Are you in Christ?

Book titles can be great triggers to get the thought processes going. Last week in a bookstore I saw this title and smiled: “The Last Decision You’ll Ever Make: A Groom’s Survival Guide.” See what I mean? Its “a laugh-a-minute survival guide for men about the pitfalls and pleasures of getting married,” according to the publisher.

Online I ran across another book title, and the subject of this post: “Are You In Christ Or Christianity: From The Captivity Of Religion To The Capacity Of Christ” by Larry Snead (2004). I have not read the book but the title did get my attention and thought processes flowing.

Yes, it is possible to be in Christianity, the religion, and not be in Christ, the relationship. I think most churchgoers need to see the difference. As E. Stanley Jones wrote: “I am in Him — salvation and security. He is in me — creation and adventure.” He also wrote that either we are “in Christ” or we are “out of Christ.” You can read the Introduction to his book “In Christ” online here and purchase a reprint from Grace Chapel via Amazon.com.

The subtitle of Larry Snead’s book gives a clear indication of where his book is heading (always the sign of a good title), “From The Captivity Of Religion To The Capacity Of Christ.” Religion is all about rules, rituals, and regulations, while the capacity of Christ is unlimited. Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior are “in Christ”; they are “a new creation” (II Corinthians 5:17). There is no perception of pew warming in the Pauline concept of a Christian.

In contrast to the “captivity of religion” there is our “freedom in Christ.” “Stand fast therefore in the freedom in which Christ has made us free, and do not be subject again to a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1) and John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (ESV). Thank God for those believers who have broken through the chains of religious thinking and accepted the freedom that Christ as given to them.