What Is In Christ?

There is a great spirit of compromise in our country today concerning
religion. To be an accepted member of the new "world community" or
"global village", one must accept all religions as equally valid. If
anyone dares to make a public statement saying that no Jew, Moslem,
Hindu, or member of any other religion can be saved without Jesus
Christ, he will immediately draw the cries of "narrow-minded, intolerant
bigot!" If we honestly examine the claims the Bible makes for Jesus, we
will see that Jesus is either THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life, and that
no one can come to God without Him, or He is the greatest fraud in
history (John 14:6). According to Ephesians 1:3, "God...has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." The
implication of this passage is that if ALL spiritual blessings are found
in Christ, then there are NO spiritual blessings to be found any where
else! The following verses contain a partial list of what is found "in
Christ." Romans 3:24 "being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1 "There is therefore now
no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..." Romans 8:39 "...the
love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 12:5 "so we,
being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another." 1 Corinthians 1:2 "To the church of God which is at Corinth,
to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus," 1 Corinthians 15:22 "For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." 2
Corinthians 2:14 "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in
Christ..." 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation..." Galatians 3:14 "that the blessing of Abraham might
come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus..." Ephesians 1:3 "...God...has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in
Christ." Ephesians 1:4 "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world..." Ephesians 1:6 "...He has made us accepted in the
Beloved." Ephesians 1:7 "In Him we have redemption through His blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
Ephesians 1:11 "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance..."
Ephesians 1:13 "In Him you...were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise." Ephesians 2:13 "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Philippians 3:3 "For
we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in
Christ Jesus..." Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 1:3
"remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and
patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and
Father." 1 Timothy 1:14 "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly
abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 1:9
"who has saved us...according to His own purpose and grace which was
given to us in Christ Jesus before time began." Galatians 2:4 "And this
occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by
stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus..."
Colossians 2:3 "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge." 1 Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord Himself will descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of an arch angel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." 2 Timothy 1:1
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the
promise of life which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 2:10 "...I endure
all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus." These spiritual blessings that are
found in Christ are truly "unsearchable riches", far greater than
anything else that is available (Ephesians 3:8). If we seriously
meditate on the promise of life and the salvation offered "in Christ",
nothing in this life can ever cause us to stop rejoicing in Christ! Do
you truly believe that all the many blessings the Bible says are in
Christ are true? If so, you will want to do whatever it takes for you to
be found in Christ so you can be partakers of these promises. How do we
get into Christ? Are you interested in what the Bible says about it?
There are multitudes claiming to be in Christ but they reject the method
that God's Word instructs for us to get into Christ! If you want to get
into Christ the way the Bible says we get into Him, you need to follow
Romans 6:3 and Galatians 3:26-27. These are the only two passages in all
the Scriptures that tell us how we can get into Christ, and they both
teach the exact same method. Both of these passages teach that we are
baptized into Christ! How often do you hear the popular religious
teachers teach this today? In Romans 6:3, Paul asks the Christians in
Rome, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death?" How many who claim to be
Christians today could answer this question by saying, "Yes, I know
this." The majority of religious teachers today would yell back at Paul,
"No! We are not baptized into Christ! Baptism is merely a symbol!" These
same teachers smoothly promise their listeners that all they have to do
is believe in Jesus and they will be saved. They will quote Galatians
3:26 where Paul wrote, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus." Yet, they never read the next verse that tells us why we
are children of God by faith! In the very next verse, the Bible says,
"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ." Is this what you have been taught as the way we become children
of God by faith? Can we call it anything less than blatant dishonesty
when slick talking preachers quote Gala tians 3:26, yet refuse to read
verse 27? Are you in Christ in the manner that the Bible teaches? There
are those who disagree with the teaching that we are baptized into
Christ. To those, I want to ask, where does the Bible say we can get
into Christ any other way? List the verses below and mail them to me so
I may know also: 1. 2. 3. Either we follow the instructions found in
God's Word or we will make up our own rules. Which do you want to do? Do
you want to follow the Bible or are you content to follow whatever is
popular? To refuse to follow God's Way to follow man's way will only
bring condemnation. We all need to continually heed the warning in
Romans 10:1-3. Romans 10:1-3 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to
God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God." Have you submitted to the righteousness of God? Wayne Wells




Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc