What is a Christian? Dr. D. Patrick Ramsey
Pastor Ramsey defined what it means to be ‘in Christ,’ then he gave several practical benefits of this status that all born-again Christians possess.
This 28 minute sermon will help you understand the blessings you possess because you are a Christian.
Sermon points [bracketed statements, emboldening and underscoring are mine]:
- A Christian is someone who is UNITED to Christ by the Holy Spirit and by faith
- Scriptures referred to: Romans 16:7; Galatians 1:22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.
- The apostle Paul often began epistles by identifying his readers as Christians in Christ: Ephesians 1:1 [ESV2011] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
- 1Corinthians 1:2 [ESV2011] To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
- [Look for “in Christ” or “with Christ” in his epistles next time you’re reading them.]
- WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE “IN CHRIST?”
- It signifies the type of relationship a Christian has with Christ, to be joined to Him, to be connected
- Metaphors the Bible uses to signify union with Christ: branches of a tree: believers are the branches and He, the root from which the life (sap) flows; a stone building: He is the corner stone and we, the other stones [see 1 Peter 2]; parts of a body, He is the head and we the various other necessary parts [see next point, and 1 Corinthians 12 for Paul’s use of the body metaphor which is part of his discussion of spiritual gifts]; marriage, wherein Jesus is the husband and we are the bride; in Adam; in Christ: Christians were born into their physical existence, in Adam; they are spiritually born in Christ; also, He is the last Adam [see Romans 5]
- Ephesians 2:19ff: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. [As an aside, I heard Dr. MacArthur use this statement to nullify the modern-day ‘apostles’ because the above verse calls the apostles and prophets the foundation of the house of God, they’d be the rafters if they existed in our day, because God the Holy Spirit has been adding living stones to Christ’s church for over 2 thousand years]
- HOW ARE WE UNITED TO CHRIST? By the Holy Spirit and by faith, see below
- 1 Corinthians 12: For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— Jews or Greeks, slaves4 or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
- Ephesians 3: 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
- Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
- The Holy Spirit and Faith are our two bonds comprising our UNION with Christ: Christ embraces us via His Spirit; we embrace Him via our faith
- Once we have been united to Christ by faith, we participate (possess) all the benefits or blessings that are in Jesus
- Union with Christ: our being married to Him
- Communion with Christ: participating in all the privileges, benefits that Jesus possesses
- For example, when a man and woman are united in marriage, the two become one and share in all things: name, finances; their property is thereafter jointly owned
- When we are joined to Christ, what He has becomes ours, and vice versa: His righteousness and life become ours; our sin becomes His
- SOME OF THOSE BLESSINGS THAT OUR UNION AND COMMUNION WITH CHRIST AFFORDS US: [observe them as they occur in the following sample verses]
- Colossians 1:11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
- Colossians 1:25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory
- Ephesians 2: 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…; Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord; Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; Romans 8:29,30 For those whom he [God] foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified…38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord; 1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…; 1 Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; Galatians 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith; Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world…; 1 Cor. 1:27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong…30 And because of him [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…; Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man [Adam], much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
- A Christian is not someone who received a get out of hell free card, or a ticket to heaven with which he could thereafter walk apart from Christ, his head
- All a Christian needs to dwell forever with God, in heaven, is found ‘in Christ;’ and anyone who is united to Christ receives all those things
- In the 1970s, some believed that there was such a thing as a ‘carnal Christian;’ that one could live like hell and still go to heaven; or that one could be saved from the guilt of sin and not from the power of sin – if you have read the above, then you should see that such a thing cannot be
- PRACTICAL BENEFITS OF UNION WITH CHRIST:
- 1) Comfort and assurance when we are burdened by our own sin and guilt: after falling into sin, one should humble himself, repent and turn back to the Lord in faith; but there is no need to be overwhelmed by our sin
- If tempted to be burdened, then remember our relationship with Him: in Him we have forgiveness from all our sins [see above]
- We stand before God in Christ’s merits – His atoning work on the cross (past) and His intercession (present)
- Quotation from a Puritan shared
- 2) The dignity and honor our union with Christ bestows on each of us is unfathomable
- How so? In our society, fame, power, prestige… is attributed to actors, sports stars, politicians… Christians are not assigned such value
- But consider what happened to Ester when she married Ahasuerus, her value, social standing, social worth… became very high, she was thereafter called Queen
- Christ is King of His universe and therefore, in our union with Him, we may fully enjoy all His riches, glory, titles, dignities, offices, prerogatives, inheritance…
- 3) Assurance of our salvation: marital unions between humans are dissolved all the time; however, that cannot be the case regarding our union with Christ – Romans 8: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? [read verses 26-39 for many blessings in Christ from God]
- Death cannot even break our union with Christ: we die in the Lord; our souls go to be with Him in heaven; He is even united to our bodies in the grave, their very dust; and He will raise them from the dust on that great day
- Since we are and always will be united with Jesus, who has conquered sin and death, we will not lose our salvation, rather we will persevere in faith till the end
- 4) Our relationship with Christ spurs us on to fight against sin and to pursue righteousness. The Christian life is a battle with the world, the flesh and the Devil; when temptation comes, one way to respond is to remember that we are in union with Christ, He is our husband, and we need to follow Him, to be faithful to Him
- God has remade us to be able to love Him and keep His commandments and we are empowered via our union with Him
- 5) Our union with Christ ought to encourage us to love one another: we are joined to Christ; He is joined to all His children; therefore, we are joined to all of them, our brothers and sisters – loving them seems to be right
- We need each other to become mature in Christ – we all have different gifts and need others gifts to grow
- REVIEW: What is a Christian? A person who is united to Christ; he / she shares in the blessings and privileges that are of Christ; When we sin, His gospel enables us to repent and turn back to Him – that gift of grace makes us very blessed
- A Christian also has the encouragement in his bosom that he needs to fight sin and pursue holiness – Christ in him, the hope of glory
For other sermons by Pastor Ramsey, click the following link: