In Christ Alone: Near Christ or Truly In Christ?

Sermon preached on 1/4/26.

2 Corinthians 5:17–21

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

As we come into a new year, it would be easy to assume this passage is simply about new beginnings. Many people hear the word “new” in verse 17 and immediately think about resolutions or changes they hope to make. While those ideas may have their place, Paul’s focus here is far deeper. The emphasis of the passage is not first on what becomes new, but on where a person is found. “If any man be in Christ.” That phrase governs everything else Paul says. Before there can be a new life, there must be union with Christ. The issue is not activity but position. The question is not what we are doing, but whether we are in Christ.

Near Christ Is Not the Same as In Christ

To understand this, it helps to think in terms of proximity. Imagine a community that hears tornado sirens going off. Everyone knows there is a storm shelter nearby. They know where it is, they know it exists, and they know it provides safety. Yet imagine individuals who choose to remain outside of it. They are close to it. They believe it is real. But they never step inside. When the storm comes, standing near the shelter will not save them. Safety is found only by being inside. In the same way, it is possible to be near Christ without being in Christ. A person may know about Him, agree with certain truths about Him, and even be surrounded by Christian activity, yet never actually enter into saving union with Him.

Biblical Examples of Nearness Without Union

Scripture itself gives repeated examples of people who were close to Christ yet never truly entered into that saving union. During the Christmas season, the wise men came from the east and stopped in Jerusalem. They asked about the birth of the King of the Jews. Herod did not know the answer, so he called for the scribes and religious leaders. These men searched the Scriptures and correctly identified Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. They were in the culture, in the holy city, and in the Word. Yet none of them went to worship the Christ they had been waiting for. They were close to Him geographically and scripturally, but they had no desire to seek Him.

We see the same truth played out in the life of Judas. Judas walked with Jesus for three and a half years. He heard His preaching, saw His miracles, and even held a trusted position among the disciples. Yet when the time came, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. He was close enough to touch the Savior, but he never truly trusted Him. Judas believed Jesus was the Messiah, but he trusted his own expectations more than Christ’s words. He tried to force God’s hand rather than resting in God’s plan.

What It Truly Means to Be In Christ

This brings us to the heart of the question. What does it mean to be in Christ? It is more than mental agreement. It is trusting Him and resting in Him. Faith is not merely believing that God exists or that Jesus is His Son. Faith is receiving the gospel as truth to live by. Hebrews tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. In other words, faith means living as though God’s promises are sure. Romans 10:17 reminds us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. When we hear who Christ is, what He has done on the cross and in the resurrection, and who we are as sinners, we must respond. We either receive that truth or reject it.

Responding to the Gospel Through Repentance

No one enters Christ accidentally. Salvation always involves a response to the gospel. When Peter preached in Acts, the people were convicted and asked what they must do. Peter’s answer was repentance. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Repentance is not cleaning yourself up before coming to Christ. It is coming to Christ so that He can clean you up. It is turning from sin and turning toward God in faith. Without repentance, there is no union with Christ.

A New Creature, Not an Improved One

When a person is in Christ, Paul says they are a new creature. This does not mean an improved nature or a managed life. It means something entirely new has been created. Salvation is not Christ being added to your life. It is you being placed into Christ. This is why Scripture speaks of being born again. Justification means it is just as if you had never sinned. Your past is forgiven and forgotten. God does not hold it against you. Old things have passed away.

Reconciliation Accomplished by God

This newness affects every part of life. Our desires change. Our direction changes. Our convictions change. We are not perfect, but we are no longer the same. Paul emphasizes that this transformation comes from God. “All things are of God,” he says. Salvation is not human effort. It is divine work. God is the one who reconciles us to Himself through Jesus Christ. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. God does not count the believer’s sins against them because Christ has borne them.

The Message and Ministry of Reconciliation

Because we have been reconciled, Paul says we are given the ministry and word of reconciliation. We become ambassadors for Christ. We speak on His behalf, calling others not merely to religious behavior, but to restored relationship with God. The gospel is not a message we invent. It is a message we have received and now deliver.

The Great Exchange That Makes Salvation Possible

Paul brings everything together in verse 21. God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is the heart of the gospel. Christ took our sin. We receive His righteousness. Our acceptance before God is not based on what we have done, but on who we are in Christ.

The Question That Remains

This is why, when we stand before God, the question will not be what our résumé looks like. It will not be how busy we were or how much we accomplished. The question will be whether we are in Christ. Good works matter, but they are not the foundation. Christ alone is the foundation. Prayer, Bible reading, worship, and service do not make us more saved. They help us remain rooted in Christ.

So the question remains. Are we in Christ, or merely near Him? Are we trusting in Christ alone, or are we relying on our activity, our morality, or our familiarity with Christian things? Being near the shelter is not enough. Safety is found only inside. In the same way, salvation is found only in Christ. And for those who are truly in Him, old things have passed away, all things have become new, and the future is secure in Him.