The statement "if any man be in Christ" brings us to the reality that Christ is complex word which can stand as a place, a person and an Office. For a brief example, I am a Doctor, that is my office or title, I work in a Hospital and I also have my Personality. Each of these has been affected by all of them, my title and my person and my place can not be separated, except I chose not to be one of them, but if I do, then they all come together. The same way Christ, contains his person, title and the office from which he operates from as head of the Church. Hence with a broader understanding, if anyman be in Christ being under his office, in his place and having his personality, ... But lets talk about a place first.
Being in Christ means you are found in a place where Christ is Lord and reigns supreme under God, The place where all authority in Heaven and on Earth are given to him. The Kingdoms of the world are not exempted. Jesus Christ is actually Lord.
Rev 11:15 KJV And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
You ve probably heard it was said that "Jesus is Lord" and you didnt know what it may have meant, well it means that Jesus Christ has attained the Office of headship over all that God created and if any man enters into Christ on earth, he must be subject to Christ.
A country has a president who is the Chief of armed forces on land, air and sea and all the authority end on him, he becomes head, this is just a picture of how Christ reigns, only he reigns above all else and no one can challenge him because he has been given that power.
Philippians 2
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The believer needs to understand that if any man enters into that relationship of Lordship he must accept to it totally and work daily to comply to the instructions the Lord gives.
"If any man be in Christ Jesus,"
Jesus gave us several ways of seeing this, for instance, he kept mentioning a kind of relatoinship which involved him be in us and we being in him, like an intercourse and a word commonly used these days "koinonia" (if ye abide in me.. John 15)
This means we can actually be in Christ and abide there, continue there and as long as that happens, we are new creatures.
As An office
This means we are brought under a law of obedience to his orders and commandments. He is the "Right hand of God", in the trinity and so we are under that. There is a law of life in Christ Jesus, and it is a spiritual law that all who believe in Christ must abide by. It is by this law that our life becomes Christlike because we are obeying and changing. This law will teach you the ways of righteousness, it will be written in your heart and the power of Christ will enable you to do them through grace and by faith daily. All as a result of that office of the Christ. So as a new kind of living creature, a new life subject to a new law.
Rom 8:2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
As A Person
Now the very person of Christ will also be in you, as you are in Him. His seeds has been planted in you, his spirit nurtures them all to grow and bear forth fruits which begins to show in your character and reactions as yoyu conform to him.
He will practically live within you and speak to you and through you at all times. But you have to be conscious of this and work on your relationship with him to learn this practically from his word and prayer.
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
*17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, *
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
This new creature will begin here to learn the Characters of Christ and produce the fruits of the Spirit.
Joh 15:4 KJV Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
You can't bring out those fruits by your self, and they can't be faked for too long, except he dwells in you as you dwell in him.
We must learn the Christ way of doing things, as by his spirit will be teaching us from the inside, correcting and showing us the truth. Renewing our minds.
Eph 4: 20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So when we are in Christ, we have put on the new man, new creature, a new person now lives in us. We are then expected to learn of him how to walk in this newness of life daily.
In Christ.
Stay blessed.
I m sure it's been an interesting study of the bible with these series.
Please feel free to drop your questions, agreements, additions and subtractions if any.