“Union with Christ may be the most important doctrine you’ve never heard of” (Kevin DeYoung). Yet this is a truth that has been taught throughout the history of the church. It needs to be revived for the 21st Century. It’s been said that “Once you have your eyes opened to this concept of union with Christ, you will find it almost everywhere in the New Testament” (Anthony Hoekema).
What is true about every Christian? Christ lives in us. He takes up residence in believers…and this is true whether we feel it or not. We may change; He does not. Oneness with Christ is our source of holiness. Christianity is the life of God in the human soul. It is “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” Colossians 1:27. We are personally joined to the living, incarnate, crucified, resurrected Jesus. In our reading from Romans 8, verse 11 says that Christ’s spirit “lives in you”. The original language states that He “indwells” us.
Union with Christ is the central truth of the Gospel message and the essence of salvation (John Murray). Christ is formed within us--resulting in a new identity, a new destiny, and a new nature. “We participate and share in His victory on the cross; we died with Him and are united to Him in all He has done for us” (Rankin Wilbourne). “Jesus is more than a provider of blessings; He is in Himself the blessings He provides” (Marcus Johnson). Our connection with Christ removes our condemnation; but more than that, we are transformed into set-apart saints, new creations. We exchange our old life for new life in Him.
So salvation is not simply ending up in the “right place,” but being made into the right person. Our spiritual union with Christ makes us citizens of Heaven, Philippians 3:20. We begin to experience a bit of Heaven here and now. We’re “standing on the shore with one foot in Heaven” (Buechner). We’re on a spiritual journey, a sacred pilgrimage, an adventure! And Christ is in the beginning, middle, and end of it all.
The Apostle Paul often talks about being “in Christ.” His epistles use this term over-and-over. This union is “the new atmosphere in which we live and breathe and depend upon” (Alec Vidler). My good friend Pastor Dave Nelson says that “The greatest gift God could give to His creatures is Himself. Jesus is our life. Union with Christ is the essence of salvation…and the Giver gets the glory.” The work of Christ is for us, and the person of Christ is in us.
In his Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem writes that, “Every aspect of our relationship with God in this life has occurred in union with Christ. This does not mean that we merely agree with Christ or that His ideas are in us. There is a real, personal dwelling of Christ in us.”
This union is admittedly a mystery of faith. There are some teachings in the Bible that we simply accept. We can’t fully comprehend Christ-in-us, but we need to know it is a reality of our faith and life. As we grow in our faith we may become more aware of our union with the One who not only directs our ways but who is the Source of our life and being. Embracing this mystery can bring us into closer communion with God.
Abiding in Christ doesn’t come naturally for us; it comes supernaturally. This goes against modern thinking that turns a blind eye to God. Our increasingly secular world has grown disenchanted with the supernatural. People see the world in mere material terms. They reject the biblical worldview, which dares to insist in the face of unbelief that there’s more to this world than meets the eye. J.R.R. Tolkien suggested that there is “a fleeting glimpse of joy beyond the walls of the world.” When we accept this and long for it, we’re closer to embracing the reality of this miraculous union.
Salvation occurs by God forgiving and rescuing us from the penalty of sin by the blood of Christ, who then savingly dwells within us. Early church father Irenaus writes: “By no other means could we have attained to incorruptibility and immortality, unless we had been united to incorruptibility and immortality.”
The movie Rudy tells the true story of a young student at Notre Dame who wanted more than anything to play on their football team. But he was too small and too slow. Nonetheless, he was determined to play, and he worked harder than anyone on the team. After a demanding practice the coach told him, “Rudy, I wish God would put your heart in some of my players’ bodies.” That is precisely what God has done for us. He has taken the heart of Jesus and placed it in us. His divine presence gives us power and confidence.
Scripture describes us as being “in Adam.” His sinful nature has become ours, along with the consequences--judgment, fear, alienation, and mortality. In Adam we are fallen; but “in Christ” we are regenerated and joined to our Savior. When Adam sinned, we sinned, so when Christ was crucified, we were crucified. We are united--either to Adam in death or to Christ in life. We died with Christ, were buried with Him. In His resurrection and ascension we are raised with Him. We will share in His return, and we will sit with Him in heavenly glory because our life is hidden with Christ in God. We possess the unearned blessing of Christ’s righteousness; we are forgiven, adopted into the family of God, and “there are better things ahead” (C.S. Lewis) beyond the grave.
When you meet people and they want to get to know you, how do you define yourself? Our identity as Christians, united to Christ, is what defines and grounds us. Are you a “Jesus person?” He is at the center of our being. This doesn’t mean we’re perfect; but it does mean we are making progress in our life of faith. Our oneness with Christ centers us and affects all we do.
When Jesus said, “I will never leave or forsake you,” the reason is that He is in us; He has taken up residence. It is an inseparable bond. He is faithful, never absent. We are never alone or on our own. With Him we can face anything. To further assist in this support we have the blessing of being part of the Body of Christ, the Church. Loving Christ’s church is proof that we are genuinely His. We have fellowship with others who also enjoy union with Christ. We bear one another’s burdens. The Christ in our brothers and sisters encourages us and helps us face tomorrow. If you come here, people are going to love you!
Jesus declared in John 15, “I am the Vine, you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” How can we know if we are “abiding” in Christ? When our lives are producing fruit. This happens because we are in union with the Supplier of fruitfulness. To “abide” is not fulfilled in a single act; it is an on-going life joined to Christ. This union guarantees our security and empowers us to live victorious lives for Him.
One way we experience the indwelling Christ is with the gift of the Lord’s Supper. It is, in the words of Augustine, “A visible sign of an invisible reality.” Jesus comes to us in word and sacrament. He is spiritually present in the visible, tangible form of the Bread and Cup. “The Lord’s Supper is the continuing benefit of what has already happened to us--our union with the incarnate, crucified, resurrected, living Christ” (Johnson).
What could you do with a million dollars? Discovering union with Christ is like learning that someone has deposited a fortune into your bank account. The wonder of this union, this sacred bond, gives us great encouragement. Christ formed in us is greater than anything that may threaten us (I John 4:4). “God is for us and with us and in us”! (Ruth Haley Barton)
Prayer: Glorious Lord, may we fully appreciate and live the reality of union with You by faith. This doctrine shows our dependence on You, and so we pray: Permeate our thinking, guide our every decision. Teach us to know this mystery that You are in us and we are one with You. You have blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. This is our life and hope and security. We give You all glory. Praise be to You forever, Amen.
Recommended Hymns:
“Yet Not I, but Christ in Me” (Jonny Robinson, Rich Thompson, Michael Farren)
“Spirit of Heaven; Christ in Me” (Stuart Townend)
Recommended Reading:
Marcus Peter Johnson, One With Christ (Crossway, 2013)
Rankin Wilbourne, Union With Christ (David C. Cook Press, 2016)
