Well the Christian walk is not about the benefits…it is about God. It is about laying down your life, all of you, for Him. For His glory. We are told throughout scripture that we will “…encounter various trials”, that we need to “…take up our cross daily”, and that in this world “…you will have tribulation”. Being a follower of Christ comes at a cost which we need to count before we ever become a believer.
But once we are a child of the King, a follower of Christ, held in the Hand of God, we experience something absolutely incredible and undeserved. We get the “perks” that only a child of God can receive. You see, once we become a believer we are “in Him”. We are “in Christ”.
There are countless verses in scripture that talk about the blessings of God when we repent of our sins and give our life fully to him. But there are several key verses in scripture that talk specifically about what we receive simply, and solely because we are now “in Him”. I like to refer to these verses as the “In Him Hymn“
Verse one…Acts 17:28 “…in him we live and move and have our being“. We are no longer living and moving in this world as the world does, but we are now in Him, living in His righteousness, filled with the Holy Spirit so that we become the temple of God. We do not move in this earthly realm any longer separated from God, but our being moves constantly “in Him”.” How incredible to realize that we are forever in Him as we live our life, taking up our cross, enduring trials, and sharing the truth of who He is with others!
Verse two…2 Corinthians 5:21 “…in him we might become the righteousness of God“. Perhaps the most amazing blessing for all eternity is that because we are “in Him”, His righteousness is imputed to us. Nothing we could have done, can do now, or could ever do would result in our becoming the righteousness of God. Only “in Him” is this possible. Praise the Lord for the truth of this passage.
Verse three… Ephesians 1:7 “…in him we have redemption through his blood“. “In Him” we are redeemed. Only through the shedding of his blood as propitiation, as payment in full, can we say that we are redeemed. It took the ultimate sacrifice by the Son of God, the Son of Man, Christ Jesus alone, and that was the shedding of his blood as a the atonement for our sins. By being “in Him”, in Christ alone, we have redemption.
Verse four…Ephesians 1:11 “…in him we have obtained an inheritance“. Now we are talking…the real stuff…the stuff with value that I can spend on me right?! Nope. Wrong kind of inheritance. This is an eternal inheritance set aside for those that are “in Him”. In 2 Peter 1:4 it describes this inheritance as being “…imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you“. We do not get to see it now, but we will enjoy that inheritance for an eternity. It is the living hope of eternal life, our salvation, that is so precious and reserved only to those that are “in Him”.
Verse five…Ephesians 1:13 “…In him you also…were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit“. Sometimes we wonder when the benefits will change, when the perks will be removed, when the “special offer” expires. Well, when you are “in Him” the assurance of your salvation, the blessing of that eternal hope, is sealed with the promised Holy Spirit forever. God does not go back on his word, change the contract, and the warranty doesn’t expire. We are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit for all eternity. In the words of the hymnist Frances J. Crosby “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.“
How amazing to experience the blessings of being “in Him”. Do not forget, as you travel the road of life, to remember the promises of scripture that tell us not only the costs of being a believer, but that also explain to us the blessings and assurances of a life lived “in Him.“
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another..." 