“Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1Th 1:1)
    The church at Thessalonica is described as being “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. We can compare this verse to II Thessalonians and see a similar refrain: “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. “ (2Th 1:1-2)
    In meditating upon these verses we are struck by their contrast with the teaching we derive from John 17, our Lord’s high priestly prayer. Note especially John 17:22 and 23. “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (Joh 17:22-23) Here we see, not the church in Christ, but Christ in the church! Does this teaching contradict that of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians? For our answer we will have to go to the Epistle to the Colossians.
    In Colossians 1:27, we see the phrase “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is analogous to the phrase in John 7:23, “I in them.” Clearly then, Christ is within His people. Not only do we find the idea of Christ being within His people, but according to Colossians 2:9, “in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” This answers to the phrase “I in them, and thou in me” in John 17:23. So we may see that Christ is in His church and the Father is in Christ.
    How does this tie in with the Thessalonians epistles? Consider Colossians 2:10-13. “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” (Col 2:10-13) The church is here seen to be:
    1. Complete in Him (Col. 2:10)
    2. Circumcised in Him (Col. 2:11)
    3. Buried with Him (Col. 2:12)
    4. Risen with Him (Col 2:12)
    5. Quickened with Him (Col. 2:13)
Seen from this passage, the church is in Christ.
    John 10:26-30 further expand this idea. “But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.” (Joh 10:26-30) These Scriptures show the church, as exemplified by sheep, as being in both Christ’s hands and the Father’s. From previous passages we know that Christ and the Father are in the sheep as well.
    What are these verses teaching? Unity. We have the unity of Christ with His church, the unity of Christ with the Father, the unity of the Godhead, and the unity of believers. These are great doctrines and really foundational to our understanding of the gospel.