Standing before a judge, weighed down by guilt over his numerous crimes, a criminal awaits his sentence. The judge looks down on him with compassion in his eyes and reads the verdict: Not guilty. There must be a mistake, the criminal wonders. He knows he committed the crimes. He was prepared to pay the price. The judge has given the criminal an opportunity for a new life. But the criminal watches as the judge turns to a completely blameless person and charges him for the crimes committed. 

In that courtroom, an exchange took place. The offender is now given the perfect record, nothing left to condemn him, while the innocent one willingly takes on the punishment. The absolved criminal is a free man, humbled and grateful for a second chance. That moment of grace before a righteous judge now shapes everything about him. It informs how he treats people, how he spends his time and money, and how he goes about his day. He recognizes the incredible, undeserved gift he has been given.

This story illustrates the doctrine of salvation known as union with Christ. Many theologians and scholars have touted union with Christ as one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. To be united to Christ means that, as believers, we are in Christ, and Christ is in us. At the moment of salvation, we are immediately united to Him by the Holy Spirit. It is not an additional benefit, something we have to work to receive—it is already ours. Like many doctrines of the faith, our union with Christ is something so beautiful, so mysterious, and so vast that we will never reach its depths. So let us embrace the mystery as we unpack this complex doctrine.

When we think about our salvation, we often think of Christ’s accomplished work for us and outside of us through His perfect life and death on the cross. We must also remember that He accomplishes His work within us through His Spirit. In sharing the gospel, we may explain that we are separated from God because of our sin, and how He made a way for us to be saved through the atoning work of Jesus. Sometimes the discussion stops there, at Jesus’s death on the cross. Praise God this is not the end of the story! Without also reflecting on His resurrection and ascension, we miss the sending of the Holy Spirit and thus, how we are united to Christ. 

Toward the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus tells the disciples that soon, He will leave them to go back to the Father. But Jesus comforts them with the promise that He will not leave them as orphans (John 14:18). In fact, Jesus tells them that it is actually better that He leaves so they can receive the Holy Spirit: “Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment” (John 16:7–8). Because Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father, He gave us His Spirit, the Counselor, who lives within us, guiding us and drawing us closer to Him.

Our union with Christ means we take part in and benefit from all aspects of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension. In Christ’s death, we die to our sin, and just as He was raised to life, we also have been raised to new life (Romans 6:4) and will one day be physically resurrected. Being united to Christ informs every aspect of our spiritual realities. We are no longer in Adam, dead in our sin. We are alive in Christ, recipients of every spiritual blessing.

Being in Christ means He is our representative, taking on the punishment we deserve for our sin. When God looks at us, He does not see someone to condemn for their crimes. He sees the blood of His perfect and holy Son. In the Father’s eyes, what is true of Jesus is now true of us. We are clothed in Christ’s righteousness. His perfect life is attributed to us as if we lived it. We are now like the humbled and grateful criminal, living our lives to reflect this gift we have been given. 

Not only are we in Christ, but Christ is also in us through the work of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the New Testament, we see how this truth impacted the Apostle Paul as he writes,

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, emphasis added). Paul did not see his union with Christ as an unattainable theoretical concept. It was Paul’s lifeline, the very basis for spiritual living. Read any of Paul’s epistles, and you will see how much it shaped his faith.

Think about the day-to-day implications of this reality for your own life. The Spirit who came down at Pentecost? He lives in you. The Spirit who conceived Jesus in a virgin’s womb? He is at work in you. The Spirit in you is the same Spirit within your pastor, your Bible study leader, and the brand new believer. The power of the Holy Spirit is at work in you—the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). Your body is a temple in which God the Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19). We can see why Jesus said it would be better for Him to leave and send the Spirit. Jesus could only be in one place at one time while on earth. Now, He lives within all believers all over the world. What a glorious thought that we are united to Christ which also connects us to His Church.

Obedience in the Christian life can be described as connecting the head to the heart. We often know what is true but struggle to know how to experience it in a real, tangible way. Meditating on our union with Christ provides an opportunity to stir our affections for the Lord. It takes us from merely thinking about what Christ has done for us and moves us toward delighting in the intimacy found in our personal relationship with Him. Because Christ is in us, we are able to pursue holiness, and our desire can be shaped by His desires as we align our hearts to His. But when we fail, we can take comfort knowing that we are not lost in our sin. Our lives are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3), and there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). We can rejoice that we are united to our Savior, and nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:38–39). 

Author Bio:

Krystal Dickson is the Editorial Director for The Daily Grace Co. and loves equipping women to know and love God more through deep study of His Word. Krystal lives in the north Houston area with her husband, Scott, and their two boys. She loves reading, playing board games with her family, and redecorating various rooms in her house.

Additional Resources for Growing Closer to Christ:

In Christ Alone | Romans Bible Study		Christ in All of Scripture | 4 Volume Set | Year-Long Bible Study		The Good Shepherd | Living in the Care and Comfort of Christ		The Heart of Christ | Devotional
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