Christians Without Christ

     Regardless of claims of the so-called religious world, there are no disciples where there is no discipline.  There are no servants where there is no serving.  There are no saints without sanctification.  And, most importantly, there are no Christians without Christ.
     Looking at the world around us it would be easy to decide that anyone can do anything and still be called a Christian.  "All we need to do is believe in a higher being," some propose.  "We all believe in the Bible," some suggest.  "We just look at it differently."  "All we need is love," some claim.  "All good people will go to heaven," still others hope.
     These ideas may be fine for those who want to be their own source of authority.  But their claims do not mean that the situation is the way they say it is.  I may claim to be able to write checks and make credit card charges on your accounts.  But my claims do not make it true.
     Listen to those around us.  We hear a lot of theology and philosoply and wishing, but how often do we hear what the Bible says?  These people to not look at the Bible because it does not agree with what they want to believe.  But their claims do not change the facts.
     "If you abide in My word,"  Jesus promises in John 8:31, "then you are truly disciples of Mine."
     "He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him;" the Lord warns in John 12:48, "the word I spoke is what will judge him in the last day."
     "You are My friends," Jesus explains in John 15:14, "if you do what I command you."
     "But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel other than that which we have preached to you," Paul points out in Galatians 1:8, "let him be accursed."  The warning is so strong that Paul repeats it in the next verse.
     "Any one who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God;" 2 John 9 teaches, "the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son."
     Why, then, do so many teach ideas contrary to what the Bible says?
     "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;" 2 Timothy 4:3-4 warns, "but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths."
     Regardless of what men may say, there are no Christians without Christ.  According to the Bible, what does it mean to be a Christian?
     "Truly, truly I say to you," Jesus instructs in John 3:3, "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  So being a Christian requires being born into Christ.
     "Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren," we read in 1 Peter 1:22-23, "fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God."
     "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Peter has already stated in verses 3-4 of the same chapter, "who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you."
     Where else in the writing of Peter do we find the power of God, salvation and the resurrection of Christ mentioned in the same verse?
     "And corresonding to that," 1 Peter 3:21 points out, "baptism now saves you-not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience-through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
     How are we born into Christ?
     "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ," Galatians 3:27 answers.
     To be born means to start a new life.  In our case, this requires dying to our old life.  So to be born into Christ must mean being born into His death.  This is what we learn from Romans 6:3-11.  We'll take a look at this passage following this song.  If you don't have a Bible in hand, this would be a good time to go get one so you can read along as we consider Romans chapter six.

     There are no Christians without Christ.  According to the Bible, this means that those who would be Christians must be born into Christ.  And, as we shall see, this requires being born into His death.
     "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?" Romans 6:3-11 notes.
     Before going on with the passage, it is important to remember that the Bible recognizes baptism to be immersion of adult believers.  All other forms were added later by men.  Notice in the following verses words such as "buried" and "likeness."
     "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death," Paul continues, "in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
     "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.
     "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
     "For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
     "Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
     Being Christians demands that we be in Christ.  And this requires that we be born into Christ through baptism.  This is what allows us to be alive with Jesus.
     "Having been buried with Him in baptism," Colossians 2:12-13 states, "in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
     "And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions."
     Being in Christ involves being born in Him.  Living in Christ means that we must walk in Him in newness of life.  We have already read this in Romans 6:4.
     "But if we walk in the light as he Himself is in the light," 1 John 1:7 promises, "we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin."
     Does it really matter?  What if we aren't in Christ the way the Bible says we must be?  What if we are not born into Christ and His death through baptism and don't join Him in newness of life?
     We have read a promise in Romans 6:5 that those who are in Christ will be with Him in the resurrection.  What does this mean for those who are not in Christ?  Can we refuse to be with Him here and expect to be with Him there?  And what about those who claim to be Christians but who don't even believe in the resurrection?
     The answer to this question is found in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.  The last verse sums it up this way, "If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most to be pitied."
     "Let not your heart be troubled;" Jesus tells His followers in John 14:1-6, "believe in God, believe also in Me.
     "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
     "And you know the way where I am going."
     "Lord, we do not know where You are going;" Thomas replies in verse five, "how do we know the way?"
     "I am the way, and the truth, and the life;" Jesus responds, "and no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
     There are no Christians without Christ.
     Has someone been telling you that you could be a disciple without discipline?  Has someone been suggesting that you can be a servant without serving?  Has someone been claiming that you could be a saint without sanctification?  Has someone been promising that you can be a Christian without Christ?
     Have you not been told what the Bible teaches about being in Christ?  Have you not been taught about being born into Christ, into His death and into His life?  Have you not been shown about walking in Christ, in newness of life and in purity?  Have you been assured that you will be with Christ in the resurrection even though you have not done what the Bible says you must do in order to be in Christ?
     If this were happening to me, I would be mad.  I would demand to know why I had been taught things that are not in the Bible and had not been taught things that are.  I would not accept half-hearted explanations that involve the philosophies of men and not the words of God.  Then I would do something about it.  I would make up my mind to be in Christ the way He says I must.
     I would obey the truth and be set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission."