The pinnacle of revelation and "all truth"
There is a truth, which if Christians understood it would transform the way we look at ourselves, this world and eternity. There is a truth, which if Christians believed it would send a shiver down the back of every demon in hell. Yes, there is a truth so powerful that very few ever dare to reach for it let alone live it.
The absolute pinnacle of revelation given by God to the church is revealed in the Book of Ephesians. Within the six chapters of this epistle lie just about every important truth needed to be in fellowship with God and His Son Jesus Christ as well as living in harmony with our spouse, family and fellow believers.
Found within the pages of Ephesians is the all truth” Paul alludes to in the books of Timothy. Within Ephesians is the absolute full understanding of what Jesus Christ accomplished, what we have because of what He accomplished and what we are to do with what He accomplished.
Ephesians is not for the new babe in Christ, for it is full of meat. Ephesians is not for the casual believer who only wants a nice sermon once a week and nothing more. Ephesians is not for the weak or spiritually timid. Ephesians is not for those who want to still live under the law. Ephesians is not for the ones who think all there is to Christianity is the golden rule.
Who then is Ephesians written for? Let us allow the Epistle itself to answer that question in Ephesians 1:1:
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.”
Not only is Ephesians addressed to the particular believers in Ephesus, it is addressed to all who are faithful IN CHRIST JESUS. There it is, there is the key to the whole epistle. The epistle of Paul to the Ephesians is specifically written to and for those who are faithful IN CHRIST JESUS. Now, of course, we must attempt to discover what that incredible phrase really means.
Within Paul’s epistles, there are phrases he used such as; IN CHRIST, IN JESUS, IN JESUS CHRIST, IN CHRIST JESUS and IN THE LORD. Each one of these phrases stresses a particular aspect of the Christian experience, state of mind and walk. The key to understanding lies in looking at the word which immediately follows the word IN”. That word describes the IN”.
If I am IN” the bathtub, where am I? Am I IN” the sink? Am I IN” the toilet? NO. If I am IN” the bathtub, there is where I am at. If I am IN” trouble, it obviously means I have done something wrong. If I am IN” Antarctica, that would explain why I am IN” trouble.
When you purchase a can of corn, what do you expect to find IN” the can? Obviously you have every right to expect to have corn IN” that can. When you get carton of milk, there is no question that within that carton is what? Soup? Of course not. There will be milk IN” that carton.
To be IN” Christ means just that. It means that your mind, your thoughts and your heart is IN” Christ instead of being into all the world has to offer. It means that Christ is the focus of your mental energy and not just worldly matters. To be IN CHRIST” is synonymous with being in fellowship with Christ. These two terms mean the same thing.
To be IN THE LORD” is to emphasize the word Lord” which is a term designating service. When you read about people being in the Lord” in various epistles Paul writes, he is setting these people apart as being servants to God’s people.
The phrase IN CHRIST JESUS” is a bit different because it has two names after the word in”. When there are two words, the first one is to be emphasized. Here, the word Christ is placed first and Jesus is second. Christ is used in reference to the resurrected Messiah. Christ is the word used to describe Jesus after God raised Him from the dead. Jesus emphasizes his humanity and his willingness to give his life.
Thus, the phrase IN CHRIST JESUS” means to be at rest in all God did for us in Christ and then living it the same way Jesus did. This phrase implies both renewing the mind to be IN CHRIST” but also the willingness to serve others by being IN JESUS”. In other words, this phrase describes the absolute depth of the Christian faith.
The truth that holds the key to our success in this life over the wiles of the wicked one and which allows us to walk in power is to be IN CHRIST JESUS”. I can guarantee you that there is no more than one in a million Christians who know there is anything significant about this phrase. I can assure you that the numbers of believers who have any idea of what is available spiritually when one is IN CHRIST JESUS” is miniscule.
Do you want to be an ordinary Christian content to occupy a pew on Sundays and maybe show up at a prayer meeting once in awhile, or do you want to be a true believer who walks with spiritual power and who is able to manifest the love, strength and truth to all around you? When we walk IN CHRIST JESUS” we are walking like Christ Jesus would be walking if He were here today. When we walk IN CHRIST JESUS” we can say to anyone who sees us; He who has seen me, has seen Christ Jesus”.
For anyone interested, I will periodically being writing more on Ephesians and what is wrapped up in the phrase IN CHRIST JESUS” in the coming days and weeks. A person could easily spend a year or more just digging into the great truths in Ephesians. I can’t do that, but I can try to show those who are mature in the faith what makes Ephesians the greatest of the all Paul’s epistles.
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Author: blessings2you
Location: Warrenton Missouri USA
Gender: Male
Age: 57
Blog Entries: 823 (archive)
Blog Comments: 1355
god called me to serve him when i was 16 years old while on a church work trip in new mexico in 1969. in the 40 years since; i attended bible school/leadership training, been ordained to the christian ministry and worked full time for a non-denominational ministry for nearly ten...
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in 1969 god stepped in and transformed my life as a sixteen year old teenager. after a couple of years of intense emotional ups and downs, i decided i needed a firm foundation in my life that went beyond emotional experiences. it was the decision to become involved with a...
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