How God Saved Us In Christ

Introduction

• Jesus came to be the gospel but it is Paul who God set aside to explain the gospel.

• Key phrase in Paul’s writing is “IN CHRIST”• Phrase “IN CHRIST” was first introduced by

Christ (John 15:4). The truth of this phrase is also expressed by other phrases such as “In Him”, “together with Him”, “In the Beloved”, “In whom”, etc.

• To fully understand the gospel we have to understand what Paul means by the phrase IN CHRIST

Introduction

• There is nothing that we have as Christians except we have it “IN CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

• IN CHRIST concept is difficult to understand (Remember Nicodemus)

• Concept of “IN CHRIST” is based on Biblical Solidarity or Corporate Oneness (Acts 17:26).

• IN CHRIST is a difficult concept to understand but is clearly a biblical teaching (Hebrews 7:7).

Importance of the “In Christ” Motif

• It is the means of our redemption and mankind’s only hope. (1 Cor. 1:30; Ephesians 1:3-12; 2:4-6; (1SM 250-251)

• It solves the ethical problem of the gospel, which is: How can God justify sinners (Rom 4:5) and still maintain His integrity to the law which condemn sinners (Gal 3:10)? Hence it answers the accusation of: “legal fiction”, “as-if-passed on righteousness”, “divine make-belief”, “celestial bookkeeping”, etc (Deut 24:16; Eze 18:1-20; Rom 3:25,26,31; 2 Cor 5:14)

Importance of the “In Christ” Motif

• It prevents the danger of cheap grace, which is: Christ did it all instead of us, so believers can continue to enjoy sin and still be saved (Rom 6:1-22; Gal. 5:13,14; 1 Peter 2:15-19).

Corporate Personality

In the entire Biblical world, as is the case in some cultures today, the culture of corporate personality existed. Corporate Personality involves an inseparable link between the individual and his family, his tribe, his nation, his land, his animals – the entirety of his possessions. Under this setting, if a family member did and act, good or bad, it was reckoned as not done just by that particular member, but by his entire family.

Throughout the Old Testament we see God dealing with Israel in light of this culture. The second and fourth commandments reflect aspects of this culture (Ex 20:4-6; 8-17). When Achan sinned, the entire nation suffered. When he was punished, his entire family, including his animals, tents, furniture, etc. were punished (Josh 7:23-25).

In order to save mankind in whom did God put us?

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:

Note: In order to legally qualify Christ to be our Savior, God (the Father) had to first unite the divine life of His Son with our corporate, condemned life that needed redeeming. It is through this union that Christ qualified to be our substitute and representative. Then by His perfect life and sacrificial death He satisfied all the demands of the law on our behalf and thus changed our legal status from condemnation to justification.

Q1:

In order to save mankind in whom did God put us?

Note:

In Christ, God has given humanity a new history that fully qualifies us for heaven. This is the incredible good news of the Gospel. Out of His unconditional love, the Father united the divine life of His Son to our corporate human life in the womb of Mary. Thus Christ, the God-man, qualified to be our substitute and representative. By His perfect life and sacrificial death He satisfied all the demands of the law on our behalf. In Christ, humanity has a new history which fully qualifies every believer for heaven. This is the incredible good news of the gospel.

Q2:

Who are the two men responsible for our death and resurrection ?

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Note: In our first study we found that all men were created in one man, Adam, and when he sinned, all sinned in him, and therefore the death sentence was passed upon all men. The man who brought death to humanity is Adam and the man who brought life to humanity is Christ. Today, science is trying to find a solution to the death problem but they cannot because the only solution is Christ.

Q3:

What were the first Adam and the last Adam made to be?

1 Corinthians 15:45

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [was made] a quickening spirit.

Note: The word Adam means mankind or corporate humanity (Genesis 5:2). Because the first Adam (mankind) sinned and brought death to all mankind, God sent His Son as the last or second Adam (mankind) to redeem men from that death sentence. At the incarnation when Christ was joined to humanity, we became spiritually alive. (Eph 2:5; Romans 8:11). Christ is our only hope of eternal life (see 1 John 5:11,12).

Q4:

As a result of one man’s sinful act, what came to all men and with what result?

Romans 5:18

Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.

Note: Since the human race is the multiplication of Adam’s life, (Acts 17:26) and because Adam had no children when he transgressed, the whole human race was in Adam. His one sin made us all sinners (verse 19). While God does not blame us, or hold us responsible or guilty for Adam’s sin, nevertheless, because we were in Adam when he sinned, we share his condemnation to death.

Q5:

As a result of one man’s righteous act, what came to all men and with what result?

Romans 5:18

Therefore as by the offence of one [judgment came] upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [the free gift came] upon all men unto justification of life.

Note: Just as all die because all have sinned in Adam, so also, God made it possible for all to obey by putting all humanity into Christ. We all have obeyed in Christ and stand justified to life in Him. Please notice that what the Father has brought to the whole human race by Christ’s obedience is a “free gift” and like any other gift, we cannot enjoy it until we receive it. What is ours in Adam is ours by inheritance; what is ours in Christ is a gift from God.

Q6:

When did God plan our redemption in Christ?

Ephesians 1:4

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Note: Even before we were created in Adam, the Father and Son had already planned our salvation in Christ. God predestined all men to be adopted as His children in Christ by uniting us to Christ(verse 5). God did this not because we were trying to be good, or deserved it, but because of His unconditional love for us.

Q7:

What three things has God done for us in Christ, while we were still sinners?

Ephesians 2:5,6

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (6) And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus:

Note: These three facts are what God has accomplished in Christ for all men and women. Together, they constitute the good news of the gospel: salvation full and complete for sinful humankind. However, for these facts to become ours individually, there must be a human response.

Q8:

How do we experience this salvation obtained for all humanity in Christ?

Ephesians 2:8,9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Note: Salvation comes only as a result of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and is made effective through faith; this grace is the supreme gift of God to mankind. The fruit of receiving this grace is good works (see verse 10). “Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. “

Q9:

What is the wages of sin?

Romans 6:23A

For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Note: By nature, as well as by performance, we are sinners and deserve death since all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Q10:

What is the gift of God in Christ?

Romans 6:23B

For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Note: Please note that while death is wages we earn, eternal life is entirely a free gift that comes through the holy history of Christ and which we have not earned or deserved. That’s why the Bible tells us that we are saved by grace alone.

Q11

What is the gift that God has given us in His Son?

1 John 5:11

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

Note: The whole world is trying to escape from death “the grim reaper.” No one wants to die, but there is only one Source of the life that never ends — the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ. By faith in Christ we are able to pass from death to eternal life (John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. “)

Q12:

What are the two options we have regarding this gift of life from God?

1 John 5:12

He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Note: Because God is love, He does not force this gift of life on anyone. Please do not refuse this incredible gift. If you refuse it you will not have this eternal life, no matter how many good works you have performed, or how terrible others around you may appear in comparison to you. If you accept Jesus as your only source of salvation and life, the eternal life God offers you in Christ is guaranteed.

Q13:

What assurance does John give to those who believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God?

1 John 5:13

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Note: Uncertainty about your status in Christ is not what God intends. You cannot effectively witness to others unless you are certain about your salvation. Would you give up your life for Christ if you are not certain that you will be in Heaven? (“Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.” Heb 11:35 NIV)

Q14:

What do we become if we believe in Jesus?

John 1:11-13

He came unto his own, and his own received him not. (12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: (13) Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Note: God gives us the power, or the authority (NIV), or legal right to become children of God. The Father looks at every one who believes in Jesus Christ as His child. If you believe in His name you have already received life, even though you may not feel it or think you deserve it. This is incredible good news!

Q15:

If we hear and believe God’s Word, what will be the result?

John 5:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Note: We pass from death to life by accepting the gift of God, Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the law. However, to those who are justified by faith in Christ, the law becomes the standard of Christian living (see Galatians 5:13,14). All Christians live in the hope of the resurrection, when Christ comes the second time to change our vile bodies and to take believers to heaven (1 Cor 15:22,23)

Q16:

What is Christ to those who believe?

Romans 10:4

For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Note: The word translated “end” is the greek word “telos”. This can sometimes mean something completed or terminated, but it is generally translated as goal or aim. Paul tells us in this verse that, by faith, Christ’s perfect obedience to the law becomes ours. In His earthly mission, Christ met both the positive demands of the law as well as its justice. The law leads us to Christ. The goal of the law was righteousness, the law served as a custodian (paidagogos) directing people to Christ, who only can give righteousness.

Q17:

What happens when you accept the gift of Christ’s righteousness?

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.

Note: Read also verses 18-21. When you accept Christ you accept your death in Christ as the wages of sin that you owe and a new person is created, sharing the eternal life of Christ. By his death On the cross, God heaped all the sins of the world on His Son Jesus Christ. Thus, by His death humanity has been redeemed from sin. Then, in exchange, God gave humanity the life of His Son in the resurrection. When you accept Jesus by faith as your personal Saviour, you pass from death to life.

Q18:

What happens when you accept the gift of Christ’s righteousness?

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. NIV

Q19:

What two things did Christ accomplish by His death and resurrection?

2 Timothy 1:8-10

Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; (9) Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

God not only saved us, but He called us to live holy lives. To repent, that is to turn away from selfish and worldly mindset and allow the Spirit to produce fruit in our lives.

Q20:

What two things must we do for the good news of salvation in Christ to become ours?

Mark 16:15,16

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Believing with a sense of heart felt appreciation and being willing to be baptized by God’s Holy Spirit is required for salvation. Our human response to the unconditional good news of the gospel makes real in our experience the realities of salvation. May we believe and receive through faith God’s unspeakable gift of salvation IN CHRIST!

Q21: