Prepositions Matter

Based on my Google search, this is the best definition I could find to explain a preposition: "a preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object."

Prepositions are powerful little words that can completely change the meaning or context of a sentence. For example, being “on the house” is completely different from being “in the house.” When we want to communicate a particular meaning, choosing the correct preposition is very important.

Reading those first few paragraphs, you may be wondering why the grammar lesson today, and that is the same question I have been asking. In the last few months, I have come to see the profound impact a preposition can have on how I understand some very important aspects of the Gospel.

The simple two-letter word “in” completely changes our spiritual position.

Many times in the Old Testament, God is said to be “with” His people or “among” His people. In Exodus 13:21, we learn that throughout the desert wanderings, “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.” In Joshua 1:5, God tells Joshua that He will be with him just as He had been with Moses.

From a human perspective, it was remarkable that God willingly supplied provision and power to them; yet, time and again, we see the struggle of a people who wanted God's provision but often resisted His authority.

They wanted the benefits of having God with them without always surrendering their hearts to Him.

But God's plan for humanity included something much deeper and more intimate, and all along, He knew how that relationship would be made possible. Through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God promised that a time was coming when He would make a new covenant that would put His Spirit within His people. At just the right moment in time, God began to reveal the new covenant in the birth of Jesus and His ministry on Earth.

Toward the end of Jesus’ earthly life, John records these words of Jesus as He prepares His disciples for His departure.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14:16-20

The disciples were not able to fully understand the magnitude of His words at that moment. But through the events that unfolded in the months and years that followed, the meaning of His words became clearer. Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension forever changed the nature of humanity’s relationship with God.

Now, back to the grammar lesson.

Jesus didn’t say He was near the Father. He didn’t say He would be around us or above us. He didn’t say we would be on Him. Jesus used the word in. By choosing this particular preposition, He communicates something far greater that simply a position or place. He is describing a union.

This union with Christ makes all the difference. Repeatedly Paul uses the phrase “in Christ” in his teachings.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2Corinthians 5:17

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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. Ephesians 1:3-4

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been rmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6

Another important preposition is needed to fully understand what it means to be “in Christ”.

In Romans 5, we learn from Paul that through Adam, sin and death entered the world and from that point on, all humanity would be separated from God by their nature. God then gave the law to His people. But rather than making us righteous, the law exposed our inability to meet God's standard through our own efforts. As Paul describes in Romans 7, even when we desire to do what is right, we continually struggle against the sin within us. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make ourselves right with God.

But what we could never accomplish by our own efforts, God accomplished through Christ. Through faith, we receive the free gift of reconciliation with God, made possible only through the redeeming blood of Jesus. His righteousness is credited to us, our debt has been paid, and we are no longer separated from God by our sin. We are now united with Christ and free to live the new life He secured for us.

Understanding the grace of God and gift of Jesus is truly life changing good news. If you are reading this as a believer, you already know these truths and have accepted Christ’s gift of reconciliation. But perhaps you don’t actually feel as free as you know you are. Maybe you still carry the burden, habits or guilt of sin. Possibly you are still striving for God’s love and relying on your efforts to live like a “good christian”.

By the time we reach Romans 8, Paul has made it clear that although through Christ the power of sin has been broken, the daily struggle against sin continues. Our nature will continually pull us towards self reliance and self desires.

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

These words are profound. Take a moment to let those words wash over your heart, mind and soul.

We are conditioned in our culture to believe that our worth is measured by our performance, that acceptance must be earned, and that we must continually work to prove ourselves.

But our relationship with God doesn't work that way. Our standing with Him is secured through Jesus. God established a New Covenant through Christ, and our condence rests in His faithfulness, not in our own ability to earn His favor. His promise is secure. He will never abandon those who belong to Him. God has credited righteousness to all who believe through Jesus, and now we have union with Him because we are in Christ. This establishes our spiritual position and secures our standing before God.

Now we get to the last important preposition that I would like to explore: with. This little word helps us

understand how we are to live in light of this new reality.

“And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” Ezekiel 11:19

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness…Romans 8:26

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever -the Spirit of truth The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17

God not only provided the way to be reconciled to Him through Christ, but He also provided the means for us to live out this new life; He gave us His Holy Spirit, who dwells within us and empowers us to walk through the daily struggles of this life.

When we rely on our own efforts, we will fail far more often than we succeed. But we are not left to figure it out on our own. As we learn to depend on God and continually rely on His Spirit for guidance, discernment, and strength, we can walk in the freedom Christ has already secured for us. Our union with Him is not dependent on how well we perform; it rests on what He has already done.