Christ Union

Many people in the church today face an identity crisis. But the Apostle Paul had no question about what it meant to be a Christian: he was “in Christ.” Recovering this New Testament phrase is the key to understanding our identity and enjoying all the blessings of salvation. In this book, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson introduces the defining reality of the Christian life—our union with Christ. As we embrace the transformative truth of being “in Him,” we can live out of the fullness of joy, purpose, and assurance that the gospel brings.

God loves you incredibly, faithfully, and with a kind of love that is beyond compare. In fact, God wants you to so thoroughly understand and be encompassed by his love that he gave you a picture of it! God reveals this picture in the God-ordained covenant of marriage. While Our Union with Christ is not a typical book on marriage, it reveals the relationship Jesus has with his Church. The apostle Paul speaks of the marriage relationship between a husband and wife and Christ and the Church in Ephesians 5 and refers to it as a “great mystery.”

Union with Christ is an important theological and practical concept that has received considerable attention in recent years. But not much consideration has been given to this union and its benefits in light of Jesus's resurrection and ascension. In this follow-up to his monumental A New Testament Biblical Theology, G. K. Beale summarizes and expands on that work with an eye to fleshing out the theological implications of the resurrection and ascension.

God loves all his creatures: the author, the lake, the tree, the sun, etc. On that day, as she prayed, his other "creatures" seemed almost to dance before him. Sparkling and seeming to rejoice in their own creation, they poured themselves in through her window in their fullest array of light and warmth and color to bless her too. It was then that the author had the vision, one not easily explainable. The vision was of a painting, yet not a painting, for Christ's living face glowed through it.

You and I are invited to live at home with God in Christ Jesus. This invitation is called “union with Christ.” And it is one of the most unbelievable and overlooked realities of Christian salvation. In this book, Kyle Worley (pastor, author, and host of the “Knowing Faith Podcast”) guides listeners along the story of Scripture to help them understand that this invitation into life with God in Christ is not only a key part of the Bible’s entire message, but also, the primary belief of Christian salvation.

Before you can resolve the issues of our day, you must be able to clarify them. Terms like same-sex marriage, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gay Christian are parts of daily discourse, yet enormous controversy surrounds them. They are the stuff of news headlines and vitriolic social media posts. But they also reflect stirrings of the heart in real people with real questions and concerns.

At the center of our Christian experience, we discover that our union with the Crucified and Risen Jesus shapes our identity and our spiritual formation. Cruciform Identity calls Christians to embrace their union with Christ, grow deeper in their relationship with Him, and experience the beauty of the Christian life.

In Ephesians 2:6, the apostle Paul tells us that “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms” (NIV). Jeff Jansen, author and founder of Global Fire Ministries International, teaches that this status is not just an eternal reward, but also a present reality. As believers, we sit in the throne room of heaven, and our lives should be marked by this divine inheritance!

God’s word stored in our memory and hearts will change and shape our lives. This inspired heart craves glory to God expressions within all facets of life–each activity, our thoughts, giftings, our work, and relationships.