In Christ?

Looking at the bigger picture - from a distance.

You've probably never heard of them, but have you ever stood on the Bolehills in Sheffield on a clear night? You look up, and it’s lights, twinkles, and shiny things by the bucket load - stars wherever you look, when the weather is playing nicely, that is. Here’s what most folks don’t get; those lights you see? They’re just the ones close enough to wave. Behind them are galaxies full of stars, millions of light years away - unseen, unnamed, but just as real.

And that is what it’s like to be in Christ. You just can't fathom the infinite richness of what has been done for you, to you, with you.

Yes, you can pull off Berkhof's Systematic Theology, or Grudem’s more lightweight but more accessible pages of esteemed learning, and immerse yourself in them. And for convenience’ sake, you might find, say, 20 things that are now yours in Christ... but you are looking at a view of the sky that is no bigger than a coin in your pocket. There's so much more.

Before you can venture further in this, you have to encounter the immediate truth that Jesus says in Matthew 12:30, which cuts through any ambiguity or agnostic shrug of the shoulders: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

Tumbleweed moment. Pause for breath. There’s gentle Jesus again, meek and mild. But there’s no middle ground. No Switzerland in the Kingdom of God. You’re either with Him or you’re not. You’re gathered or you’re scattered.

And that matters, because eternity’s not decided by vibes – it’s decided by allegiance; not quite seeker-friendly, but it was never meant to be. It’s like, lay down your 'stuff' and follow Jesus as King - and then you'll have more 'stuff' than you can ever comprehend, over eternity.

Let's not kid ourselves. Jesus isn’t begging for fans. He’s Lord. Crucified, risen, reigning, and returning, and every human being either bows at His feet or braces against His judgment. Those are the only categories that matter. If you’re not with Him, you’re already against Him. That’s not harsh - that’s holy.

There has to be a 'but', surely? There is! Here’s the scandal of grace: if you are in Him, then everything - every ounce of mercy, every drop of righteousness, every breath of peace - is yours. You don’t earn it. You don’t perform for it. You receive it, like a rebel who’s been adopted into royalty and handed the keys - all of them - to the kingdom.

And most of us don’t even grasp what we’ve been given, or that we have been given anything. We walk around with our heads down, when we’ve been seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). It’s as I mentioned, like trying to count the stars in those distant galaxies from a hill, or your 'hill' - you can’t see them, but they’re yours. Just because they’re invisible doesn’t mean they’re not real.

So it is with the blessings of being in Christ: adoption, inheritance, access, power, presence, joy, victory, sonship, communion. Just as real as the God-given breath you just breathed.

Here's the downer. If you’re not in Christ? None of it is yours. Not a drop. Not a single twinkle. And you need to hear that, because some people think they can play the fence and it's splinters - keep Jesus close enough for comfort but far enough for convenience. Sounds a good ploy, but actually, the fence doesn’t exist. It’s a lie, a myth - a daft idea. Jesus said you’re either gathering with Him or scattering without Him.

The brutal beauty of the gospel is that the One who draws the line is the One who died to pull you across it. The Son of God became sin so that sinners could become sons. He took wrath to give you righteousness. He was forsaken so you could be found. That’s not religion. That’s rescue.

Even at this point, some of my work-friends will sadly scoff, mock, and entice others to laugh along with them. They can't see the stars.

So no, you can’t sit this one out. You’re already in the story. The only question is which side of it you’re on. And Christ doesn’t call you to clean up first. He calls you to come. To repent. To believe. To follow.

And if you do? Wow - you won’t just get blessings. You’ll get Christ. The treasure of all treasures. The One in whom all the galaxies of grace converge.

So don’t stand outside the door and just wonder. Step in. Drop the pride. Let the gospel change your heart - and build you brand new.

The stars are real. So is the cross. So is the crown. So are all the blessings, consequences, treasures, riches of being 'in Christ'.

Choose.