What If?

(Residing in Christ - Jn 15)

What an inconspicuous little phrase this is – in Christ. After all, you would not even fall down if you tripped over it! Everyone knows what the words mean. Or do we? I would like to suggest that we actually do not really yet understand this "little" phrase and suffer substantially as a result. Ephesians 2:13 states, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near…"

In this verse as well as others, careful attention will reveal the presence of a new identity for the believer, an identity that holds within it the precious moment of a new love first owned, the identity of being "in Christ." The word Christ is not the last name of Jesus. The word "Christ" Christos, Ancient Greek for "anointed" means the "Anointed One," i.e., the One through whom the Power of God flows. Before the Resurrection of Jesus he was called, Jesus of Nazareth, recognized as all other humans from their respective region. Then, after the Resurrection, when many recognized that Jesus is God, his name changed to Jesus the Christ.

Do we as Christians recognize this? The power that caused Jesus to walk out of his tomb is in his name, the Christ, the Anointed One. As his eternal family, born again believers have inherited that same power. How many lives would be changed; how many miracles would flow; how many lives would be set free if every time we spoke the word Christ we spoke it in divine revelation?