Believers are “crucified with Christ,” “raised with Christ,” “in Christ Jesus,” “baptized into Christ Jesus,” “sanctified in Christ Jesus,” “circumcised by Christ,” and reconciled to God “through Christ.” Christ’s disciples are related to Him as branches to the life-giving vine. In Christ, believers receive “every spiritual blessing,” including election (v.4), predestination (v.5), adoption (v.5), grace (v.6), redemption (v.7), and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (v.13). This is just a sampling of the Scripture’s teaching on the significance of union with Christ for believers.

As a missionary, my grandfather taught Greek and Hebrew at a seminary in Igbaja, Nigeria. He labored for years after on a cognate lexicon of New Testament Greek. Such interest in biblical languages may sound heady and high-brow, the sort of thing that wouldn’t have much connection with vibrant faith.

But nothing could be further from the truth. If you talked to my grandfather about Greek, you’d quickly learn that what he was most passionate about was what he referred to as the “identification truths”–the wide variety of Greek constructions that the New Testament uses to describe Christians’ connection with their Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

Believers are “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20, NIV), “raised with Christ” (Col. 3:1), “in Christ Jesus” (Php. 1:1), “baptized into Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:3), “sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:2), “circumcised by Christ” (Col. 2:11), and reconciled to God “through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:18). Christ’s disciples are related to Him as branches to the life-giving vine (Jn. 15:5). In Christ, believers receive “every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3), including election (v.4), predestination (v.5), adoption (v.5), grace (v.6), redemption (v.7), and the sealing of the Holy Spirit (v.13).

This is just a sampling of the Scripture’s teaching on the significance of union with Christ for believers. Recent years have seen numerous books tracing and expounding this biblical theme, a renewed focus on what has always been at the heart of Christian faith: the saving relationship that Christians have with their Triune God and Savior, found in the Father’s gracious gift of union with the Son by the Spirit. This is core Christianity, in all its warmth and wonder and power.

Christian life is life in Christ. The wonderful truth about Christians’ union with Christ, and all that it means, is at the heart of Christianity spirituality. We can probe it in reverent exegesis of the Greek New Testament and we can embrace it with the childlike faith of ‘receiving Jesus into your heart.’ One thing we cannot do is comprehend the totality of God’s kindness to us in Christ.

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