I Know a Man in Christ
When Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians he spoke of a time when he was caught up into the third heaven. 2 Corinthians 12:4 says more specifically that he was caught up into Paradise. For a few verses in this text, he speaks of himself in the third person with phrases like – “I know a man in Christ…” (2 Corinthians 12:2). His purpose in writing was to defend his apostleship to those who were speaking against him in the Corinthian church. So he briefly reflected on an instance that proved God’s seal upon him as an apostle, as one having the Spirit of God.
But I want to focus on his phrase, “I know a man in Christ.” While subtle, it conveys a very important set of circumstances that every person should consider:
1. To consider the idea of being “in Christ” is to consider a specific identity. Not everyone is in Christ. Paul said elsewhere that those who are baptized into Christ have put on (lit. “have been clothed with) Christ (Gal. 3:27). Paul himself came into a relationship with Christ when he decided to “arise and be baptized” and wash away his sins, calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). We are not in Christ unless we decide to obey the gospel and allow ourselves by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus to be placed in Him.
2. To be “in Christ” is to be separated from the world and owned by God. Again, Paul related his conversion as a complete change of state when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Having been purchased by blood Paul understood that he was no longer in charge of His life (Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 6:19-20).
3. To “know a man in Christ” is, for a Christian, a great blessing. I know a lot of people. But not everyone I know is in Christ. I have dear friends who I pray for daily, who never leave my mind because they are not yet in Christ. I love them, but I know I can never fully have them as a part of my family as long as they have not been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and adopted into the New Testament church. On the other hand, every week I see many people in Christ with whom I worship and with whom I experience spiritual family living. My greatest joys include the fellowship I have with those in Christ.
4. To not be “in Christ” is to sadly be nothing at all. It was Marshall Keeble who was first known to say that a “Christian without ‘Christ’ leaves only ‘ian.’ And those three letters just stand for ‘I ain’t nothing!’” How true that is! We will never fulfill our purpose without the Son of God and the Savior of the world. He is our Redeemer. He is the solution to our sin problem. He is grace and truth. He is our only avenue to the Father in heaven (John 14:6). What hope do we have, and what life are we living, if we are not in Christ?
When Paul spoke of knowing a man in Christ, he was actually referring to himself. This was his confidence – not that he was special, but that Christ was special, and that by the grace of God he had been allowed to belong to the One he once ignorantly persecuted.
I am thankful, that I, like Paul, can look into the mirror and say, “I know a man in Christ.” If you cannot say the same, friend, then what are you waiting for?
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:1
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