“Can you tell me about yourself?”

It is a question designed to settle the nerves of the interviewee but is one near impossible to answer. If we were in that situation, we stumble through by listing the generic, surface features of our existence to a person we have never met and, depending on the result of the interview, might never see again. Now imagine we were asked that question by our closest friend - unshackled by the social norms of a job interview - how would we then respond? 

As we peel back the layers of our own personality, what really lies at the core? As Christians, we could say biblically and rightly, "I am saved"; "I am justified"; "I am redeemed". These declarations through Christ, by grace, are all true. They are not, however, the core. The Apostle Paul got to the core of his own identity when he said that he was "...a man in Christ" (2 Cor. 12:2).

The phrase, "in Christ" (or similar phrases, “in Him”, “in Whom”, etc.) is frequent in the NT (especially in the writings of Paul). Sometimes it has the idea of believing in Christ as the object. We place our confidence "in Christ" (Gal. 3:26, for example). Other times, “in Christ’ carries the idea of agency – that it is through Christ blessing is ours (2 Cor. 5:19). But very often it is referring to the fact that Christians today are in union with Christ; represented by Christ; encircled in Christ. We are one with Him. He is the sphere – the atmosphere even – of our life. The moment we believed in Christ, by the Spirit's power, we were placed in Christ.

There are several “mystery” doctrines in the NT. Truth which was not known in OT, and could not be grasped by any believer unless the Lord revealed it. Of those, only two are said to be "great". In 1 Tim. 3:16, we read, "great is the mystery of godliness". While it likely includes more than this, it at least refers to the wondrous fact that God united Himself with humanity in the incarnation and perpetual manhood of the Son of God. And if we turn to Eph. 5:32, we see the union of Christ and the Church, illustrated by marriage is another "great mystery" - the uniting of humanity now with God.

This truth has many implications, but we will consider one. Being “in Christ” means that all we need is in Him. We recognised this need of Him at our conversion. Helpless and hopeless we turned to Him. When we did so, unknown and unappreciated at the time, we were united to Him. This was the climax of our salvation. We are not in Christ because we are saved, or justified, or redeemed. Rather, we are saved, justified, redeemed (and any other soteriological blessing) because we are in Christ. 

Am I just splitting hairs? Maybe. Still, I think the distinction is important. Firstly, it is the teaching of 1 Cor. 1:30, “And because of [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption”, that by being in Christ Jesus, the four (and many more) jewels of wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption were ours. Secondly, it maintains focus in worship and witness that Christ is central and being united to Him is not the means but an end, not an avenue into other blessings but the apex of all blessing.

This need of Him and supply from Him extends beyond conversion, however. As our Christian life began, so it continues. We find all we need in Christ. We see this in Colossians 2:9-10. After reading that “in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (v.9), we read, “And you are in Him filled” (v.10, my translation). Notice how v.10 ends: the noun, “fulness” in verse 9 is the same root as the verb, “filled”, of v.10. This fulness in Him personally – His completeness – has somehow been made ours. How? Because notice how v.10 begins: “you are in Him”. 

It would be easy to read that we are complete in Christ and think that our completeness equates to a list of benefits, some sort of heavenly membership programme. “Ah yes”, we think, “benefit 39, under subsection 3 – my favourite!”. But Paul doesn’t want us to think like that. He wants us to see one reality. To be united to Him, says Paul, means we have everything we need. To be sure, an important question is, “what do we have in Christ?” – but Paul wants us to see more and ask a better question, “what do we need?” Whatever the need, it is met by being united to Him.    

What difference would that make in how we live? By seeing our completeness in Christ merely as a list of advantages – received at conversion – implies consciously or not – that we can live the Christian life on our own. “Thanks for salvation”, we respond, “we can take it from here”. At conversion, we got the package marked, “Salvation” and now we unpack it by brainpower and implement it by willpower. Now, to be clear, we did receive benefits beyond belief upon our belief in Christ. But we are not filled in Christ so that we live now self-fulfilled every day. We have been filled in Him so that we might be driven to dependence on Him. We return, then, constantly to the better question – “What do we need?” – and revel in the satisfying answer – “Find it in Christ”.

What I require – whether today, or tomorrow, whether under pressure, or in over my head – is in Him. The Colossian believers were being seduced by false teachers to rely on substitutes and live a higher life by doing this or knowing that.  But we don’t go with our need to an outside contractor or a third party – we go to where, and by Whom we began. We go to “Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:23). 

Spurgeon once said, “There is no joy in this world like union with Christ. The more we can feel it, the happier we are”. If that is true, how can we “feel it”? Constantly craving our inexhaustible Christ.