”God … made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

Faith must be in something; it needs an object. Faith on its own is like a rope that’s not attached to anything. It has potential but doesn’t accomplish anything. Faith must be in Christ alone.

God gives us faith is so that we can believe in Christ.

The definition of being saved by grace is that God made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5). Before faith, we were dead in our sin. After faith we are alive with, and in Christ. The words “with” and “in” are important.

We are made alive “with” Christ because he died for us. The penalty for our sin is death. If God enacted that penalty against us, we would not be alive to live for him. Christ had no sin of his own, so he could die in our place. Then God raised him back to life. That’s what it means to be “made alive together with Christ.”

Since we were made alive with Christ, we are now “in” Christ. The Bible describes us as “seated (us) with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Another place says we are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:4).

All of this points to the same thing. Christ gave us our spiritual life, so we cannot be spiritually alive apart from him.

Christ is the source of our spiritual life like a tree is the source of life for its branches (John 15:5).

We will never reach the limits of Christ’s life in us. Everything we experience has the potential to show us more of what Christ has done for us on the cross. Living with Christ means growing in our understanding and experience of this life that has been given to us. That is God’s good work in us (Read more at RedemptiveLeader.com.

God began that work for a reason, and he promises us it will be completed (Philippians 1:6). Everything we need is already given to us in Christ. And everything we experience is part of accomplishing God’s plan.

God is changing us as he changes the world through us. As we are changed, culture is changed. That is God’s plan.