Being in Christ is a special place to be. I suppose we should begin by showing what it takes to get into Christ. To get into Christ you must receive Jesus as your personal Savior.

Colossians 2:6 (ESV)
⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,

The brethren at Colossae received Christ when they obeyed the gospel, at which time they were “delivered from the dominion of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). To be in the kingdom of God’s Son is to be in Christ. In order to get there, one must know the details involved in obeying the gospel.

The gospel requires that one believes in Jesus (John 8:24), repents of his sins (Luke 13:3), confesses Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and is baptized for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Baptism is the final step in obeying the gospel. Paul reminded the brethren at Colossae that they had been buried with Christ in baptism, at which time they put off the body of the flesh, that is, the old man that was corrupted by sin (Colossians 2:11-12). That put them into Christ, and it will do the same for all who obey the gospel.

Getting into Christ is just the beginning. Now, Paul says, we must walk in Him. Walking in Christ involves all the different walks we have considered this week, that is, walking by faith, in love, worthily, and wisely. All this is accomplished by simply living according to the Word of God. The blessings of doing so are enormous.

In Christ we find ourselves in a place where there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). The word condemnation refers to a damnable sentence, a sentence measured out by God and is, therefore, unalterable. Due to the love of God, and the washing away of our sins by the blood of Jesus, we shall escape the wrath of God (Romans 5:6-10; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). What a blessing it is to not have to worry about the consequences of sin because of our state of “no condemnation.” Our only job is to continue to walk in Him.

Having been reconciled to God in the Beloved, we now have access to all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). Be sure to read this scriptural reference. You will find, or at least be reminded, that all spiritual blessings are in Christ. Since God is a gracious God, He blesses all people, everywhere. However, spiritual blessings can only be found in Christ, experienced by those who are walking in Him. Everything from prayer to communing with Christ by observance of the Lord’s supper, are blessings reserved for those in Christ.

One of the great blessings we have in Christ is access to the continual cleansing power of the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7). All we have to do when we sin is repent and ask God for forgiveness (Acts 8:22), and He will be faithful and just to forgive our sins (1 John 1:9). Access to such power is only available to those who are walking in Christ.

The greatest blessing of being in Christ is salvation itself. Not only the salvation achieved right now, but the ultimate reward of heaven. To be in Christ is to be a part of His body, which is the church or the kingdom of God (Matthew 16:18-19). In the end, Jesus will deliver His kingdom to God (1 Corinthians 15:24) where we will all see Him face to face (Revelation 22:4). What a great reward! And just think, all we have to do is walk right.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.