The blood of Jesus provided for our overall redemption. It is the price that was paid to secure our freedom from every form of bondage.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV) 

The blood of our Lord provides us with forgiveness of sins. This aspect of redemption can be equated with salvation in general.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Here we have an overlapping of propitiation and redemption. In this mediation, we will focus on how Jesus redeemed or set us free from the power of sin.

Our identification with Christ in his death and resurrection is the divine mechanism that sets us free from sin’s enslaving power.

The following scripture verse clearly shows this.

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 (NLT)

Many, if not most, Christians do not understand or even know about the importance of the principle of identification. Instead, they are usually only familiar with the idea of substitution.

Most believers know and believe that Jesus died FOR their sins, in their place, but they do not grasp that the believer died WITH Christ and lives IN Christ so that the sin nature or “old man” might lose its power to rule our lives.

Not only are we identified WITH Christ, but the Bible says that we are IN Christ. We are in him, and he is in us.

If you love me, obey my commandments. 16  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19  Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:15-20 (NLT) 

The principle that we are “in Christ” is found throughout the New Testament. In fact, we are united with Christ in the Spirit. (1 Cor. 6:17) Here are a few verses for us to consider.

being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; Romans 3:24 (NASB) 

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 (NASB)  

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NASB)

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NASB)  

nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NASB)  
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, 1 Corinthians 1:4 (NASB)  

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 (NASB)

There are literally dozens of verses containing this small and often overlooked prepositional phrase “in Christ” which contains one of the most important concepts in the Bible.

God ingeniously inextricably linked our salvation to a Person. All we have from God is in His Son. By being in Him and his being in us, we have everything.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1 John 5:12 (NIV) 

Therefore everything that is true of Christ, is true for us believers, aside from His divinity and unique role as the only begotten Son of God. He shares his life, his power, his holiness, his authority, and his freedom from sin’s power with us.

Because Jesus is free from sin, so are we.

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:10-11 (NASB)

For this freedom to be fully experienced and enjoyed, we must understand and believe it. Satan seeks to rob God’s children of our freedom and authority through ignorance and deception. He wants us to rely on our own experience and feelings to determine if we are indeed free from sin, instead of believing what God’s Word says.

Since the Bible teaches that Christ has indeed set us free from the power of sin, we are responsible to believe it and ask the Holy Spirit to make it our experience.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

 

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

• Explain in your own words what it means to be “in Christ”. (Hint: 1 Cor. 6:17)
• Why is being in Christ fundamental to our freedom?
• Is it right for us to claim that we are “dead to sin” even if we still commit sins? (Hint: Our true identity is who we are “in Christ.”)