In Christ?

… if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come….

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

I occasionally wear my father’s WWII ID bracelet. He wore it as a pilot and, tragically, as a prisoner of war. When reading Paul’s words of Christians being “in” Christ, I glanced at the I.D. bracelet and reflected on Dad’s time “in” a guarded compound—a very different experience from being “in Christ.”

Even though I often use the phrase, in Christ, I wanted a deeper understanding of this biblical truth. One resource* defines “in Christ” as a relationship between believers and Christ through which Christians receive every benefit of salvation.

I marvel at the thought of considering every benefit of salvation, but one benefit immediately comes to mind—the ability to instantly connect with God the Father through prayer. While driving or while fading in and out of sleep, my spirit enjoys unlimited connection with God’s Holy Spirit because of the relationship available through being “in Christ.”

I also find comfort knowing that as a prisoner of war, my father also experienced unlimited connection with God through prayer—because He, too, experienced the benefits and blessings of being “in Christ.”

Father, thank You for the innumerable spiritual blessings of salvation. Thank You that Jesus’ sacrifice for my sins allows me to enter Your presence to worship or to share my deepest needs. Thank You that Your Holy Spirit always intercedes for me, even when I am distracted by the demands of life. May I faithfully steward all You have provided for me. In Your Son’s name, Jesus, I pray, amen.

Linda Lesniewski

*Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology