In Christ: Innocent or Guilty?
By Jun Gan
In. It is a preposition that conveys a sense of something being immersed or surrounded by another substance.
Put a cucumber into a jar of vinegar and overtime, the cucumber transforms into a pickle—a relatively different substance with an unrecognisable taste. Allow a caterpillar to hide itself in a cocoon for an appropriate amount of time, and it will eventually emerge as a butterfly—a creature of an entirely different form, through the process of metamorphosis.
We are likely to use the word in on a daily basis without even thinking much about it. We fall in love, we change our status to being in a relationship; when we’re hurting, we are in pain and when things seem to be perpetually hopeless, we find ourselves in depression. Regardless of which situation we are in, our surroundings drastically influence our reality. Talk to the person who is in constant pain and compare it to somebody who just fell in love, chances are that both would have two vastly different perspectives towards life.
Being “in Christ” conveys the notion that we actively identify ourselves with Christ, not just merely as a Christian by name, but by being one with Christ. One cannot be “in Christ” without being transformed by Christ. When we immerse ourselves in the presence of God, his Holy Spirit moulds and transforms us from the inside out. It does not come overnight, it requires the constant discipline of poring over His Word, clinging on to His truths in the chaos of life and walking out the path of love. This is especially true when we are in the midst of hatred, rejection and persecution. As we readily soak ourselves in the presence of God, our hearts will be renewed into one that yields desirable spiritual fruits for His glory.
Being “in Christ” conveys the notion that we actively identify ourselves with Christ, not just merely as a Christian by name, but by being one with Christ. One cannot be “in Christ” without being transformed by Christ.
On a practical level, being “in Christ” means walking so closely to God that His heartbeat for the lost reverberates within our hearts. Too many of us are overly contented staying within the four walls of the church that we fail to recognise that we have a mandate to fulfil—a commission that calls us to make disciples of all nations and to raise the next generation of believers with truth and love. John Maxwell puts it bluntly and says, “Most Christians are educated way beyond their level of obedience”. I pray that we would not just be educated, but to be truly obedient. May we be a generation that rises up with a passionate fervour to answer the mandate that calls us to contend for the least, the last and the lost, and to raise a generation that will finish the race with the very same heartbeat resonating within them.
Mother Teresa exemplified what it truly meant to be so transformed by Christ that her entire world changed. She left her life of comfort and answered God’s beckoning for her go to the slums of Calcutta where “the poorest of the poor” resided, so that she could bring a touch of God’s love to the lost and the abandoned. Her great love for the people, that stemmed from her devoted love for Christ emanated so radiantly, that it became an unrivalled force of love that shattered anti-theism mindsets.
Greg Laurie poses the question, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
I pray that the fruits we bear as Christians will speak for itself with a resounding “yes”. May we continue to abide in Christ and allow Him to transform us from the inside out, so that others would get to taste and see the goodness of our Lord and be won over for Christ.
Jun and her husband Ivan together serve at Immanuel Methodist Church in Perth.