In Christ

God has given us every spiritual blessing in Christ. Jesus came into the world to create a new covenant with men and God. In this covenant, men promise to give their allegiance to God, to follow him, to represent him to the world and to obey him. God promises to bring men into a special relationship with him. He cancels the rightful penalty for breaking God's law. He promises to walk with each individual person by putting his nature into their hearts -- to speak to them, to guide them, to strengthen them and to walk with them through life. He will form a community around this relationship with others who have come into this covenant with him. He will establish an eternal community and an eternal relationship. And he will create the world anew to conform with its original design.

All this -- man's part of the covenant and God's part of the covenant -- is focused through Jesus Christ. Jesus became the bridge that allows both parties access to each other. The chasm that separated these parties was sin -- the evil in men. When we choose to enter this covenant relationship with God, we move into a new status, a new place. We assume Jesus' place with him. We can visualize this as if we are in him. All of God's blessing flows to us through Christ and our relationship with him. As we have moved into his position, we also assume his role in the world.