0

Union in Christ

What does it mean to be in union with Christ? Let’s break it down practically for the next few moments.

Imagine an individual who is in Christ, meaning he is united with Christ. Practically, what does this mean? Let’s start with step number one. The Spirit energizes us because we’re in Christ. We are made alive in Christ, with the Spirit of God illuminating and empowering us.

When you’re empowered, connected to a source, something will happen to you. Within progressive sanctification, a born-again person is empowered and thus will be on the move, growing and maturing. If a person is not progressing in their faith, something is wrong. The power may be broken due to reasons such as not being truly born again or having unconfessed sin in their life, which dulls their conscience. But when a person is energized by the Spirit, empowerment occurs, and this empowerment drives them to action.

One thing they’ll desire is to seek contexts for God to work in their life and in others’ lives. Remember when you were first saved? You had a desire to be part of a local assembly, to engage in Christian activities. That’s what I mean here.

Next, in these contexts, you learn to be like Christ. You’re born again, empowered, moving, seeking contexts, fellowshipping with other Christians, and encouraging each other. You’re learning and maturing in Christ-likeness, engaging in means of grace like prayer, fellowship, serving, and evangelism. Knowledge increases, which is essential for growing in faith.

Knowledge about God is the first step to maturing faith. This knowledge builds upon itself, and as you apply it practically, you experience more of God’s empowering grace. God resists the proud, but He empowers the humble, giving more grace due to your active engagement in your union with Christ. More knowledge leads to reflection, the second part of faith. You’re not just intellectually grasping it, but truly understanding it, which leads to action, the third part of faith. Now, you’re growing in your relationship with Christ.

God’s fame spreads through you as you impact lives, including your own, because of your active faith. Faith without works is dead, and works naturally flow from someone genuinely united with Christ. God responds with more grace, enabling you to grow in knowledge, reflect, meditate, understand, and take action steps.

You continue to seek more contexts for the Spirit of God to work. This practical application of being in union with Christ also serves as a diagnostic tool. If there’s an area of breakdown in your life or in someone you’re discipling, such as not engaging in prayer, fellowship, service, or evangelism, it will hinder mature faith. Any breakdown in these areas will compromise the growth process, and this is where you should focus to restore the connection.

If there’s a breakdown at any point in this cycle, your union with Christ will be compromised. Each step builds on the previous one, forming a continuous cycle of growth and empowerment in Christ.