Grace tidings: What we are in Christ

By The Standard | Feb. 6, 2022

The heart craves intimacy with the Lord Jesus and with the Father.

By Doug Mamvura

Most believers are living defeated lives because they don’t know what or who they are in Christ.

I was surprised to find that the expressions “in Christ,” “in whom,” and “in Him” occur more than 130 times in the New Testament. This is the heart of the Revelation of Redemption given to Paul.

Here is the secret of faith — faith that conquers, faith that moves mountains. Here is the secret of the Spirit’s guiding us into all reality. The heart craves intimacy with the Lord Jesus and with the Father. It is through this intimacy with the Father that we will get to understand His true Nature.

We have our Redemption through His blood as we see in Ephesians 1 v 7:

“In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the remission of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace.”

It is not a beggarly Redemption, but a real liberty in Christ that we have now. It is a Redemption by the God Who could say, “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven,” and cause the whole starry heavens to leap into being in a single instant.

Our Redemption is a perfect thing. When you know it, enter into it, and your heart grows accustomed to it, there will be ability in your life that you have never known. There is no need to live “under the circumstances” the moment you get the revelation about your Redemption and what it means.

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Colossians 1 :13 -14: “Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the remission of our sins.” You are delivered out of the authority of Satan. This deliverance happens once. It is very sad to hear a born- again believer talking about deliverance. You want to be delivered from where to where when He has already delivered you from the kingdom of darkness.

You are free. It is in Him that you have your Redemption. You have been delivered out of Satan’s dominion. You have been “translated into the kingdom of the Son of his love.” You are free from the dominion of Satan. The Devil has no power over you without your consent or cooperation.

You have to reckon that want and poverty are things of the past as far as you are concerned. You can shout amid the turbulence and fear of other men “The Lord is my shepherd. I do not want. He makes me to lie down in plenty, in fullness. I am satisfied with Him.” This Redemption is real. Satan is defeated, disease is outlawed, and want is banished.

We are free. John 8:36: “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” The word “indeed” really means “reality.” John 10:10: “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” What is Life? Life is the Nature of God. You may have the Father’s Nature abundantly. You are “in Christ,” in the Father’s presence. You are in the very realm of life. This realm of Life has in it the Life that transcends reason. We have Eternal Life, God’s very Substance.

In John 14:6 Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The word truth also means reality. He was unveiling His heart to us, showing what He can be to us in our daily life. He can be all that His heart of love desires to be to those whom He has redeemed. He can fulfill every desire of our hearts. Any other way besides Him will lead to destruction.

Galatians 5:1: “Stand fast therefore, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.” The gravest danger of the believer is the possibility of his lapsing back into bondage after he has been made free. Sad to see that the majority of us believers are still living defeated lives despite the fact that we are born again. Some of us leave the realm of the spirit and faith, and walk in the realm of the senses. We are then led by sight instead of being led by faith.

We are New Creations in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a New Creation.” This New Creation fact gives to you all that it means to Jesus and the Father whether you know it or not. Paul’s revelation is filled with New Creation truth. It is God’s dream for you to enjoy the fullness of this New Creation’s privileges. “The old things are passed away.” Those old things of bondage, fear, doubt, want, sickness, weakness, and failure are gone.

The New Creation is just like the Master. He is its head. He is the Vine, you are the branch. As He is, so are you. John 15:1-7: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman… I am the vine; ye are the branches.” As long as you deal in doubts and fears; as long as you sit in judgment on yourself, you will never live a victorious life. You will never enjoy these things. If; however, you will act on the Word you will not only experience victory but peace in your life.

When you read, “All things have become new,” start thinking of yourself as living in this new realm. You have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. You have perfect fellowship with Him now.

Ephesians 2:10: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” If you are His workmanship, you are satisfactory to Him. He is pleased with you. We have preached condemnation and sin so long that we do not know how to preach righteousness and to tell the people what they are in Christ. When someone does tell them, they feel that it is false teaching. They feel that anything is false teaching that does not honor sin and lift it into the place of Christ. You are God’s new man. Ephesians 2:15 declares that He brought into being the new man: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace.”

Ephesians 4:24: “And put on the new man, that after God hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.” The New Creation knows but one Lord. Jesus is the Lord of the New Creation. Colossians 2: 6 -7 gives us a graphic statement of facts “As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

What a glorious truth! No longer are you a weakling. His strength is your strength. We are so strong that we are to abound in thanksgiving. When we stop abounding in thanksgiving we deteriorate spiritually. Psalm 27:1: “Jehovah is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” You swing free from the old prison house of bondage and fear and want, of hunger and cold. You are out in the freedom of God.

Hebrews 7:25 is Jesus’ present attitude toward you: “Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them.” He ever lives to make intercession for you. He is seated at the Father’s right hand. Say it over, “He ever lives for me.”

If you and I are to experience victorious life and the protection from the Father, we need to dwell in the Shelter of the Most- High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. It is such a privileged position to be in Christ. No harm will certainly befall us.