Romans 9:1-5 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,… "In Christ." This was one of the apostle's favourite expressions. All Christians according to him are "in Christ." They have been "baptized in Christ" (Romans 6:3), i.e., they have been united to Christ by the baptism of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13); so that they are in Christ as if they were parts of His person, members of His body. When the apostle thinks of this union, he sometimes allows the relations of time past and time future to interpenetrate, so that to his eye believers have not only been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20) and buried with Him (Romans 6:4), but also raised with Him (Colossians 2:12; Colossians 3:1), and glorified with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Christians have their Christian being in Christ. They are justified (Galatians 2:17), sanctified (1 Corinthians 1 ), triumph (2 Corinthians 2:14), speak in Christ ( 2 Corinthians 2:17; 2 Corinthians 12:19). The personality of Christ had, to his transfiguring conception, become the sphere of his spiritual being and activity, so that what he did, in the express consciousness of his Christian state, he did in the realised presence of Christ, and thus all the nobler elements of his spiritual being were intensified and exalted. In such a mood how could he stoop to wilful misrepresentation? Realising that he was, so to speak, "interred" in Christ, he felt that in his ethical acts he was dominated by the power that ensphered him," (J. Morison, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,WEB: I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit, |
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