Galatians 3:26-28 gives us insight into the phrase “in Christ” and what it means. "In Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
Hi Dorcas, I greatly appreciate your reply from Gal 3:26-29. I am fully aligned with you as to the ‘how (and when)’ a person becomes IN CHRIST. Thank you for all the other complementary verses in your response – appreciate much. So, to recap, … in order to be IN CHRIST, one needs to be “baptized into Christ” (Gal 3:27; Rom 6 – esp. verse 3) which means the baptism of repentance (of one who demonstrates a life with the fruit of repentance; e.g. Mat 3:1-10 - John the Baptist to the Pharisee and Saducees) by immersion in water by the authority of a scriptural church (a local body of Christ) whose true Head and founder is Jesus Christ and not man? Is this right?
Paul is speaking to the Christians in Galatia, reminding them of their new identity since they placed their faith in Jesus Christ. To be "baptized into Christ" means that they were identified with Christ, having left their old sinful lives and fully embracing the new life in Christ ( Mark 8:34 ; Luke 9:23 ).
Just to clarify: Would you define the word ‘Christian’ (Christ’s ones) as specifically those who are disciples (members) of the Lord’s true churches (Acts 11:26) or is this used broadly to include anyone who ‘at the point of first faith,’ believes in Jesus Christ “before” the baptism of repentance? Do you place faith and baptism together (inseparable) or are they separate responses of one seeking to follow the truth? Do you see submission to (water) baptism as a work? How would you reconcile this with Eph 2:8-9/10?
When we respond to the Holy Spirit’s drawing, He "baptizes" us into the family of God. First Corinthians 12:13 says, "For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
1Cor 12:13 – … baptized ‘by’ one Spirit. Is the preposition ‘by’ to mean ‘by the agency’ of the Holy Spirit, or is it ‘IN’ (positional/locative) one Spirit?
“the Holy Spirit’s drawing” .... Does this relate to John 16:7-11 – the work of the Holy Spirit through the Lord’s (local) churches established by the Biblical principle of the great commission (Mat 28:18-20 at first given by Christ to His first church at Jerusalem with a continuing mandate to obedience to plant scriptural churches unto the end of this age)? Or do you mean the work of the Holy Spirit outside the Lord’s (local) church?
and “into the family of God” – do you define ‘the family of God’ specifically as members of the scriptural churches narrowly speaking and broadly speaking, including all faithful members of sister churches of all the Lord’s scriptural churches in the world past, present, and future? Or do you define ‘the family of God’ as including every, and any-one who believes/trusts Jesus Christ at the point of first faith, including those outside the Lord’s churches?
Thank you for your fellowship in the Word.
