One of the most amazing passages of Scripture appears at the beginning of Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, where the apostle literally begins from the beginning when he writes: “And love [that is, God] predestined us for himself, for the adoption of children, because by Jesus Christ? (1: 4-5) When Paul reveals all the blessings that believers receive, he anchors salvation in Christ by repeating a phrase:? Him? Paul writes: through his blood, the remission of sins [?] To become him [?] All things [?], in him [?] We were also made an inheritance, [?] Having also believed in him, have you been sealed from Holy Spirit of promise? ? (vv. 7-13, italics added). Paulo repeats the chorus? Which brings us back to the doctrine of union with Christ, but what exactly is union with Christ?
In his systematic theology, Louis Berkhof defines union with Christ as that intimate, vital and spiritual union between Christ and his people, by virtue of which he is the source of life and the strength of his people; of your blessing and your salvation. There are several passages in Scripture that reveal that believers are united with Christ: We are the branches and Jesus is the vine (John 15: 5); Jesus is the head and we are his body (1 Cor. 6: 15-19); Christ is the foundation and we are the living stones united to the foundation (1 Peter 2: 4-5); and marriage between husband and wife ultimately indicates the union between Christ and believers (Ephesians 5: 25-31). Besides these biblical images, the specific phrase? In Christ? this happens about twenty-five times in Paul’s epistles. We can say that union with Christ brings all the benefits of our redemption. Question 69 of the Great Westminster Catechism, for example, asks, “What is the communion of grace that members of the invisible Church have with Christ?” And then he answers: “The communion of grace that the members of the invisible Church have with Christ is the participation of the virtue of his mediation, in justification, in adoption, in sanctification and in everything that manifests union in this life. with the. .
- The response of the Major Catechism is easily verified in the scriptures; for example.
- As we have seen before.
- Are we chosen?Before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1: 4).
- Paul writes to the church in Rome that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
- Which is another way of saying that those who are united with Christ are justified.
- Someone who is in Christ Jesus.
- ? He is a son of God by faith (Galatians 3:26).
- Moreover.
- If Christians remain in Christ.
- They bear many fruits; they will do good works (John 15:5).
- Only Christ gives us our salvation.
- Whether regarded as a whole or as different individual benefits.
- Such as justification and sanctification.
What is the meaning of the fact that believers are united with Christ?Historically reformed theologians have argued that there are many different aspects of our union with Christ. For example, are we united with Christ in terms of our choice?We were not inhabited by the Holy Spirit at this stage and united to Christ by faith because we do not even exist but in the thought of God; However, we are united to Christ with regard to the Father’s decision to choose fallen sinners and redeem them for his Son. In this sense, we are united to Christ in the electoral decree.
There is a second aspect of union with Christ, which some have called our representative or federal union. In Christ’s earthly ministry, everything he did, he did on behalf of his wife, the church. When he was baptized in the Jordan, which was a baptism of repentance, was he not confessing his personal sin, since he was a lamb without blemish? He was without sin (Mark 1: 4; 1 Peter 1:19). Instead, as the representative of the people, he acted on behalf of the people. Therefore, not only in his baptism, but in the fulfillment of every comma and tittle of the law, in his perfect suffering, resurrection and ascension? everything Christ did was in the name of his wife. Is our suffering perfect and keeping the law of Christ by faith? we are charged or credited. The resurrection of Christ is representative, in the sense that when the head is raised, the body, the church, will be resurrected in exactly the same way. Now, as Christ sits in royal sitting at the right hand of His heavenly Father, we sit with Christ and rule with him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1: 20-21).
A third aspect of our union with Christ is what some call a mystical or personal union; it is the personal home of the believer through faith through the person and work of the Holy Ghost. Several passages speak of this dimension of our union with Christ. , including Ephesians 2, where the Apostle Paul explains that we are members of the house of God, built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets, with Christ as a cornerstone. In this great and definitive temple, Paul writes that we have grown up ?To a sanctuary dedicated to the Lord? and in this we are “together built for the abode of God in the Spirit” (v. 22).
At the wedding ceremony, when a man and a woman show up to the minister, they are two separate people. At the end of the ceremony, however, they are declared “husband and wife”. They are united; and you both become one meat?(Genesis 2: 7; Ephesians 5: 25-31). The property of each individual becomes the property of both, but in our marriage union with Christ, the glorious exchange is much greater. Are Our Sin and Guilt attributed to Christ, and are we charged with his perfect observance of the law and his suffering?ours becomes yours, and yours becomes ours. Because of the representative union we share with Christ, the Father no longer sees us as sinners, but sees only the righteousness and holiness of Christ.
Question 60 of the Heidelberg Catechism asks, “How are you right before God?”Catechism therefore gives a very reassuring response:
Only by authentic faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuses me of having seriously sinned against all the commandments of God and of not having kept them, and I always bow to all evil except God, without any merit on my part, by sheer grace, grants me and imputs me the perfect satisfaction, justice and holiness of Christ, as if I had never had or committed sin. , and as if he had fulfilled all the obedience that Christ has transmitted to me; if I simply accept this advantage with a believing heart.
What about personal holiness and good deeds?Are believers no longer needed to do good deeds because of their justification?Are they free to sin?
These are questions Paul faced after discussing the glories of our justification only by grace, only by faith, and only in Christ in Romans 3 through 5. Does Paul answer with his acquaintance and anger the question of whether Christians are free to sin because of their justification. The reality that he indicates as the reason why we can no longer live in sin is our union with Christ:
So we were buried with him in death by baptism; that just as Christ rose from the dead to the glory of the Father, we too may walk in the novelty of life; because if we were united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly be united in the likeness of life. his Resurrection (Romans 6:4-5)
In other words, in our union with Christ, we not only receive the benefit of justification, but also benefit from sanctification. Many people think that their sanctification, their spiritual transformation and their conformity to the holy image of Christ is simply a matter. to try harder, to put on all his moral armor?to decide to be more holy. However, one thing that must be made clear is that Jesus clearly tells us that the only way to produce fruit is if we live there: “I am the vine, you are the pammpanos. He who remains in me, and I, in him, bear much fruit; because without me you can’t do anything?(John 15:5).
Should we realize that we should not live for life, but for it? We have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Christians are very confident that when we are united to Christ by faith, we receive Christ fully and with all the benefits of redemption, not just some of them.
By J. V. Fesko. Extract from www. ligonier. org. © 2013 Ligonier. Original Ministries: Union with Christ in Paul’s Epistles
This article is part of the February 2013 edition of Tabletalk magazine on “Union with Christ”.
Translation: Alan Cristie Faithful Editor © All Rights Reserved Original: Union with Christ in Paul’s Epistles (J. V. Fesko)
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