More Than a Concept—A New Reality
“Living in Christ isn’t a concept—it’s a new dawn, a new world, a new life.”
E. Stanley Jones draws a line in the sand with this reflection: either being “in Christ” is a lofty theological idea or it’s a living, breathing reality. If it’s just theology—a philosophy, a system of ethics—we’re left with good views but no transforming power. But if it’s reality, if it’s fact, then it doesn’t merely inform our intellect—it radically reorients our lives.
Jones compares this shift to the difference between the Word becoming word—a mere belief system—and the Word becoming flesh. The former leaves us with opinions; the latter fills us with life. In this view, being in Christ isn’t about assent to a truth, it’s about entering into a whole new realm. A different condition. A different existence. We don't just visit this truth on Sundays or when we feel spiritual—we are immersed in it.
In Christ, we find ourselves in a new world that has its own atmosphere of freedom, allegiance, and joy. The difference is not merely spatial but existential, like the leap between animal and man, or man and God’s redeemed. To live in Christ is not a religious upgrade—it’s a complete rebirth into a new domain, where the rules of fear and striving no longer apply, because we are now at rest in the finished work of Jesus.
Personalized Journal Entry in the Holy Spirit’s Voice Through Scripture:
You are not holding a concept in your hands—you are held by a Person. Your life has been hidden with Christ in God, and your spirit joined with Mine is one with Him. You were crucified with Christ, and now the life you live is no longer your own—it is Christ who lives in you. This is not metaphor, it is reality.
I have sealed you with Myself, guaranteeing your inheritance. I have not merely reformed you; I recreated you in Christ Jesus for good works, which I prepared in advance for you to walk in. You are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed I dwell in you—and I do. You once walked in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so walk as one who is already light.
You are seated with Him in heavenly places, even as your feet walk this earth. Your citizenship is not pending approval—it is already secure in heaven. The world may see you as ordinary, but I see you as born of heaven, alive in Christ, clothed in righteousness, and filled with power. You were transferred out of the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of the beloved Son. This is not theological jargon. This is your address. This is your identity. This is your life.
—Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:6, 10, 13-14; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 5:8
Prayer of Confidence:
Father, I rest in the truth that I am not merely aligning myself with an idea—I have been placed in a Person. I am in Christ. That changes everything. It’s not my striving that brought me here and it’s not my effort that keeps me here. You did it. You placed me in Your Son, and I now walk in the reality of that placement. Thank You that this isn't a life I must chase down but one I already possess.
So today, I receive the peace of being in Christ. I receive the joy, the purpose, the freedom, the confidence, the very life of Jesus—not as something external to reach for, but as Someone who is my life. This is not something I merely believe—this is something I live, because He lives in me.
Credit:
Devotional insight adapted from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
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