But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)

“The phrase, “in Christ” is never translated to mean anything else except, ‘in union with Christ.'” – Mark Hankins

Important prepositions normally go unnoticed in Paul’s Epistles. The words for, with, in, by, and through help us understand our identification with Christ. They are the connecting words that show the relationship of the subjects mentioned, in this case, the believer’s identification with Christ.

The preposition for shows substitution. Christ died “for” us or in our behalf. The preposition with shows identification. The preposition in shows union with Christ. The preposition through shows application. For example: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

When you were born again, your spirit was joined to the Master, or joined to Christ. Like a bay of water is one with the ocean, your spirit is one with Christ.  When the water rises in the ocean, it rises in the bay. The same stuff that is in Christ right now is in you — the same life, the same victory, the same joy, and the same power!

Confession: I am born again. My spirit is joined to Christ. The same life, victory, joy, and power that is in Christ Jesus is in me now!

A true Christian is not merely a man altered, but a man re-made. (2 Corinthians 5:17 | Deane)

“God is your Father; Jesus is your older brother, and some new things run in your family.” – Mark Hankins

Psychology tells us that three factors have determined what kind of person you are. Those three factors are:

1. Genetic determinism (You are what you are because of your genes.)
2. Psychic determinism (Your identity, your behavior, and your potential are produced by your thinking.) 
3. Environmental determinism (Your surroundings and influences limit your future.)

There is some truth to the fact that all of these factors can affect you, but God brings another factor into your life when you are born of Him. I call this factor “In Christ Determinism.” A person in Christ thinks God’s thoughts and sees himself in Him. Once you get born again, your future and your potential are radically altered as a result.

It is good news that all things are made new, but it is also good news that old things are passed away. If all you have as a Christian is something new added to you, you would still have to deal with and live with the old conditions. In Christ, your past is dead and gone!

Confession:  I am not merely a man altered; I am a man re-made in Christ. Praise God my past is dead and gone!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

“The center of our redemption is what God did for us in Christ.” – Mark Hankins

Our identification is revealed at the beginning of Galatians 2:20. The King James Version uses “I am” to connect the believer’s crucifixion directly to Christ’s crucifixion. Every other translation of Galatians 2:20 uses the past tense: “I was” or “I have been.”

• I have been crucified with Christ…Noli
• I have been crucified with Christ…Jerusalem Bible 
• I have been crucified with Christ…Barclay 

According to Romans 6:6, the old man is crucified with Him so that we could be free from the dominion and control of sin. This is not a spiritual state we are attaining; it is something God did for us in Christ. It is an absolute fact that Galatians 2:20 applies to us right now, today. We don’t need to wait until we have thirty years of spiritual maturity before we can apply this scripture to our lives.

Confession:  I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me.  (Galatians 2:20 | Jerusalem Bible)

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)

“When you know who you are in Christ, you cannot have an inferiority complex.” – Mark Hankins

Have you ever been around people that ignore you as if you are nobody? Because you are in Christ, you cannot be a “nobody.”  When you are in Christ, you have access to the highest place in the universe. You can go right to the throne of God and say, “Abba Father. He is my Daddy. I get immediate recognition. I am well known in the realm of the Spirit.”

You are somebody in Christ.  The reason people commit suicide is because they think, “Nobody cares about me. I walk by people, and they do not even look at me.” They have listened to the lies of the devil so long they believe what he has told them. In Christ, you cannot have an inferiority complex. You can have a calm assurance of what God has done for you in Christ and who you are in Him.

Confession: In times past I may have been a “nobody,” but in Christ I am now “somebody!” I have obtained mercy and have access directly to the throne of God!