What Does “Christ in You” Mean?

Christ in You

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27

 

“Christ in you;” profound words written by Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians, literally means that Jesus Christ is alive and His Spirit lives and dwells in the spirits of His children.

 

As humans, we exist as tripartite beings. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. Your spirit is the real you, the core of who you are. Your soul consists of your mind, will, intellect, and emotions and your body is your physical house. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12, 2 Corinthians 5:8-9, James 2:26.)

 

The Born again Experience

Being born again is a birthing process that is not based on natural laws but is spiritual in nature. Our spirits get born again (reborn) at the point of salvation, but our souls and bodies do not.

 

If you are born again, this means that at the point of salvation, the creator of the universe gave birth to you by His Spirit. Your natural, carnal, sinful spirit died, and you received a new one in Christ Jesus, created spiritually in the image of God’s holiness and righteousness (Ephesians 4:24). The Holy Spirit aka the Spirit of Christ moved into you and made your spirit His permanent dwelling place (1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 6:16,  Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:9). This brought your spirit into union with that of God and Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23).

Therefore, there is no separation: Christ lives in us. How awesome is that!
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ John 3:5-7

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 3:5-6 (NLT)

 

How does this impact our lives as believers?

We have the hope of glory

Our hope stems from our intimate relationship with God through Christ. This hope is not wishful thinking but is our unwavering confidence based on the certainty of God’s promise that we have an imperishable inheritance in heaven (1 Peter 1:3-7). In addition, we await the appearance of Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), knowing that “when Christ appears, we shall be like him,” as our natural bodies will be transformed into his glorious body (1 John 3:2, Philippians 3:21, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 ).

 

Victory over sin

Because Christ is in you, you do not have to go through life defeated by sin and failure. Your old sinful life was crucified with Christ and the life you have now is infused with the life of Christ. Therefore, you can walk in and manifest the fruit of the Spirit.

 

 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

 

Victory over the devil and his schemes

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

 

Freedom from fear

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

 

Christ is Formed in Us

My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. Galatians 4:19

 

In conclusion, Christ in us also means that since God has filled us with His Spirit and the essence of who He is, we have the capacity to manifest His presence and power to the world around us.

 

Jesus wants ALL of us. He inhabits our spirits at salvation, but he also wants access to all parts of our soul.  Our soul (mind, will, intellect, emotions) does not get born-again but becomes transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God as we apply what we know about God to our lives and live out His truth. Your spirit was made new at salvation, but your soul needs to be taught and trained to be like God.

 

Christ lives in us, and we need to let him be seen. When we yield fully, we allow Christ himself to live in and through us. The result is that we become more Christ-like from one level of glory to the next as Christ is formed in us.

 

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

 

On a final note, I strongly encourage you to meditate on Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21 and consistently pray the words over your life.

 

You are blessed!!

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Except where indicated, Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV.

 

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