Being in Christ and Living in Christ (Wed. Sept. 25)

The Word of the Day (Wednesday, September 25)

Being in Christ and Living in Christ

The Word of the Day is “in.” What do we mean when we speak of being “in Christ”? Today, in our reading of 2 Corinthians 13:3-14, Paul uses the term “in” in two senses. He writes, “Since you seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty in you” (OSB vs. 3). He also says, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is “in” you– unless indeed you are disqualified” (OSB vs. 5)? Today, we will analyze our reading cording to the meaning of these two uses. Our study will help us expand our understanding of our relationship to Christ.

Today, in 2 Corinthians 13:3-14, Paul closes what we now call his second letter to the Corinthians. We find that the apostle is preparing the members of the congregation for his third visit. The situation seems to have improved after his “painful visit” in about 55 A. D. and his letter (called 1 Corinthians). However, Paul worries that not every conflict has been resolved in the congregation and that not everyone practicing open and shameful sin has repented.

Paul Will Come “in the Power of God”

If either is the case, Paul will not back down. He will exercise his apostolic authority in the name and power of God (vs. 4) and correct those at fault. We find the key to this passage in a boast of his opponents. They charged that “His letters… are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible” (2 Cor. 9). The apostle responds that he will not come to Corinth in weakness but in the power of God (vs. 4). The sentence construction, however, is complex. Paul says, “You seek a proof of Christ speaking in me…” (vs. 3). Then he says that though Christ “was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God (vs. 4).

In these verses, Paul plays on this contrast between weakness and strength. In a sentence that is parallel to the verse above, he goes on, “We also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you” (vs. 4). In other words, Paul says that in his first visit, he did not come to Corinth with powerful words and compelling wisdom. He came with the message of the seeming weakness of the cross. But if the apostle returns to Corinth, he will come with the power of God, who raised Christ from the dead and lives eternally. In short, Paul will come “in Christ” and manifest the Lord’s weakness and His power. Therefore, he says his visit will demonstrate that Christ is “speaking in me” (vs. 3).

Paul Will Be the Instrument of Christ

What does it mean that he will not come in weakness but in the “power of God”? Paul’s use of the term does not refer to location but function. He comes as the means of God’s power and as the instrument of Christ. Therefore, he will show that Christ is “speaking in” him. That is, Christ will speak through the medium of his voice.

But then, Paul turns the whole matter around. The question to be answered is not whether Christ is “in” the apostle and Paul is Christ’s instrument. The question is whether Christ dwells “in” the members of the Corinthian church. It is a matter of self-examination. If Jesus Christ is “in” them, then Paul’s visit will be a blessing. However, if they believe and act as if the Lord is not “in” them, they are already “disqualified.” That is, they are already spiritual failures.

Being “In Christ” is a Spiritual State of Being

Whether one is “in” Christ refers to a location within a boundary, such as a container. To be “in” Christ is, of course, not a physical position. It is a spiritual state of oneness with the Lord. Since it is an inner condition, no one can say whether another is “in Christ.” However, one must know that through “self-examination” (OSB vs. 5)

For Reflection 

The study of today’s passage raises the same matter for our self-examination. Are we living “in Christ”? Paul wrote in Philippians, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ and to be found in Him…” (OSB Philippians 3:8). To be “in” Christ” means that He becomes “our wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30). When we are “in Him,” we have the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). When we live “outside” of the boundaries of His life, we are also “outside” the benefits of God’s grace.

We may believe that we are in the state of being “in Christ’ But are we living in a way that is worthy of this status: are we “living in Christ?” Paul wrote, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (OSB Colossians 3:17). To conduct ourselves in the power of Christ means that we speak and act with the divine power and authority of Christ as His disciples and servants. We consciously live as the instruments of the Lord’s peace, goodness, and love.