All in Christ

                                           "Our service is all in Christ - our righteousness
                                             is all in Christ - our merit is all in Christ - our
                                             completeness is all in Christ - in Christ our
                                             Covenant Head, our Surety and Mediator (a);
                                             and no flaw in our obedience, no defect in our
                                             love, no failure in our service, should so cast
                                             us down as to shut our eye to our acceptance
                                             in the Beloved (b).

                                            Imperfections we would not overlook, sin we
                                            would not allow, disobedience we would not
                                            indulge, temptation we would not encourage;
                                            nevertheless, we would ever remember, for our
                                            encouragement that, in default of perfection in
                                            the most perfect of our own doings, we are fully
                                            and eternally complete (c) in Jesus."
       
                                                                                      Octavius Winslow


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                             By shedding his blood, Jesus paid the necessary price to set
                             free from the sins committed under the first covenant, those
                             who are called by God.
                            

                                 (a) "For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new
                                       covenant, that those who are called may receive
                                       the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has
                                       died as a ransom to set them free from the sins
                                       committed under the first covenant."
                                                                            Hebrews 9:15


                                 (b) " ... just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
                                        of the world, that we should be holy and without
                                        blame before Him in love, having predestined us
                                        to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself,
                                        according to the good pleasure of His will, to the
                                        praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made
                                        us accepted in the Beloved."
                                                                              Ephesians 1:4-6
                                                                              NKJV


                              "The word 'which' refers to the divine grace (undeserved love
                                and favor) that has made it possible for sinners to be accepted
                                by God through the substitutionary death and imputed
                                righteousness provided by Jesus Christ ('the Beloved').

                                Because believers are accepted in Him, then they, like Him,
                                are beloved of God."
                                                                               John MacArthur


                                     (c) "Although He was a son, He learned obedience
                                           through what He suffered.

                                           And being made perfect, He became the source of
                                           eternal salvation to all who obey Him."
                                                                                 Hebrews 5:8-9


                                 "Christ did not need to suffer in order to conquer or correct
                                   any disobedience.  In His deity, He understood obedience
                                   completely.

                                   As the incarnate Lord, He humbled Himself to learn.
                                   He learned obedience for the same reasons He bore
                                   temptation:  to confirm His humanity and experience
                                   its sufferings to the fullest.

                                   Christ's obedience was also necessary so that He could
                                   fulfill all righteousness (Matt. 3:15) and thus prove to be
                                   the perfect sacrifice to take the place of sinners (1 Pet 3:18).
                
                                   He was the perfectly righteous One, whose righteousness
                                   would be imputed to sinners (Rom. 3:24-26).

                                    Because of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ and His
                                    perfect sacrifice for sin, He became the cause of salvation.


                                    True salvation evidences itself in obedience to Christ, from
                                     the initial obedience to the gospel command to repent and
                                     believe to a life pattern of obedience to the word."
                                                                                   John MacArthur


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                               Even though we are imperfect, and still sin, we are fully
                               and eternally complete in Jesus, because of His work on
                               the cross!