BEING “IN CHRIST”
(The
‘Intermediate State’ after death but before the resurrection.) Jack
Snyder September 15, 2002
In this study,
Christ
CristoV (Greek) = Messiah (English)
Lord
kurioV = Master
(1)
The believer comes to be “in Messiah” when she is born again. We understand being “in Christ”
literally. (1 Cor 15:22, 2 Cor 5:17,
many, many others) One may be born of
spirit and, at the same time, become a part of (in) the economy (body) of the
Messiah. Those born of spirit are
incorporated in the Holy Spirit.
(2)
The believer’s death is spoken of metaphorically as “sleeping” (koimasqai)
1
Cor 15:6, 18, 51. Those who have died
in Messiah “know nothing” (Ec 9:5) of the affairs of the world; i.e., they have
no active involvement in the present temporal world. They don’t know what you are doing and there is no way that you
can know what they are doing. The
implication is that those who have fallen asleep will at some time awaken. After all, living or sleeping, they are
still “in Messiah.”
(3)
When they fall asleep, believers are not only “in Messiah” but they are “with”
him.
Luke
23:43 (meta mou)
”with me”, 2 Cor 5:8
(en demesai proV ton kurion) “in the house with the Master”, (eiV to
analusai kai sun Cristw), “into the loosing up with
Christ.” Though, as to the affairs of
the world, the believer is unaware, there is interpersonal communion between
the spirit of the believer, the spirits of other believers and
the spirit of Messiah. The “body
of Christ” is thus made up of spirit (and, some may say, flesh). All are one in him (John
17:11). (The Nicene Creed informs us
that the Holy Spirit emanates from both the Father and the Son.
(4)
If there were not a conscious communion (or union), then Paul certainly would
not have said “to live is Christ to die is gain” (See Phil 1:23-24). There
is much evidence that the believer has conscious communion in that the
believer “rests from labor” (Heb 4:10) safe in the hands of Yahweh (Luke 23:46)
“in the presence of Christ” (Phil 1:23) alive for the glory of Yahweh (Luke
20:38) in spirit, as Yahweh lives (1 Peter 4:6b).
(5)
One may experience at least a hint of what this state is like. Heb 4:3-11 indicates that, aside from the
practical application of this text, there may also be some impractical
conclusions drawn in regard to the rest.
(After all, resting is what happens when one falls asleep. One may be alive and still rest.) Christian mystics (including St. Paul) of
all ages experienced some measure of this rest through meditation, deprivation,
prayer, near death experience, visions and ‘practicing the presence.’ Such states of rest have been called
“ecstasy” by secular sources (but see 1 Cor 12 NEB) or “paradise” (paradeisw) by religious (Luke 23:43, 2
Cor 12:4, Rev 2:7).
|
||||||||
