INTRODUCTION
The
overarching life of the Christian, whether in community or individuality;
whether in weakness or in strength; whether in glory or humility, is found in
Christ alone. As the ancient detractors so graciously provided us this title,
we are to be little Christs; that emulation cannot be completed or even started
without placing ourselves in surrender to the God-man. As Paul states
throughout his writings, and as he places his "in Christ" phrases as
foundation markers and road guides in the Epistles, there is a great need
fulfilled and a great necessity sated as Christ permeates our life and our
social strata. This will be a brief (and personal) rumination on what being in
Christ means and represents within the Church at large and within myself.
THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH IN CHRIST
The
Church, as spoken here, is the body of believers that have truly placed their
faith in Jesus. That being said, the foundational aspect of being in Christ for
the church is entrenched within Christ's sacrificial and atoning death. The
blood that washes away sins in the very same blood used as mortar for the body
of believers. We see this plainly in Hebrews 9, at just the right moment and in
just the right way, just the right sacrificial lamb came for the sake of our
sin, and also by doing that, established this mystery made known viz. the
Church. To put it simply, the life of the Church has been made possible due to
the death of its saviour.
Now,
this sacrifice and redemption from the shackles of sin bears with it many
consequences. One of which that will be briefly mentioned is that the life of the
church in Christ is one of a bridal life. Ephesians 5 says that the church is
subject to Christ as a bride is to her husband. It is very interesting that
this expression is used here, as it seems to be a kind of "already, not
yet" passage. The church is spoken of as a bride and Christ as a husband;
neither of them are mentioned as betrothed. And yet, the church is spoken of as
being holy and blameless. something we are yet called and exhorted towards, and
not fulfilled. Being that state judicially before God is one thing, but this
practical extension within our own lives is an uncompleted work. The beauty
then, is that there is a sureness about being the bride of Christ that is
intrinsic within the life of the Church. So again, the great necessity of being
in Christ for the church is made more explicit; for what is a bride if she does
not have a husband? A spinster? A widow? And yet, we are subject to and love a
living God who not only desires us, but nourishes, sustains, and cherishes us.
Lastly,
the very much overlooked aspect of church life is one of a synergistic
corporate entity. While I understand the distinction between the local group
and the universal body, there's always a certain sadness in myself when speaking
of Christian principles and just general biblical lessons whenever I need to
make the distinction between it applying to the congregation or the body of
Christ. And further than that, we consistently see this in Christ's work: it
was to benefit the body, not the individual. Ephesians 2:8 is often remembered,
where "For by grace you have been saved through faith..." There is a
personal tinge to this verse that seems paramount when taken by itself, and yet
nearly the entirety of the rest of the passage speaks in terms of us and we. We
formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh. He loves us, even when we were dead
in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. He raised us up with
Him. And so on and so forth. Life in Christ is not done on an isle separate from
each believer. To sum, the life of the Church in Christ is founded by Him, it
is a picture of bridal life, and it is an exhortation to a corporate
spirituality that is often overlooked.
MY LIFE IN CHRIST
The
move from New Jersey to North Carolina the summer before my senior year of high
school was a rather tumultuous and draining time for my family. We came from a
close knit church made up of first generation Filipino families similar in age,
occupation, beliefs, and a piety I have not seen mimicked since to a Bible belt
state where a church on every corner did not necessarily mean a cohesive family
unit on every block. And yet, personally, I believe that this more solitary
life instilled in me a dependence on Christ that I could not have gotten with
such an excellent support system in my childhood haunts. Yes, I just finished
speaking about the dire need to highlight the corporate relation of a life in
Christ found in the church, but for the Christian, the walk towards acting and
being more like Jesus can only be done on a personal basis. 1 Peter 1:15 talks
about this, at it echoes Leviticus, "You shall be holy, for I am
holy." My life in Christ is one that means I have the perfect example to
follow. He's exemplar in the sense that Jesus is one we should model ourselves
on, but also in the sense that he is a very good instance of who and what we
should aspire to be. I yearn to be more like Christ and by extension, like my
Father.
In
one of the larger churches we visited while we looked for a home, the
missionaries that were on furlough (over 100 people) presented the flags on the
countries they were serving in. A Brazilian man stationed in South Africa
spoke. I do not remember the text. I do not remember what he looked like. I
don't even remember if he actually was Brazilian, or if he was based in South
Africa. But I do remember one thing he said, "You might be the only
picture of Christ someone may ever see." What a humbling responsibility. What
grave consequences for the unprepared. While serving as an interim youth pastor
at a small Baptist church back in Carolina, we played a short game of
Pictionary. Some words were easy, some were not; some artists were actual
artists, some probably sinned by drawing as poorly as they did. But they were
able to grasp that point I made later, namely that trueness the facsimile has
to the original was the only way people were able to grasp what the facsimile
was about. As Christ should be an example in my life, the natural outflow of
chasing hard after Him leads me to be an example to others.
In
Romans 6:5, we see that "we have become united with Him in the likeness of
His death" and because of that the likeness in his resurrection is
virtually assured. Paul continues this line of thought, speaking on freedom
from slavery, believers united in Christ, the struggle, but flourishes with the
ultimate and utter victory of Christ and the sureness we have in Him found in
Romans 8:39. This is the final rumination I have in this. Just as the Church
was founded in Christ, is the bride of Christ, and lives its life together in
itself and in Christ and as I personally need to be an example and to follow
the Example, my hope, thank God, is not found in me. It is found in Christ. In
2 Corinthians 3, the veil covering the hardened mind is removed in Christ; 1
Corinthians 13, through a mirror dimly we see, but soon face to face; we have
such a great hope found in Christ. And finally, 1 Corinthians 16:24, my love be
with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
