The theme of the best developed ecclesiology in the New Testament, the book of Ephesians, is unity. It echoes the Upper Room plea for us to "love one another" (John 13:34) and the subsequent earnest intercession by Christ for his own "to be one" (John 17:11, 22, 23). It reminds us of the Church’s glorious beginning, when believers were together "in one accord" as prerequisite to the mighty endowment of Spirit power (Acts 1:14; 2:1). But the condition to such unity is that most famous of all Pauline concepts, the "in Christ" motif. For Seventh-day Adventists, to be "in Christ" is our only hope of genuine and lasting unity.

The fragmenting of Adventism is a reality no longer underground. The war of words and views over women’s ordination, standards of dress and appearance, church polity in the local congregation, the role of Ellen White’s writings in the Church, and the role of science vis-á-vis the Genesis account are all stressors that threaten to unravel the only worldwide Protestant body left on the planet and splinter it into national or regional denominations. Much attention is being placed today on the issue of Adventist unity.1 And just as Ephesus was God’s model church, if ever there was one (see Rev. 2:1–6), the Adventist Church should pay heed to Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians to be "in Christ."

What does Paul mean when he says we have redemption, adoption, oneness, forgiveness of sins, "in Christ"? One clear thing is that he means by means of Christ rather than a physical, literal location.2 The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary considers Paul’s expression to mean under the influence of Christ, or under his jurisdiction.3 Others, notably Adolph Deissmann, see a more intimate, yet mystical union with Christ.

We must be conscious of the fact that, for the Christian, to be "in Christ" is not an automatic fait accompli based on what happened at the cross in A.D. 31. For instance, when Paul says that Gentiles formerly were "separate from Christ" and "without God in the world" (Eph. 2:11–12), he contrasts their position with an emphatic "now in Christ Jesus" they "have been brought near" (v. 13), and God has made of the two—Gentiles and Jews—"one new man" in Christ (v.15). But even though Paul anchors his argument on what happened at the cross (v.16), he continues to the point of urging such "in Christ" Gentiles "to be kind to one another, tenderhearted," willing to forgive each other (Eph. 4:32). And he does not end without first admonishing those "in Christ" to "be imitators of God" (Eph. 5:1).

All this simply means that to be "in Christ" is conditional to our response to him. Paul picks up where Jesus left off years earlier. The first use of "in Christ" or "in Him" actually begins with Jesus. "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:56). Jesus adds that it is only the one who "eats" him that "will live forever" (vv. 57–58). He identifies the nature of the flesh we are to "eat" as his words (v. 63). So in order for Christ to be in us we must be willing to "eat" his words, which are "spirit and are life."

The conditional nature of the interchange is made even more clear by the fact that a number of disciples chose to leave and not follow him anymore after this incident, although others reaffirmed their belief in Jesus as the One having "the words of eternal life" (66–68). Later, on the night of his betrayal, Christ provided the clearest metaphor of what it means to be "in Christ." He likened himself to a vine, "the true Vine," and his followers as the "branches," who, in order to live and yield fruit, must be firmly grafted in the vine. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

To be "in Christ" is neither my choice alone nor Christ’s exclusive choice. It belongs to both of us. I must be willing to abide in him just as much as Jesus is willing to abide in me. The reciprocal nature of this relationship boggles the human mind, not because of its reciprocity—this is common to relationships in general—but because of God’s humility: to be in Christ is the grandest invitation ever by the greatest Host that allows refusal. As long as we say Yes to him, unity in the Church will last.

Notes

1. This was made clear by Jan Paulsen, General Conference president, and other leaders at various times during the Fifty-Sixth General Conference Session in Saint Louis. The first issue of Adventist World came out this month. In it, editor William G. Johnsson declared the reason for its publication: "We are a world church, growing fast. It’s time for a world church paper…to bind together the Adventist people as we wait for Jesus to come" (vol. 1, no. 1, p. 3).
2. I am indebted to friend and colleague Steve Bauer for his views on this subject. See his chapter, "The ’In Christ’ Motif: Dependence on Christ for the People of God," in Ron du Preez, Philip G. Samaan, and Ron E. M. Clouzet, eds., The Word of God for the People of God: A Tribute to the Ministry of Jack J. Blanco (Collegedale, Tenn.: Southern Adventist University School of Religion, 2004), 307–28.
3. Francis D. Nichol, ed., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald, 1957): 6:997.

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