Hebrews 2:11, “For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Young person, have you ever been very ashamed of yourself for something you did? Maybe you got caught, and that was shameful; or maybe it was something that […]
The superstitious Athenians to whom Paul preached wanted to make sure that they didn’t miss out on identifying with a god that could possibly be the all-powerful God. They sensed an empty space that they felt compelled to fill with an idol “to the unknown god” (Acts 17:23). To say that the Athenians were missing […]
Publishing one issue on the topic of union with Christ is like publishing a one-page summary of Calvin’s Institutes. It will not say all that needs to be said, but hopefully it will whet your interest to study more deeply about the subject. The doctrine (I am tempted to call it a super-doctrine since so […]
Scripture often speaks of our union with Christ. It does this wherever it tells us that we are “in Christ.” The word “in” speaks of a union. If the branch is in the vine, then the vine and branch are united. So also, to be in Christ means to be united to him. And so […]
In John 15 Christ speaks of the vine and its branches, where he is the vine and the disciples are the branches. Most of us are familiar with that figure, which emphasizes that faith is union with Christ. But there is another aspect of the figure that receives less attention: Jesus calls us to “abide” […]
Union with Christ is the profound and mysterious description of the reality of the elect believer’s gracious salvation. All men by nature are in connection with Adam. In Adam, all are conceived and born dead in sin. In Adam, all perish. In Christ, all his people are made alive. He is the last Adam, the […]
Rankin Wilbourne. Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2016. 370 pp. $19.99, hardcover What does the phrase “union with Christ” mean to you? For many of us, the phrase may not be something completely new, but these are not words that we have spent much time […]