The victory of Jesus Christ became the worldwide message of the apostles. Those frightened men who were scattered in fear when Jesus was taken prisoner and who hid themselves lest they too should be taken, became dynamic, fearless and vital preachers. No longer were they like timid mice in their holes afraid lest the cat should appear. Instead they stood forth boldly in the heart of Jerusalem proclaiming with joy and fearlessness:

"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses." (Acts 2:32).

"(ye) killed the prince of life, whom God hath raised up from the dead; whereof we are witnesses." (Acts 3:15).

"(They) preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead." (Acts 4:2).

"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead . . ." (Acts 4:10).

This was the basis of their teaching. The living Christ was God's assurance of everlasting life for all who would desire it. There was to be no other way. There were some -- even a short while after these events -- who declared that the resurrection was not as important as the apostles made it out to be. To these mistaken men and women the apostle Paul penned one of the most powerful chapters in all the Bible. With the power of inescapable reasoning he drove home the tremendous truth:

"Now if Christ is preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain . . . ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

Let us not miss the lesson ourselves. Paul knows that the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead is the keystone to our faith. To deny it is to destroy the faith which Jesus preached. To accept it is to believe in the only way to the forgiveness of sins and to immortality.

Look at it this way. Paul tells us that the resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee that all believers who die will themselves be raised from the dead. Jesus is the first of many. He is the pattern of others to follow. He is God's deposit guaranteeing the purchase of the whole number of the saints of God. Take away the resurrection of Jesus and the whole house collapses in ruins.

"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man come death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Here is the complete picture. By natural birth and by our own sinfulness we are Adam's children; and that brings death. "In Christ" (whatever that means) we are related to the resurrection of the dead and, should we die before Christ comes back, we shall be raised from the dead at that second coming.

We need now to ask the question: what does Paul mean when he talks about being "in Christ?" What is it to be "in Christ?" Quite clearly it is the opposite of being "in Adam." We cannot help being "in Adam" because that comes to us by birth and natural habit. Is there a way in which we can be "in Christ" and thereby related to everlasting life? Surely, there is and the New Testament makes it very plain.

There is a great difference between Adam and Christ. Not simply the difference between life and death, but the difference between living for one's self and living for God. Being in Christ means that a man has decided to change the course of his life. It is as though he had been heading for rocks in a small boat, driven by a gale and with no hope of escape when suddenly a strong hand takes the helm and despite the apparent impossibility of it takes the ship to sea on a new and different course. Being in Christ means that Christ is Master. We have heard of Him, learned of Him and decided we want to serve Him. This change of mind is known as repentance. A man confesses his hopelessness, a sinner without chance of escape from eternal death, and he takes hold of the life-line of the promises of God made firm in Jesus Christ:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).

This is no light decision to make. Jesus makes it clear that it is the decision of a lifetime. It is the greatest choice a man can make. It is though a man had been walking in pitch darkness toward the edge of a cliff and Jesus had laid His hand upon the man's shoulder and turned him around. The change is even greater than that. It is not simply choosing between life and death: it is choosing between everlasting life and everlasting death.

"God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

Adam drags us down to the grave: Christ alone can bring us out. We need faith in Him, in the things concerning Him and concerning the kingdom of God. If we truly desire these things, if we recognize the love of God in Jesus and the love of Jesus in His life and death, and wish to be free from sin and all its consequences, then we flee to Christ for safety. We seek to be in Him.

But how do we take refuge in Him? How can He cover us in safety? Jesus tells us quite simply:

"He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved." (Mark 16:16).

If we believe in Christ and His teaching, then we can be baptised into Him. Baptism is a burial in water in the name of Christ of a man who truly believes in the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. When a man does that, then God receives Him and covers him with the name of Jesus. He becomes Christ's servant; he is in Christ. The apostle Paul describes it in this way:

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:26-27).

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into his death? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3-4).

This is the great change. When a believing man goes into the watery grave of baptism he buries with Jesus his old way of life, his sins are forgiven in Jesus Christ and he comes forth a new man, newly born into the family of God. No longer does he bear the name "in Adam" but he is "in Christ."

One of the punishments which Christians were made to bear during the persecutions of the first century was to have the corpse of a dead man hung around their neck: and they had to carry it, drag it around with them until they too died. Being in Adam is like that: we are tied to sin and death. By Christ we are cut free and united with Christ himself. All his saving work takes effect in us. We are new creatures in Christ. The watery grave of baptism buries our old life and we are new men in Christ.

Think about your own life. Are you tied to Adam -- united with death? Or are you with Christ sharing the joy of the hope of life everlasting in God's coming kingdom? Christ calls to every man:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life." (Matthew 7:13, 14).

(Now read for yourself Romans chapter 6).

Questions on Letter 14 (answers)

1. What was the basis of the Apostles preaching?

2. What is the guarantee to believers that they will live again?

3. What does it mean to be "in Adam" and "in Christ"?

4. How do we change from being "in Adam" to being "in Christ"?

5. What does Paul liken baptism to in Romans chapter 6?

CONTENTS | LETTER 1