Round and round we go.
How are we to define “them which are in Christ Jesus?”
“How are we to define “them which are in Christ Jesus?”
Use Paul’s...
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” - Romans 5
“How are we to define “them which are in Christ Jesus?”
This discussion started about faith alone or faith with works.
Paul wrote to the alive. So there must be someone capable of knowing he is in Christ on this side of eternity. Otherwise the words have lost meaning.
Therefore, that someone must have the ability to know the requirements. If works are required for salvation (as opposed to evidence thereof), then this assurance is impossible because he cannot know the amount and quality of works prior to death.
Trusting in the atoning death of Christ alone, he can have this assurance. The distinction is just that works are evidence of salvation, not conditions precedent to it.