayerfully exercise some faith and see what it does.
Get ready to engage your imagination, which God has given you to picture the things that you are hoping and believing for (all things that are real but you cannot see). And now, asking God to help you "see," imagine this:
You are inside Christ's body right now. Not only that, you are inside his mind, thinking his thoughts, seeing through his eyes, feeling through all his senses. (Take as much time as you need to get into that state of mind.)
You look down at your hands, and you see two scars. You remember your crucifixion, and with it comes the knowledge that you will never die again. The Law is fulfilled. Deep within you is a sense of victory, triumph, and joy. It was well worth the suffering.
The breeze of heaven draws your attention to the sensation on your skin, and you become aware of the absolute strength and perfection in your body. Newness and godliness are your constant state of being, ever flowing from within your Spirit and filling your body with eternal life. It is tangibly thrilling to be alive.
Your mind is clear. You feel no internal conflict. You know exactly who you are, why you exist, and what you desire. It is all awesome; it is all righteous; and it is all within your Father's will because he and you are one.
You look to your left and see your Dad sitting next to you. You share many memories. He is more beautiful, more pleasurable, and more glorious than anyone or anything. And somehow, every time you look at him, you feel this more strongly than the last.
He looks back at you and smiles, in his eyes the most intensely perfect love. You are his pride and joy. You remain there with him, totally comfortable.
Then, together at the same time, you remember your Bride, and your heart begins to beat faster, excited with love. You know that whatever you ask of the Father, he gives to you, so you begin asking for the things that she needs, to which he gladly says, "Yes." He is so happy that you married her, for she is the only one who is fit for his Son.
You then look down over the earth, and you see the way people live. From your perspective, it is quite easy to see that the things they pursue on earth, the things they build, the things they cherish, the things they fear, are all vanity. It is all passing away. You feel no draw toward the things in that realm like you did when you lived there. You are neither in nor of that world anymore; it is not your home. Thus, it is so very clear to you that everything important is here.
A choir of innumerable angels brings your mind back to where you are. And from the edge of your Father's glorious castle, amidst the welcome noise of building and renovation, you gaze out upon a vast kingdom — your kingdom. Everything is yours. You have all things. It is full of riches and always at peace, impenetrable and unshakeable. You are filled with eagerness, and you hope to share all of it with your brothers and sisters.
Determined to hasten that day, you devote yourself to supporting them, building them up, and preparing them — always ready for the moment when your Father says, "Go get 'em."
Okay, now, back to earth.
I am sure that I did not get everything right, and for that, I apologize. But my prayer is that by demonstrating what it might look like to live from this vantage point, or to think with this perspective, we may learn how to access a greater power and a deeper love than we have ever known. This is not just a cute little exercise. This is setting your mind on things above, which is of supreme value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh (see Colossians 2:23-3:2). If taken seriously and believed wholeheartedly, it will transform us into the very image of Christ.
And just to be clear — no, I do not believe that I am Christ, nor that you are Christ. It is entirely possible to "put him on" in all the ways I have described here without thinking that we are the preeminent Son of God, the Savior of the world, etc. But you may not see how this is possible until you just trust God and try.
There is, to be sure, a distinction between the members of the body and the head of the body. And yet, Christ (in the fullest sense) cannot be reduced to only the head, can he? Christ is the whole man, both head and body, each member having full access to his mind as if it were their own. The church is the fullness of Christ (see Ephesians 1:23), and he is no longer alone (see John 12:24).
Admittedly, it is very difficult to express this reality in words and to do so in a way that accurately conveys the distinction without compromising the unity, and vice versa. That being said, I can tell you that when I renew my mind this way, the Lord knows that I do not confuse or conflate myself with Christ. I only access what is rightly mine as a member of his body. Furthermore, it is not in the distinction where I find the richness and power of the gospel, but it is in the oneness where I find it. Thus, in the oneness I must abide.
Okay, my favorite now. This was super good!
Love the shift. I love the challenge to go seek Him. Well said!