What does it mean to be in Christ. And how do we get into Christ? The short answer is that being in Christ is being in His body and you’re born in when you’re born again. But the question is too interesting to end it there. I think that God has shown me, or is showing me, the answer. We know that Christ is in us from the moment we’re born again. We know that He’s being formed in us. It seems that He resides in our spirits and our minds. At least, He’s in our innermost beings.

But what does it mean to be in Christ?

God seemed to speak to me on this subject some years back. And still, I know that my understanding is incomplete on such a deep topic. Anyway, the Scripture God brought to mind was this:

1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

Notice that the Scripture doesn’t say, “So also is the body of Christ.” It’s comparing the human body to the body of Christ, but it says, “so also is Christ” rather than saying “so also is the body of Christ.” It seemed that God was telling me about how close our relationship is. We are one with Christ in a way that we really can’t understand. Our fleshly nature isn’t one with Christ. But He dwells within. We now identify with Christ in us. He is our identity. We are not the fleshly man. As I said, I have very limited knowledge on this subject, but it seems that when we were first born again, we were in Christ. Now, the Holy Spirit is purifying Christ in us. It’s not that Christ isn’t pure. He’s pure. But we have a carnal nature that must be purged away. The Holy Spirit only purges by permission. This is why we must yield the members of our bodies to the righteousness (the free gift of righteousness) of Christ. This is all in Romans of course.

The following verses show that we are born into this body. We are in Christ the moment we’re born again. But maturity is what God wants. He doesn’t want us to remain under the control of the flesh and with just the seed of Christ. I could have quoted Paul saying how he was in labor pains over the Galatians until Christ would be fully formed in them. He’s looking for mature sons of God. We’re groaning within ourselves waiting to the adoption, which is the redemption of our bodies. We look for Christ to be fully manifested and the flesh to be removed.

The body of Christ . . .

• . . . isn’t just a group of people.
• . . . is a group of ministries—Christ in us.
• . . . moves according to specific orders that are defined in Scripture but often considered, by some, to be unimportant.
• . . . consists of gifts, ministries, offices, and orders that are defined in Scripture but that don’t glorify the fleshly nature.
• . . . flows in the love of God.
• . . . is led, taught, and corrected continually by the Spirit of God.

Romans 12:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

1 Corinthians 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

Romans 16:9 Salute Urbane, our helper in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

Romans 16:10 Salute Apelles approved in Christ. Salute them which are of Aristobulus’ household.

1 Corinthians 4:15 For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.

1 Corinthians 4:17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.

Romans 16:7 Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

The publisher has finished proofreading. The next step is formatting for print. After that, the publisher will format for ebook. Concurrently, we’re editing the audiobook. The ebook and audiobook will both be free. We do ask a favor. If you listen to the book or read the book and like it, please give it away to everyone you care about.

Thank you,

Petros

The Back of the Boxed Set

If you desire the truth, the Real Faith & Reason Library is for you. At the intersection of faith and reason is a place called sanity. As we focus on this intersection, we realize that we can’t separate reason and rational thought from faith.

The Real Faith & Reason Library will

demolish the lies of ungodly thinkers. show why rational thought is impossible without faith. explain how we know without question that the Bible is true. reveal how we know personal revelation won’t conflict with the Bible. establish the truth on the only firm Foundation, Jesus Christ. answer the questions and objections of those who are hostile to Christ. teach how to discern between truth and error. understand how to sort through the many voices claiming authority. This library is a deep dive rather than a superficial explanation. It doesn’t create a stalemate where neither ungodly thinkers nor Christians can prove their points. Rather, it explains how to prove the truth of Christ and the Bible with absolute certainty, and it leaves the ungodly thinker with bare claims and fallacies.

Six Books in One

The Real Faith & Reason Library consists of six books. Three books focus on our rational thought journey as followers of Christ. One book focuses on the logic of the Nye-Ham Debate. Two books are reference texts you’ll want to keep on hand.

Why Have a Real Faith & Reason Library?

Real Faith

Real faith has power. Real faith establishes our understanding of reality on a firm foundation. But fake faith is powerless and worthless. When this powerless faith is substituted for real faith, it’s dangerous and destructive. In a world regulated under a secularist, naturalist mindset, much of the church has slumped toward a kind of fake faith, a make-believe faith. Real faith isn’t pretending. Without the living Christ active in our lives, faith becomes a mental exercise in which we make ourselves believe in various things. Real faith isn’t a leap into the darkness that lands us in the light. Real faith is not belief without evidence. Real faith is supernatural assurance and knowledge of truth that comes when God speaks to us. Christ leads, teaches, and corrects everyone who will listen to Him and follow Him. Whoever seeks Him finds Him. All may come. He speaks through Scripture and every means mentioned in Scripture. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ~ Romans 10:17 King James Version If faith comes by hearing the word of Christ or the word of God, then it’s important for us to know what God means by “word of God.” What term was translated as “word?” It’s the Greek term “rhema.” What does “rhema” mean? Rhema means utterance. The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon defines it as “that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word.” It’s “any sound produced by the voice and having definite meaning.” It’s “speech, discourse, what one has said, a series of words joined together into a sentence (a declaration of one’s mind made in words), an utterance, a saying of any sort as a message, or a narrative.” Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:2 Jesus authors our faith. He originates it. We don’t. He’s also the finisher or completer of our faith. Notice how different this is from the make-believe faith that skeptics call “belief without evidence.” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~ Hebrews 11:1 King James Version What Greek term was in the original text that the King James translators rendered as “substance?” The Greek term is “hupostasis.” What does “hupostasis” mean? It means essence. It means reality as opposed to concept. What about “evidence?” What word is in the original text? The Greek word is “elegchos.” Elegchos is absolute proof. Therefore, real faith is absolute by nature. It’s absolute proof. It’s substance or reality. The reason it’s absolute and powerful is that Jesus Christ originates it. It comes when we hear the voice of God through Scripture. God speaks to us through Scripture. Through Scripture, He tells us about other methods beyond Scripture by which He speaks to us. Faith also comes when He speaks to us through those methods. By faith, we know that the Bible is the utterance of God without error. By faith, we know that God never contradicts Himself. That means that one Scripture never contradicts another Scripture. It also means that no other form of revelation will ever conflict with any part of Scripture. For instance, God will never state one truth through Scripture and contradict that truth by revealing something contradictory in His creation. That is to say, true scientific observation will never conflict with Scripture.

Real Reason

Real reason is also absolute. Real reason also goes beyond inductive reasoning that can only speak of probabilities. It goes beyond the pragmatism of science that never deals with truth but only with what works in the natural realm. Real reason goes beyond opinion to absolute knowledge of the truth. However, the intellectuals have told us that no one can know anything absolutely. We’ve been discouraged from seeking absolute truth. Sound reason requires true premises because we can’t use unproven claims to prove other claims. And yet, the secularists say that sound reason doesn’t require true premises. They say that we can begin reasoning by establishing assumptions on which we all agree. What are assumptions? They’re unknown beliefs that we accept as if we knew that they were true. They aren’t known, but we pretend that we know them. In a sense, we deceive ourselves when we assume. Without true premises, our reasoning isn’t sound. With inductive reasoning, we can only speak of probabilities. With true premises and valid deductive reasoning, we can advance to the knowledge of the truth. We can’t know everything, but we can know some things with certainty.

The Connection between Real Faith and Real Reason

If we have to start our reasoning with assumptions or presuppositions, we can never go beyond opinions. Our reasoning will never be stronger than our assumptions. Since assumptions are unknowns, where does that leave us? However, the real faith takes us beyond assumptions and presuppositions to substance, truth, and absolute proof. The real faith is able to do this because it comes from the utterance of God. This is the same utterance by which God brought the universe into existence. The wonder is that we can have this assurance and certainty right now. With that knowledge, we can reason rationally. We can have sound reasoning. We can know the truth and the truth will set us free.