Into Christ
Whenever you hear someone say, “He or She is really ‘into’ that” what does it mean? It means that that person is highly interested in, attached to and involved in whatever it is they are “into,” right?
On the contrary you might also hear someone say, “I’m just not “into” that, and we know then that they are not interested in, attached to or involved in whatever it is they are “just not into,” right?
What are you “into” these days? What are you not “into” these days?
Last week we looked at John 10 where Jesus says, “I am the door, if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Jesus is the door to salvation and eternal life in the presence of God. Jesus told the disciples in John 14:6
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”
The only way into God’s presence is through Jesus Christ.
In Acts 3-4 we read about Peter and John healing a lame man and then getting into trouble with the Jewish leaders as they spoke about Jesus Christ and His death, burial and resurrection. Peter had the Spirit filled courage to boldly proclaim before these men who had just recently had Jesus crucified, that the only way for anyone to be saved is through this same Jesus and in His name.
Let’s look at the story. Read with me 3:11-20 and 4:1-12
Peter and John were certainly “into” Jesus Christ, were they not?
When the Jewish leaders warned them not to teach or speak in Jesus’ name, Peter and John replied: 4:18-20.
Are we “into” Jesus Christ as a church today? Are you “into” Jesus Christ as a Christian today?
When we read the pages of the New Testament it is almost shocking to look at how deeply “into” Jesus Christ these early Christians are. We might say that they were “on fire” for Christ. But this term “into” when used about Christ isn’t just about being interested and attached and involved, it specifically has to do with entering Jesus spiritually and being saved by Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
How do we get “into” Christ according to the Bible? How do we enter the door which is Jesus, and receive salvation through Jesus Christ?
Last week I started going through a series of steps that the Bible teaches us. When I was growing up we called it the plan of salvation. I now know that these steps are not the plan of salvation, they are simply our response to God’s plan of salvation. The plan of salvation is the man Jesus Christ, who He is, what He did, where He is now and what He will do. Jesus is the plan. Jesus worked the plan. Jesus invites us to receive what He has accomplished for us when He fulfilled the saving work of the plan.
The plan of salvation was and is and will be the work of God’s love and grace to save the lost and bring us all back to Himself through Jesus Christ. That’s the plan. These steps I am talking about are how we enter Jesus and receive the benefits of God’s plan of salvation.
We have to hear and listen to God’s word about Jesus Christ. We then believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we turn away from sin and death and turn to Jesus Christ. Now we openly confess Jesus Christ as Lord and enter “into” Jesus Christ by being baptized “into” Christ. Here we go “into” the door. We are buried with Christ through baptism “into” His death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life.
If we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in His resurrection. This is where our old self is crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
What are you into today? Are you "into" life in Jesus Christ? Or are you "into" sin and death?
If you were baptized into Jesus Christ, but are not "into" Christ now… we have a big problem, don’t we? You can’t be into Jesus Christ and not be "into" Jesus Christ, can you?
The whole Bible was inspired by God and written and preserved for us so that we can hear God’s word, enter and remain in Christ forever. Being into Jesus implies being into His word and having His word into you. Jesus said in John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask what you will and it shall be granted.”
If you aren’t seeing God doing things in your life, perhaps it’s because you aren’t into His word and having His word dwell in you. Believing is not a once for all event in our salvation. Faith comes by hearing, and faith continues to grow through hearing and obeying the word of God.
Repentance is not a once for all event for a Christian. Repenting is an ongoing process of adjusting my life and turning it toward God’s will. If you are not seeing fruits of repentance, perhaps it’s because you are turned the wrong way. Jesus said in Luke 13:3 “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Confessing that Jesus is Lord is not just something you do once and then you’re done. Christians are those who call on the name of the Lord constantly as we live into Jesus Christ’s life more and more fully. It’s like prayer. We don’t just say a prayer one day and then we’re finished. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. We don’t obey once and then we’re done, we keep obeying and keep following and keep growing in Christ.
The ongoing life that is lived in Christ reflects what happened to us in our baptism, which is a "once for all event" in our lives. You enter Jesus Christ by being baptized into Christ. And the newness of life thereafter is a life of constant dying to self and being renewed and transformed in Christ. We are constantly putting off our old self and putting on Jesus Christ by growing up into His image and likeness as we continue in Christ.
Today, we have focused on entering Christ. This is when God adds us to His church. Jesus told his disciples to go and preach the gospel to every creature saying, whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, whoever does not believe shall be condemned. Mark 16:16. This is God’s word on entering into Jesus Christ.
You don’t pray your way into Christ. You don’t believe your way into Christ. You don’t repent your way into Christ. You don’t confess your way into Christ. You certainly don’t work your way into Christ. There are two passages in the Bible that explicitly use the words “into Christ” in relation to how to enter Christ. These are Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:26-27.
Let’s read them together:
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST JESUS were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST have clothed yourselves with Christ.
If we are baptized into Christ, let us live lives that are “into” Christ.
