All my springs are in Thee. (Psa. lxxxvii. 7).-(5)

by Charles H. Welch

#5. “In Christ Jesus.”
“And a river went out of Eden to water the garden;
and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads” 
(Gen. ii. 10).


The Fountain of all being and all blessing is God, but in such overwhelming power that nothing but destruction would be the result of immediate contact with Him. In the person of Christ, infinite Power and Wisdom are mediated, and, thus, are found to be full of blessing. No man can look upon the face of GOD and live, yet to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is life. This therefore is our theme.

Over and over again in the epistles, we meet with such expressions as “in Christ”, “in the Lord”, “in Jesus Christ our Lord”, “in Christ Jesus” and other variations of the same blessed truth. These are the “heads” into which the river of life is “parted” for our sakes. Taking the epistles in the canonical order in which they are found in the N.T., the first occurrence of the phrase “in Christ Jesus” is in Rom. iii. 24, where we read “Redemption that is in Christ Jesus”. The phrase does not recur until we come to Rom. viii. There it occurs three times: “No condemnation in Christ Jesus”, “The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” and the blessed fact that nothing can separate us “from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. viii. 1, 2 and 39).

The phrase “in Christ Jesus” is found in Ephesians (R.V.) seven times, and is associated with Paul’s apostleship (Eph. i. 1), and “the faithful” (Eph. i. 1). The peculiar privilege, granted alone to the church of the mystery, of being “seated together in heavenly places” is also “in Christ Jesus” (Eph. ii. 6). In the ages to come this favour is to be intensified, for “exceeding riches of grace in His kindness” are to be shown toward us “in Christ Jesus” (Eph. ii. 7), while we are declared to be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” in Eph. ii. 10. Those who were the recipients of such overwhelming grace however, were, by nature, “far off” sinners of the Gentiles, but are “made nigh” in Christ Jesus (Eph. ii. 13). The title “Christ Jesus” is limited to the doctrinal section of Ephesians, the last occurrence being Eph. iii. 21, where the prayer ends in the doxology, “Unto Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of the ages. Amen”.

These aspects of truth “in Christ Jesus” lie at the root of the revelation of the mystery but no attempt can be made here to expand their teaching: at the moment all we insist upon is that they are ours only “in Christ Jesus”. Passing over the remainder of Paul’s epistles, we come to II Timothy, where the phrase “in Christ Jesus” occurs seven times. The teaching associated with these seven occurrences will be more appreciated if the passages are seen together. Accordingly we throw them into an alternate correspondence.

“In Christ Jesus” (II Timothy).
A | i. 1. The Promise of Life.
    B | i. 9. Purpose and Grace. Holy calling, not of works.
        C | i. 13. Form of sound words. Doctrine.
            D | ii. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
A | ii. 10. Salvation WITH glory.
    B | iii. 12. Persecution and godly living. Practice.
        C | iii. 15. Holy Scriptures. Salvation.

Turning to the briefer phrase “in Christ” we find it used in contrast to being “in Adam” and in other doctrinal and practical associations. It occurs seven times in II Corinthians where the passages may be taken to indicate the character of blessing that was found “in Christ” by the apostle.

The first sounds a note of triumph.

“Now thanks be unto God, which always leadeth us in triumph in Christ” (II Cor. ii. 14, R.V.).

The second avers faithfulness.

“But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (II Cor. ii. 17).

There follows the ministry of the new covenant and contrasts of liberty, life and glory, with the bondage, death and passing glory of the old covenant. Paul tells us that when Israel read the old covenant, a veil is upon their eyes and heart but that this veil “is done away in Christ” (II Cor. iii. 14). Pursuing the wondrous theme, he passes from the new covenant to the new creation, saying “Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature” (II Cor. v. 17). From the new creation he proceeds to speak of the reconciliation, saying, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (II Cor. v. 19). To Paul, salvation was to be found “in Christ” and when referring to his conversion and commission, he says, “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago” (II Cor. xii. 2). In his last use of this phrase in II Cor. xii. 19 he again refers to his ministry as “speaking before God in Christ”. In conclusion let us turn to Eph. i. 1-14, and, instead of limiting ourselves to one title, as “Christ” or “Christ Jesus”, let us observe how the word “in” is used.

The preposition en, “in”, occurs nineteen times in Eph. i. 1-14 and is translated “at” (i. 1); “with” (i. 3); “wherein” (i. 6); and sixteen times is rendered by the word “in”. Let us set out these verses, omitting those references that use the word “in” before such terms as “heavenly places” and marking only those which speak of blessing “IN Him”.

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace [be] to you, and peace, from God our Father, and [from] the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace . . . . . having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in Him:
In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance . . . . . that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
In Whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
In Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Here we see that the faithful in Christ Jesus find in Him Blessing, Choice, Acceptance, Redemption, Inheritance, and Hope; while at the same time and in association with these blessings, we find this great Purpose is in Him, and that in Him shall be gather together in one all things in heaven and on earth.

As he contemplates such riches of grace and glory, verily, every believer in the truth of the mystery, can exclaim,

“All my springs are in Thee.”

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(From The Berean Expositor, vol. 34, page 31).

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