And you also were included in Christ …
Summary: Some passages are a challenge for the translators, and this is one of them. Perhaps because there are many ways to look at the passage, there are many things to learn.
I have to confess that I don’t want to write about this passage. Not just this one but the whole of verses thirteen and fourteen.
“Why?” you ask.
The answer is that among all the things that Paul wrote, these two verses generated an enormous amount of disagreement on how they should be translated. Normally, all of the major translations will be in the same ballpark with their English equivalent. Not so with these two verses. Nobody seems to agree even where the periods should go.
Does it matter?
Yes and no. Yes, it matters if we want to get really picky about what Paul was trying to say. No, it doesn’t matter if we are looking at Paul’s words in the larger context of the whole Bible.
So, let’s proceed along the lines of the “larger context” and not worry about the picky stuff.
What does it mean to be “included in Christ?”
We can think about this in a variety of ways, but the one that comes to mind at the moment is the nature of God. Jesus and the Father are one (John 10:30), and because he is God, he can share his Spirit with us (John 14:26). When the Holy Spirit is in us, we are in God (John 14:20). Because Jesus and the Father are one, if we are in one, we are in the other.
Another way of looking at it is the concept of the “Christ” as God’s anointed one. The mission of the Christ, or Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), is that God would be with us, His Creation. As Jesus explains in John 3:3-8, believers are “born again.” We are restored to a full relationship with our Creator, God the Father. If we are in relationship with our God, then, as Jesus says, we are one with him.
Now, if we are one with Jesus and with the Father, we share a spiritual bond. This is a real thing. It is not imaginary. We know it is real because through this bond, God provides us with peace (Philippians 4:7). The Holy Spirit also joins with us and teaches us the way we should go (John 14:26). So, if we are bonded with our Lord, and Savior, Jesus, don’t we also share in his work? (Matthew 11:29)
To be included in Christ is to be drawn into the life of our God.
Application: See yourself for who you are; part of the body of Christ.
Food for Thought: How does Christ express himself in our lives?
When we earnestly seek God’s Will in our lives, Christ is able to express His love through us. With His love comes the power to overcome. Christ comes into our hearts and helps us to remove the sin from our lives. Not just eliminating sinful actions, but removing it from our desire. We begin to think of the impact we have on others, and our actions and reactions become a testimony to Christ’s love. More than that, Christ expresses Himself through us by giving us peace. Not a blissful, ignorant peace tied to how you feel on a particular day, but the peace that surpasses all understanding.
1 John 5:11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Chris,
Since we have been talking about “sin” lately, I am reminded that sin is both rebellion against God and falling short of doing the good he would have us do. When you write that Christ “helps us to remove the sin from our lives” I find myself asking “What does that mean?”
I think Jesus helps remove the rebellion in our hearts by replacing it with love for our Father in heaven.
I think he helps with falling short of the good he would have us do by growing a true love for our neighbors inside our hearts.
In both cases, our motivation changes from “doing” something to do it, and instead comes from a driving concern for the wellbeing of our Father and our neighbors.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts today!
There are so many directions to go with this question. I like Chris’s direction.
I would add that one way Christ is expressed through His children is through the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Jesus gives us the Spirit who indwells us and empowers us to live for Christ in noticeable change that reveals He is at work.
Thank you, Rich!
Following up on my comment to Chris, the fruit you mention grows out of the Spirit within us. It is not forced, or meted out according to our judgment, but flows abundantly from a heart filled with God’s love.
02-21-2023, How does Christ express himself in our lives?
Mathew 20:28, Mark 10:45, Jesus Christ is eternal and He did not come to earth to be served, but to serve. Today, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He resides in the hearts of all believers who are the body of Christ on earth in service to God.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Romans 12:4-6,
In the Mathew 6, Jesus tells us, our first priority is to follow Him as we turn from seeking the approval of men, conforming to the ever changing standards of this world, and to dedicate our lives to seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, allowing Him to transform each of us into the instrument He before creation preordained we should become.
To the degree we individually submit to His will over our own, Christ, by the Holy Spirit, will provide all the guidance and power we need to accomplish this task. As we come closer to God, and begin to understand His will for all mankind, we will find the old man passing away as the new man growing in Christ. As we yield all power in our lives to God, we will find Him using each of us, expressing Christ in service to those around us in the way He has had planned for us.
John 5:30, 4:34, 6:38
Ron,
Thank you!
I am reminded of our study on the Lord’s Prayer. When we pray “give us this day our daily bread” we are asking for bread for the body and bread for the soul. The passage you quote from John 4:34 speaks to the food for the soul:
“‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.'” (John 4:34)
Doing God’s work actually nourishes our souls! Just as our physical body seeks food when it is hungry, so our spiritual body seeks spiritual food that we can only find in Jesus.
Great follow-up point brother.
Thank you,
Ron