The Airplane Principle: Why Your Effort Doesn't Move the Plane

Have you ever paid for something you didn't even know you were paying for?

In this episode, Austin Gardner dives into one of the "strangest" passages in the Bible—Hebrews 7—to reveal a life-changing truth: In Christ, you were there.

Using the "Airplane Principle" from his days as a missionary in Peru, Austin explains that your identity isn't something you achieve through behavior; it’s something you receive through location. Just as Levi was "in the loins of Abraham" when he paid tithes, you were "in Christ" when He died and rose again.

Stop asking: "Am I enough?" or "Am I accepted?"
Start realizing: If you are in the plane, you are going where the pilot is going.

In this teaching, you’ll discover:

• Why "trying harder" to be like Jesus isn't the Christian life.
• The mystery of Representative Identity (Adam vs. Christ).
• How to live from a posture of rest rather than a cycle of performance.
• Why God doesn't relate to you outside of His Son.

Resources mentioned:

• Read the full "DNA of Grace" series at waustingardner.com
• Subscribe to the "Followed by Mercy" Podcast for more daily encouragement.

#IdentityInChrist #Grace #WArustinGardner #FollowedByMercy #BibleTeaching #ChristianLeadership

Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

Transcript

You Were Included Before You Knew

Austin Gardner 0:27

In Christ, you were there. Levi, Abraham, and you. That's all I want to talk to you about. But let me start with a simple question. Have you ever paid for something you didn't know you were paying for? Have you ever paid for something you didn't even know you were paying for? Like maybe when your parents signed you up for something, you got there and your name was already on the list, and you just showed up and later realized you were already included. These are not just idle questions, they are so important. That's the idea we're going to talk about today. Because the Bible says something shocking. You were included in something before you even knew it. You were included in something before you even knew it. And if you miss this, you'll spend your whole life trying to get into something that you're already in. I'm telling you, I have spent my life not understanding this. I'm not, I knew I was in in a way, but I didn't know I didn't apply it to my life like I should have. And it messes us up. It turns us into legalists, it turns us into works salvation, or at least the problem that the Galatians had trying to add to the grace. But let's go to one of the strangest verses in the Bible. And I really want you to look it up on your own so you'll know. Hebrews chapter 7. And you can read from verse 9 down to verse 10. And as I may so say, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham, for he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. Now I mentioned this yesterday. It kind of got us started down this road. But let's be honest, that sounds weird. Levi wasn't born yet, didn't exist, had no choice, and yet God said, the Bible says that Levi paid tithes. That's got to be crazy. That means years and years and decades and generations. Here's what the writers say in the Bible. Levi was there because he was in Abraham. So when Abraham did something, it counted for Levi. Let's read that again. And so may I and as I may so say, Levi also, who received tithes, paid tithes in Abraham. He received tithes. Abraham's gone. Levi wasn't born when all that story took place. But he was in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. So let's think about this. If a pregnant mother travels somewhere, the child travels also. The child doesn't decide to go, to travel. The child doesn't choose the destination, but they are included. They are in their mother because they are in her. They were in her. So Levi didn't act on his own here. He participated because of where he was. Levi participated because of where he was. And where was he? In Abraham. In Abraham. That's the key. And I mean, this is going so deep from what you yesterday. And if you'll go on to WAustonger.com, go to the blog. I'm writing article after article about our DNA and about how all that works together. Identity determines participation. This is how the Bible thinks. This is how the Word of God thinks. It's not a random idea. This is how the Bible thinks about the human race, about humanity. The Bible says, we've done this before, but it says, for as in Adam all die. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive. We don't pay much attention to that. We read over that in part and just keep on going, but it says, for as in as in Adam all die. As in Adam, those that are out of Adam's race, those that were in Adam's loins, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I was just thinking, it just hit my mind just now. You know, they say when a young girl goes through puberty, every egg she'll ever have is there. So the potential for every child she'll ever have is already in her body. I don't know enough about science and biology and medicine to say anything about men. And you can check out what I just said, but it's a very strong truth that he was in the loins of Abraham. He was in Abraham's body, and that's how Levi paid. There are two groups according to the verse. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Let's break that down real simple. Two groups, those in Adam and those in Christ. Are you ready? And whichever one you're in determines your outcome. Whichever one you're in determines your outcome. So let's think about it like this. If you ever got on an airplane, and if the airplane goes to New York, everyone on the airplane goes to New York. Not because they agreed, not because they all voted, but because they're in the plane. One day down in Peru, I was bringing a brand new family of missionaries into the country. We had gotten all their paperwork done, and they were nervous and excited and tired. But I I really worked them hard, and in two days we had all their visa work done. All we had to do was wait on the government to finish all the paperwork and all that. So I put them on an airplane that night to fly to Arequipa. That's about an hour and 15, 20 minutes south of flying towards Chile. And we got on that airplane, and I told them, I said, tonight you'll be in my house and you'll sleep in good beds and you'll be comfortable and you can sleep as late as you want to tomorrow. They were all excited. And we got on there. We were flying, and almost halfway there, all of a sudden the stewardess makes a comment, or the pilot, I think the pilot came on and he said, There's bad weather in Atiquipa. We will attempt to land. But if we cannot land, we're going to have to take you to Tocna, another city, six more hours on land south of Arequipa. So we're flying in, and they did three passes. There was no radar, no lights on the runway back then, and they couldn't land the plane, so they took us to Tocna. Well, now I got, I got a this is a large family. I think there were like eight of them. And so I said, I went up to the stewardess and I said, I can't do that. And she said, Well, this plane's going to Tocna, and you don't have any choice. That's exactly what's happening here. And later on that night, I talked them into letting me ride deadhead back with them to Lima, and I took the next flight out the next day. But you understand, when you're on the plane, you're going where the plane's going. All that long story to tell you that you're going where the plane's going. And the pilot didn't come back and say to me, uh, hey, what do you think about this? Nothing. When you're in the plane, you're going where the plane goes. So in the Bible, all of the human race was in Adam. And now humanity is revealed as being in Christ. We that are believers that have trusted Christ are in Christ. That's all through the Bible. It's all through the Bible. The Bible says in Ephesians 1, 4, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. Before you were ever born, you're already seen in him. I just want you to know that you didn't choose to be born human in Adam's race, and he already paid all the price and did everything for you to be in him before the world was ever formed. Now this becomes real personal. Because if you're in Christ, whatever happened to Christ Jesus happened to you. If you're in Christ, whatever happened to Christ Jesus happened to you. You were crucified. Galatians 2.20. I am crucified with Christ. When Jesus died, you were included in that death. That's a wild and crazy thing. But if you go to Romans 6, it even goes further. When he was buried, we were buried, when he rose, we rose. Think about it, in Christ has it's a lot. A simple version is when Jesus died, you were included in that death. If someone signs a legal contract on behalf of a company, everyone in that company is affected. Even if they aren't in the room, why? Because they're in the company. So if they sign on behalf of the company, then it affects everybody in the company. Now this is what happened with the believer. We died to our old identity. Romans 6, 6 says, Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him. And that's a wild and crazy thought. God didn't fix the old you, he ended the old you. And then he raised you up in Ephesians 2, 5 and 6. And he hath quickened us, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up together. Did you get that? When Jesus came out of the grave, we came out. It said together. It said together. It's like being on an elevator. If you're on the elevator, when it goes up, you go up. You don't have to jump, you don't have to climb, you just got to be in the elevator. And that's what happened with us. Now here's where it turns inward. Not only are you in Christ, but Christ is in you. That's what the Bible says. We're in Christ and Christ is in us. In Colossians 1.27, Christ in you, the hope of glory. In John 14, 20, ye in me and I in you. That is just you going to God and God working in your life. So it's the simple version. This is not just you are going to God. This is God living in you. Think of electricity in a light bulb. The bulb doesn't try to shine, it just receives the life inside of itself. That's the natural way light works. The light happens naturally. So the Christian life is not try to be like Jesus. Try harder to be like Jesus. That's not the Christian life. It is let Jesus live through you. Now let's bring this down to everyday life. Let's make a practical application for you today and what you ought to learn. In Adam, you learn sin and death. In Christ, you learn life and life more abundant. So here's some lessons that we should take home with us. Stop striving for identity. You are in Christ. He is your identity. Boy, I need this. I need this in my life because so often I've let this beat me up. You stop asking, am I accepted? Am I enough? Because you are in Christ. And whatever happens to Christ happens to you. And he is fully accepted. And he hath made us accepted in the beloved. I am accepted, but I'm accepted in the beloved. Boy, this is helping me. Is this helping you? Stop trying to earn righteousness. Stop trying to make brownie points. Stop trying to do everything that goes along with, you know how it is. We work to please God. This is what it says. That we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 21. Simple version. You don't achieve righteousness. You receive it. You don't achieve righteousness. You receive it by being in him. We live from rest. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 10 says, He also has ceased from his own works. If you trust the water, you rest. If you don't, you struggle and sink. The difference is not effort. It's just about rest. It's trust where you are and who you in. You're in. We are in Christ, and we simply trust Him. So let's kind of go back over as we close up today. Levi paid tithes because he was in Abraham. So it's going to be dozens and dozens and scores of years later. The Bible uses the same logic to talk about us. You are in Christ. You were in Christ. I wasn't born until 1954, but I was in Christ on Calvary. So maybe the gospel is not. Are you ready? Try harder, get closer, become worthy. But maybe just realize where you already are. Realize where you already are. You are in Christ. You are raised with him. You're accepted in him. You are filled with him. When you begin to see that, everything changes. So let me just kind of sum it up with some great statements. Christianity is not about getting in, it's about realizing you are. Christianity is not about getting in, it's about realizing you are in Christ. You ready for this one? You do not have to behave your way into identity. You live from identity. It's not about my behavior, it's about who I'm in. God doesn't relate to you outside of Christ. Think on that one. God doesn't relate to you outside of Christ, He relates to you in Christ. So the way God looks at me, the way my relationship, it's all because I'm in Christ. He's everything. Remember David fighting Goliath and the nation won? Well, Jesus fought sin and death and Satan and he won, and we're in him. You're not trying to become the new you, you are new. You're not trying to become the new you, you are new. I was just meditating. I'll be honest, just thinking about it. I'm still grappling with this. I'm still working at learning this. I'd love to talk to you about it. I'd love to chat with anybody who wants to. But we're in him, his DNA. We are on his airplane. It is he that's making the difference. And so I challenge you to meditate on it and think about it and just realize that God deals with us as he deals with his son. He loves us as he loves his son. This will change all of our lives. Boy, God is good, isn't he? God is good. He loves you unconditionally. You are followed by mercy every day of your life. Thank you for listening. I pray that this will help somebody somewhere along the way. And if not, I'll be honest, it's helping me. Talking to you is helping me, so it's all worth it for me. So if you want to share this with somebody, I invite you to do so. God bless you and thank you.