In

Have you ever noticed that God always seems to place His blessings “in” Something? “In,” such a small word with such grand repercussions. Allow your mind to stray back to the garden of Eden. Because of sin, Adam and Eve could no longer reside there. The tree of life was located in the garden, and as long as they remained there, they could eat of it and live forever. The blessing was “in” the garden, but God drove them “out of the garden” (Gen. 3:23). Think of Noah and the ark. After Noah completed the ark, God told him and His family to go “into” the ark, and they did so (Gen. 7:9). What happened to those on the outside of the ark? They all drowned! Just as Noah and his family would have had they not gone “in” the ark. Again, the blessing of salvation was “in” something. This time, it was an ark. Think of the final plague sent by God upon the Egyptians. Remember what the Israelites were to do in order to avoid being slain? They were to place blood on the lintel and doorposts, and then remain “in” the house. If any first born children were found on the outside of the house, they would die (Exo. 12:13,22). Again, the blessing of salvation was “in” something. In this instance, it was a house. Remember the cities of refuge? (Num. 35:9-34; Josh. 20:1-9). If someone were to accidentally kill another, they were to flee to one of these cities in order to escape the avenger. The avenger would no doubt be a relative of the one killed, seeking to avenge the blood of his relative who had really been killed accidentally. The one who accidentally killed the man was to remain within the city. As long as he was “in” the city, he would not be killed. But, if he left the city’s boundaries, he could be slain by the avenger. Again, the blessing of salvation was “in” something. This time, it was a city. There’s another incident recorded in the book of Acts 27:13-38. Paul was on a ship as a slave being transferred to Rome. There was a great storm on the sea. The ship was sure to be broken to pieces and those within the ship were about to jump off and try to swim for shore. However, Paul, speaking with directions from God, told them that if everyone didn’t remain “in” the ship, no one could be saved (Vs. 31). This time, the blessing of salvation was “in” a ship. We’ve seen salvation located “in” many different things. The Garden, the ark, a house, a city, and a ship. Are you beginning to see a pattern? What about eternal salvation from the second death? You guessed it. It is also “in” something. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:10 about the “salvation which is in Christ Jesus...” Salvation is “in” Christ! How does one get “in” Christ? Easy, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). Have you been baptized? Are you “IN?”