Phil Gons

Bible & Tech

You are here: Home / Messages / Union with Christ, Part 1: Biblical Foundations

Union with Christ, Part 1: Biblical Foundations

I delivered this message at Spring Creek Bible Church on April 7, 2013, as part of the Union with Christ series.

Prefer what I actually said? Read the transcript (lightly edited for readability).

Introduction

I have the privilege of covering the doctrine of the believer’s union with Christ this Sunday and next Sunday. I’m very grateful to pastor Steve for this opportunity.

This topic is one of my favorite truths in all of Scripture. I still remember the first time this truth was presented to me. It wasn’t something I heard much about growing up, and it struck me powerfully.

One of the reasons I love this truth is that is gets right at the heart of the gospel message, a message with is all about Christ and what he did for sinners. It’s also thoroughly biblical (and by that, I mean, it’s all through the New Testament), deeply theological, yet immensely practical.

In my preparation for these messages as I’ve been bathing myself in these passages and their theology, I’ve found great help for many of the situations that God has brought my way recently.

I’ve chosen to divide our study this way:

  1. Tonight’s message will attempt to lay the biblical foundation. We’ll inductively look at the wealth of biblical data and analyze it together.
  2. Next week’s message will focus on synthesizing that biblical data into its theological propositions and then draw our attention to the ways this doctrine should impact our lives every day.

Recommendations

Before we begin our survey of the biblical data, I wanted to recommend a few resources for you on union with Christ.

  1. John Murray’s treatment in Redemption Accomplished and Applied
  2. Michael Barrett’s treatment in Complete in Him
  3. Michael Horton’s treatment in Christ the Lord

Happily, union with Christ has been receiving a lot of attention in recent years. There are three helpful new books published in the last two years.

  1. A recent helpful overview is Robert Letham’s, Union with Christ: In Scripture, History, and Theology (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2011). It’s a concise (208 pp.) and helpful summary of the doctrine.
  2. The best technical book on the subject is Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study by Constantine Campbell, published by Zondervan in 2012. At 463 pp., it’s not for the faint of heart. But it’s worth careful attention.
  3. One of the best books at applying the doctrine of union with Christ is Todd Billings’s Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011; 192 pp.). He focuses on broader corporate issues, but you’ll find much food for thought for personal reflection as well.

If you’d like more recommendations, you can talk to me afterward or send me an email.

Quotations

My primary goal tonight is to impress on you the importance of this doctrine of union with Christ. I want us to be overwhelmed by how central this is to the entire message of the New Testament—and the whole Bible.

I’d like to do that primarily by letting the Scripture speak for itself, but before we dive in, I think it’s helpful to hear what others who have studied the passages in detail have concluded.

  1. John Calvin, the great Reformer, said, “Therefore, to that union of the head and members, the residence of Christ in our hearts, in fine, the mystical union, we assign the highest rank, Christ when he becomes ours making us partners with him in the gifts with which he was endued. Hence we do not view him as at a distance and without us, but as we have put him on, and been ingrafted into his body, he deigns to make us one with himself, and, therefore, we glory in having a fellowship of righteousness with him.”
  2. John Owen, a 17th century English Puritan said, “[Union with Christ] is the cause of all other graces that we are made partakers of; they are all communicated unto us by virtue of our union with Christ. Hence is our adoption, our justification, our sanctification, our fruitfulness, our perseverance, our resurrection, our glory.”
  3. John Murray, a 20th century Scottish Presbyterian and professor at Princeton and Westminster Seminary, said,
  4. “Nothing is more central or basic than union and communion with Christ” (161).
  5. “. . . union with Christ is in itself a very broad and embracive subject. It is not simply a step in the application of redemption; . . . it underlies every step of the application of redemption. Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation not only in its application but also in its once-for-all accomplishment in the finished work of Christ. Indeed the whole process of salvation has its origin in one phase of union with Christ and salvation has in view the realization of other phases or union with Christ” (161).
  6. “Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation. All to which the people of God have been predestined in the eternal election of God, all that has been secured and procured for them in the once-for-all accomplishment of redemption, all of which they become the actual partakers in the application of redemption, and all that by God’s grace they will become in the state of consummated bliss is embraced within the compass of union and communion with Christ” (170).
  7. “There is no truth, therefore, more suited to impart confidence and strength, comfort and joy in the Lord than this one of union with Christ. It also promotes sanctification, not only because all sanctifying grace is derived from Christ as the crucified and exalted Redeemer, but also because the recognition of fellowship with Christ and of the high privilege it entails incites to gratitude, obedience, and devotion” (171).

Biblical Data

Now let’s turn our attention to the biblical data.

A natural question that comes up is “What is union with Christ?” The exact phrase “union with Christ” never appears in the Bible. The closest we come is Romans 6:5, which talks about our being united with Christ in his death and also in his resurrection.

In this way it is similar to the doctrine of the Trinity. The unfortunate result is that the doctrine is often taken for granted and underemphasized.

So what does it mean to be united to Christ?

At a very basic level, when we talk about union with Christ, we’re talking about a close, intimate relatedness and connection to Christ. Union with Christ emphasizes God’s immanence, that God has come near to us in Jesus and he brings us near to him.

Four main categories of biblical data surround this theme of union with Christ.

  1. Three direct statements are the most transparent testimony of union with Christ.
  2. There are at least two closely related theological themes.
  3. Four primary prepositional phrases provide the bulk of the biblical data.
  4. Ten different analogies (metaphors) provide the illustrations for understanding union with Christ.

Direct Statements of Union with Christ

There are at least three direct statements that capture this idea of union with Christ.

  1. united with Christ
  2. joined to Christ
  3. one with Christ

There are two theological themes that are very closely related to union with Christ.

  1. the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (and the Father and Son) in us
  2. the baptism by the Holy Spirit
  3. adoption into the family of God
  4. abiding in Christ
  5. communion with Christ

Prepositional Phrases for Union with Christ

There are four prepositional phrases that are closely associated with this doctrine.

  1. In Christ (primary)
  2. With Christ (primary)
  3. Into Christ (secondary)
  4. Through Christ (secondary)

God does everything through Christ. He saves us by bringing us into Christ so that we are united to him and live in him and participate with him in all he is and does as our mediator.

Analogies of Union with Christ

One of the easiest ways to start to understand what is meant by this doctrine is by looking at the analogies the Bible uses.

  1. Trinity: Persons of the Trinity (Jn 14:23; 17:21–23)
  2. Body: Head and body (Eph 4:15–16)
  3. Building: Cornerstone and building (Eph 2:19–22; 1 Pet 2:4–5)
  4. Plant: Vine and branches (John 15)
  5. Human Race: Adam and all humanity (Rom 5:12–19; 1 Cor 15:19–49)
  6. Marriage: Husband and wife (Eph 5:22–33; cf. Jn 3:29)
  7. Clothing: putting on Christ
  8. Members of the same family: Heb 2:11f
  9. Members of his household: Eph 2:19
  10. Children: Heb 2:13f; Romans 8:16f
  11. Eating/drinking: John 6:48; 53–57; communion
  12. Incarnation:
  13. Shepherd and sheep (Mt 26:31)?

Volunteers

  1. Matthew
  2. John
  3. Acts
  4. Romans
  5. 1 Corinthians
  6. 2 Corinthians
  7. Galatians
  8. Ephesians
  9. Philippians
  10. Colossians
  11. 1 Thessalonians
  12. 2 Thessalonians
  13. 1 Timothy
  14. 2 Timothy
  15. Titus
  16. Philemon
  17. 1 Peter
  18. 1 John
  19. Revelation

Passages on Union with Christ

We’re going to move quickly and cover a lot of ground. Don’t try to write all the references down. I can provide you with a list if you send me an email. Just focus on the words and listen for the theme of union with Christ weaved throughout the entire New Testament.

As you read, try to emphasize the key words and phrases if you can so everyone catches them.

Matthew

Matthew 26:31: Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’

John

John 6:32: Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.

John 6:33: “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

John 6:35: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

John 6:48: “I am the bread of life.

John 6:50: “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

John 6:51: “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

John 6:53: So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

John 6:54: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:55: “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.

John 6:56: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

John 6:57: “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.

John 6:58: “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 14:19: “After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.

John 14:20: “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

John 15:2: “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

John 15:5: “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 15:6: “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

John 15:7: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 17:21: that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.

John 17:23: I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

Acts

Acts 9:4: and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Acts 9:5: And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,

Acts 26:14: “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

Acts 26:15: “And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

Romans

Romans 3:24: being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Romans 5:1: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 5:2: through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:9: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Romans 5:11: And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Romans 5:21: so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

Romans 6:4: Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Romans 6:6: knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Romans 6:11: Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:1: Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:2: For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:9: However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Romans 8:10: If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Romans 8:17: and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Romans 8:32: He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Romans 8:39: nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 12:5: so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Romans 13:14: But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

Romans 16:2: that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.

Romans 16:3: Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,

Romans 16:7: Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.

Romans 16:8: Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.

Romans 16:9: Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys my beloved.

Romans 16:10: Greet Apelles, the approved in Christ. Greet those who are of the household of Aristobulus.

Romans 16:11: Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus, who are in the Lord.

Romans 16:12: Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, workers in the Lord. Greet Persis the beloved, who has worked hard in the Lord.

Romans 16:13: Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.

Romans 16:22: I, Tertius, who write this letter, greet you in the Lord.

Romans 16:27: to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 1:2: To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

1 Corinthians 1:4: I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

1 Corinthians 1:30: But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

1 Corinthians 1:31: so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 6:17: But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 12:13: For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:57: but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1:5: For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:19: For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.

2 Corinthians 1:20: For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

2 Corinthians 1:21: Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God,

2 Corinthians 2:14: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

2 Corinthians 5:14: For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:18: Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

2 Corinthians 5:19: namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:21: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Galatians

Galatians 2:4: But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.

Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Galatians 3:14: in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:26: For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians

Ephesians 1:1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Ephesians 1:4: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

Ephesians 1:5: He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Ephesians 1:6: to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:7: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Ephesians 1:9: He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

Ephesians 1:10: with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

Ephesians 1:11: also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,

Ephesians 1:12: to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,

Ephesians 1:22: And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:23: which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 2:5: even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:6: and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 2:7: so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Ephesians 2:13: But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:15: by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,

Ephesians 2:16: and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

Ephesians 2:20: having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

Ephesians 2:21: in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

Ephesians 2:22: in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 3:6: to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

Ephesians 3:11: This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Ephesians 3:12: in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him.

Ephesians 3:17: so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Ephesians 3:21: to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 4:15: but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

Ephesians 5:30: because we are members of His body.

Philippians

Philippians 1:1: Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons:

Philippians 2:5: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

Philippians 3:9: and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Philippians 3:14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:7: And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19: And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Colossians

Colossians 1:2: To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Colossians 1:14: in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:18: He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Colossians 1:27: to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:28: We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Colossians 2:3: in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:6: Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

Colossians 2:7: having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Colossians 2:10: and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Colossians 2:11: and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

Colossians 2:12: having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Colossians 2:13: When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Colossians 2:20: If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,

Colossians 3:1: Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Colossians 3:3: For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:4: When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 1:1: Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

1 Thessalonians 2:14: For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews,

1 Thessalonians 3:8: for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:17: Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 5:10: who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:12: But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

1 Thessalonians 5:18: in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 1:1: Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalonians 1:12: so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy

1 Timothy 1:14: and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 3:13: For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy

2 Timothy 1:1: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,

2 Timothy 1:9: who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

2 Timothy 1:13: Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:1: You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:10: For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

2 Timothy 2:11: It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

2 Timothy 2:12: If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

Titus

Titus 3:6: whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

Philemon

Philemon 8: Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper,

Philemon 16: no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Philemon 20: Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

Philemon 23: Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

1 Peter

1 Peter 2:4: And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

1 Peter 2:5: you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 5:14: Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to you all who are in Christ.

1 John

1 John 2:5: but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

1 John 2:6: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1 John 2:8: On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining.

1 John 2:24: As for you, let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.

1 John 2:27: As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

1 John 2:28: Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.

1 John 3:6: No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.

1 John 3:24: The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

1 John 4:9: By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him.

1 John 4:13: By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

1 John 4:15: Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 4:16: We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 5:11: And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

1 John 5:12: He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

1 John 5:20: And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Revelation

Revelation 14:13: And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Conclusion

Our time is gone. We need to conclude. We weren’t able to cover all the passages, but I hope we covered enough for you to see how important this concept of union with Christ is.

  1. We saw it in direct statements.
  2. We saw in related theological themes.
  3. We saw it in key prepositional phrases.
  4. We saw it in analogies.

I’d encourage you to read and study these passages for yourself and pray that God would tune your eyes to see this glorious theme when you read the Scriptures. You’ll find that it will feed your soul, lead you to gratitude and worship, and provide you with the power to walk in obedience to Christ.