Union with Christ
For much of my life, the picture I had in my mind of Christianity was that Jesus was up there, I was down here, and my job was to close the gap between that distance. The more I went to church, had a quiet time, served, and evangelized, the closer I would get to Jesus. That was how I pictured the Christian life. I focused on what I was supposed to be doing, and the Spirit helped me to do it.
But then Jesus began to illuminate passages and phrases like, "Christ in you," "In Christ," "Christ lives in me," "For to me to live is Christ," and "Christ is your life." As He turned the lights on for me to see the spiritual reality of union with Christ, He began to radically change the way I understood and lived the Christian life.
The Mystery Revealed: Christ in You
The moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus for salvation, you are completely forgiven and Jesus comes to dwell in you. When Paul was writing to the church in Galatia, he said this in Galatians 2:20:
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
Not only does Paul say that Jesus lived in him, but he also claims that his old self had been crucified. He was no longer who he once was. With Jesus coming to live in him, that meant he didn't need to be changed into a different person; he had already become a different person.
When Paul was writing to the church at Colossae, he wrote this in Colossians 1:27:
"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
A mystery is a truth that lay hidden in the pages of the Old Testament, and its explanation awaited another day. The day of understanding came with the death and resurrection of Christ, and the mystery of "Christ in you" was revealed.
Notice that the mystery wasn't, "Here are all the religious things that you were missing out on and that you need to do to get closer to God." The mystery wasn't, "Here are the kinds of spiritual experiences you need to have to truly encounter God and get closer to Him."
No, the complete truth that has been revealed through Jesus is "Christ in you." Not Jesus up there and you down here, but rather Jesus in you. You will always be close to Him and have everything you need in Him, regardless of your feelings, situations, or circumstances.
The Biblical Reality: You in Christ
Not only is Christ in you though—you are in Christ. One of Paul's favorite phrases to use in the New Testament was "in Christ," appearing over 150 times in the New Testament.
Paul almost always began his New Testament letters by referencing those in the church as those who are "in Christ."
When Christ came to dwell in you, you became spiritually united to Him. You are in an eternal union with the Son of God. As Scripture declares:
"But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17)
You are joined together, glued to each other. You are in Him and He is in you. This is union with Christ.
Union with Christ
Along with 1 Corinthians 6:17 above, Scripture beautifully describes this union with Christ in multiple ways:
"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)
When Christ died on the cross, you experienced a death with Him. Then you were raised up with Him into this new life—a life where you are in union with Him.
"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6)
Did you know that you are already spiritually seated in Heaven? Paul says the same thing in Colossians 3:1 and then declares in 3:3 that you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
"For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4)
To be a partaker (koinonos) means one who participates with another in some enterprise or matter of joint concern; to partner, associate, one who joins in with. Since you are one with Christ, you get to participate with Jesus and His divine nature, having His nature expressed through you.
Spiderman Illustration
If you are a Marvel fan, then you know about Peter Parker and how he became Spider Man.
Peter Parker was just a normal teenager. He was just a normal human being. But one day he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and that radioactive stuff got in his blood and transformed his DNA. It became a part of him, and it changed him into someone else.
The old him was crucified. He was given a new birth. He was a new creation.
He was no longer just a man…he became a spider-man…He was now someone completely different on the inside than he used to be.
He is not who he once was.
That’s what happened to you in your union with Christ. Jesus, who existed outside of you, came into you and joined Himself to you spiritually so that you now have His DNA as a part of your spirit.
It wasn’t there before you said yes to Jesus, but the moment you said yes to Jesus, He came to dwell in you, joined Himself to you, changed you, and you are not who you once were.
And the person you became, was made like Jesus. You did not become Jesus, but you now share some of the same attributes with Jesus.
The same thing happened to Peter Parker. Peter Parker became like a spider. Not completely. He was still a man, but he also had the attributes of a spider.
Benefits of Union with Christ
Through your union with Christ you have been made into someone who is righteous, holy, and complete—not lacking in any way. Jesus is holy, righteous, and good. If you are in Christ and now one with Him, that means that you too are holy, righteous, and good.
Some people will try to tell you that you are only positionally holy, righteous, and good—that this is just the way God "sees" you in Christ. But here's the truth: you are seen that way by God in Christ because you've been made that way. To be in union with Christ and made one with Him means that your heart has been changed and you've been made holy, righteous, and good.
Living from Union with Christ
Union with Christ is often one of the most underrated aspects of the Christian life and the least talked about in the Church. That is a shame because without understanding this biblical truth and reality, we will settle for mostly behavior modification rather than the abundant life of Christ in us and through us.
If you are in union with Christ, that means you are one with the Great I Am, The Lord Almighty, The Creator of the Universe, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and The Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
Do you see how much you have access to in Christ? Do you see the Source that you get to live from? Doesn't that change the way you think about loneliness, depression, anxiety, fear, money problems, relationship issues, and any other problem you might face in life?
What are those things compared to the One you are united with? You have His power, His guidance, and His abundant Life flowing in you and through you! Being one with Him means that He produces things like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control through you.
From Trying to Living
If you have placed your faith in Jesus for salvation, you are in union with Christ. Christ is in you, and you are in Christ. You are holy, righteous, blameless, and complete in Him. You are a partaker of the divine nature. You are one in spirit.
You can stop trying to live for Jesus and start living from Jesus.
Understanding you are one with Christ and learning to participate with the divine nature will change the way you live the Christian life and the way you approach the things that come at you in this world. Theologian Robert Raymond put it: "Union with Christ is the fountainhead from which flows the Christian's every spiritual blessing."
May you experience what Paul says in Philippians 1:21: "For me to live is Christ!"
