This book is a spiritual tonic! If your spiritual life has become dry, and you have lost sight of the wonder of being ‘in Christ’, this is the book for you.
The author begins by addressing the question of what it means to be ‘in’ someone else (his answer: ‘It means that you are so connected to the other that your life is no longer defined by you’, p.17). Each chapter that follows is just two pages long and focuses on one or more phrases from the Apostle Paul in which he uses the phrase ‘in Christ’ (or some variant of it).
This is no academic treatise. Typically, each chapter begins with an illustration or anecdote from the author’s own experience, before helpfully opening up the topic in hand.
The book is divided into three sections: ‘Position and Identity in Christ’, ‘Daily Life in Christ’, and ‘Community and Mission in Christ’. Taken together, the chapters bring out very clearly how all of God’s blessings flow to us from our union with Christ, and how every aspect of our lives is impacted when we reflect on the privilege of being in him.
Though the book could be read as a daily devotional for a little over three months, you may well find yourself gorging on multiple chapters at a sitting! It is a book suitable for both the new and the mature Christian. While perhaps best suited for reading as part of one’s personal devotions, there is also a section of questions at the back for use in small group discussions, which could be useful.
Altogether, this book is highly recommended.
David Cooke
Banbury
