Getting the Most Out of In

The preposition “in” is a term we don’t often give much thought.

And the semantic range of the Greek word ἐν [meaning in, on or among] was extensive in the minds of the apostolic authors of the First Century. But most uses weren’t critical to understanding Jesus Christ’s good news about God’s kingdom.

However, when it was recorded to describe a position of close affiliation and structured grammatically as a conditional sentence, the implications were crucial for the Biblical reader to grasp.

For example, what does it actually mean to be “in Christ?”

In the seventh chapter of the apostle Paul’s letter to all who [were] beloved of God in Rome, called as saints, he illustrated the complex nature of the struggle between the flesh and the spiritual Law embedded in every man or woman called to obedience in the Lord Jesus Christ:

“For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, having been sold into bondage to sin.” [Rom. 7; 14]

And in Paul’s mind, this conflict between the will of the flesh and a man’s desire to live righteously had only one solution:

“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” [Rom. 7:24-8:1] [my emphasis]

This is an interesting statement.

Because ἐν was always expressed in the Dative case, typically suggesting proximity, both spatially as well as in the context of association. And it seems highly unlikely that I could realistically reflect the character of anybody I wasn’t actually close to.

So, is being “in Christ” just an issue of semantics?

You bet it is. Any serious relationship requires a lot of hard work. It takes a commitment of time and effort to get to know someone well—even Jesus. His death unshackled me from the bondage of my sin, but my resulting relationship with Him won’t mean much if it’s only sought as an occasional necessity.

To be “in Christ” demands a healthy extent of personal, determined involvement in what the text of the Scriptures confirms were His priorities.

In order to do that, I’ve gotta be all in.

“…but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him.” [1Jn. 2:5]

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