I. Biblical references to "union with Christ"

    A. There are no Biblical usages of the phrase "union with Christ"
    B. The New Testament employs numerous concepts in attempting to explain and illustrate the
         relationship between Christ and the Christian.
         1. Reception
              Jn. 1:12 - "to as many as received Him, He gave right to become children of God"
              Gal. 3:2 - "you received the Spirit...by hearing with faith"
              Col. 2:6 - "as you received Christ Jesus, so walk in Him"
         2. Partaking
              Heb. 3:14 - "we have become partakers of Christ"
              Heb. 6:4 - "have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit"
              II Pet. 1:4 - "partakers of the divine nature"
         3. Encompassing
              I Cor. 1:30 - "by His doing you are in Christ Jesus"
              II Cor. 5:17 - "if any man is in Christ..."
              I Jn. 2:5 - "we know that we are in Him"
         4. Enclothing
              Eph. 4:24 - "you have put on the new man"
              Col. 3:10 -"you have put on the new man"
         5. Indwelling
              II Cor. 13:5 - "Jesus Christ is in you"
              Gal. 2:20 - "Christ lives in me"
              Col. 1:27 - "Christ in you, the hope of glory"
         6. Union
              I Cor. 6:17 - "one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him"
         7. Vitality
              Phil. 1:21 - "for me to live is Christ"
              Col. 3:4 - "Christ, who is our life"
              I Jn. 5:12 - "He who has the Son has life"
         8. Identity
              Acts 11:26 - "first called Christians in Antioch"
              I Cor. 15:10 - "by the grace of God I am what I am"
         9. New creation
              II Cor. 5:17 - "a new creature; old things passed away, all things become new"
              Gal. 6:15 - "a new creation"
        10. Reign of Christ as Lord
              Rom. 5:17 - "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ"
              Rom. 10:9 - "Jesus as Lord"
        11. Empowered
              Eph. 3:20 - "the power that works within us"
              Col. 1:29 - "His power which mightily works within me"
        12. Manifestation
              II Cor. 4:10,11 - "life of Jesus manifested in our body...mortal flesh"
              Col. 1:10 - "bearing fruit in every good work"

II. Biblical analogies are employed to illustrate "union with Christ"

    A. Analogies
         1. Triune God - Jn. 14:23; Jn. 17:21-23
         2. Adam and human race - Rom. 5:12-19; I Cor. 15:19-49
         3. Head and body - Eph. 4:15,16
         4. Temple and its god - I Cor. 3:16; 6:19; II Cor. 6:16
         5. Husband and wife - Eph. 5:22-33
         6. Container and contents - II Cor. 4:7
         7. Vine and branches - Jn. 15:1-8
         8. Building and cornerstone - Eph. 2:19-22; I Pet. 2:4,5
    B. All analogies are limited and inadequate
         1. They provide similitude and comparison
         2. Cannot provide exact expression

III. Factors to consider concerning "union with Christ"

    A. Deity/Humanity
         1. Deity
              a. The Christian does not become deified or divinized
              b. Christians are not made into "little gods"
              c. Christians are not elevated to the "God-level"
              d. Christians are not transformed into Christ
              e. Christians are not supernaturalized
              f. The Christian is united with Christ, who is God.
         2. Humanity
              a. Christians retain and remain human
              b. Christians do not rise above their humanity
              c. Christians do not escape into the metaphysical
              d. The humanity of the Christian individual is not obliterated, displaced, dissolved,
                  replaced, subsumed, substituted or exchanged.
    B. Objectivity/Subjectivity
         1. Objectivity
              a. The Christian was positionally identified with the death, burial, resurrection and
                  ascension of Jesus.
              b. The Christian was historically "in Christ" as Jesus served as our representative
              c. The Christian is theologically "in Christ" as his placement of status and standing
                  before God.
              d. These historical and theological foundations must be maintained, but not to the
                  exclusion or diminishing of the subjective realities.
         2. Subjectivity
              a. The Christian's union with Christ is also an internal and actual reality
                  (1) affecting our spiritual condition and identity
                  (2) affecting our behavioral expression
              b. Our union with Christ is not exclusively a subjective experience
                  (1) merely existential impact
                  (2) mystical expansion of consciousness
                  (3) ecstatic feelings of rapture or communion
    C. Diversity/Unity
         1. Diversity
              a. The distinction of Creator and creature always remains
              b. Christ and the Christian are always distinguishable; not identical
              c. The Christian is not depersonalized
              d. "The container never becomes the contents"
         2. Unity
              a. The union of Christ and the Christian is a unique reality that is most difficult to explain
                  in human language.
              b. It is more than assent to an ideology
              c. It is sometimes explained as a "relationship"
              d. It is a real spiritual unification; not a mere abstraction
              e. Older theologians defined it as "consubstantiation"
              f. It is not a fusion, coalescence, or syncretism
              g. It does not create an equivalence making us identical with Christ
    D. Ontological/Operational
         1. Ontological
              a. The very Being of God in Christ is united with the Christian
              b. This is more than just receiving the "benefits" of Christ
              c. This is more than just an objective status or standing with God
              d. Christ in the Christian is more than an inert entity or commodity; a static possession
              e. Christ in the Christian is more than a potential or ideal reality
              f. Christ in the Christian is not just a future hope
         2. Operational
              a. Christ in the Christian desires to express Himself through the Christian.
              b. This is not...
                  (1) imitation of Christ's example
                  (2) legalistic conformity to moralistic and ethical rules
                  (3) self-generated "works"
              c. It is a manifestation of Christ's life in Christian behavior
                  (1) energized and empowered by the divine dynamic of Christ
                  (2) not passively, but in active submission and subordination to the Lordship of Christ
                  (3) visibly expressing the character of God in the behavior of the Christian to the
                        glory of God
    E. Individual/Collective
         1. Individual
              a. Each individual is responsible to respond to who Christ is and what Christ has done
              b. Individually we allow for the receptivity of His activity in faith
              c. Our union with Christ is often called a "personal relationship"
              d. We must beware of excessive individualism
         2. Collective
              a. When we are united with Christ we are part of the collective whole of Christians
              b. Every Christian is a member of the Body of Christ, the Church
              c. We must beware of excessive corporateness and institutionalism

IV. Alternatives of response to "union with Christ"

    A. Reject as unreasonable - absurdity, mysticism
    B. Reduce to human reason - mechanical transactionalism
    C. Accept the revelation of God - "mystery"
         1. Natural reason will never explain the union with Christ
              a. It is beyond all human logic, language and words
              b. It can never be fully figured out and explained
              c. All attempts at definition, description and depiction will inevitably be inadequate.
         2. Failure to accept the paradoxical antinomy of this union
              a. is a rejection of God's intent for man
              b. is a deification of human reason
         3. Must allow latitude and variation of imprecise expression

V. Importance of attempting to understand and explain "union with Christ"

    A. Integral to understanding all God has done and is doing in Christ for man
         1. Redemption
         2. Justification
         3. Sanctification
         4. Glorification
         5. Ecclesiology
    B. Essential to understanding the teleological purpose of God for man
         1. How man can "do all to the glory of God" - I Cor.
         2. By manifesting the character of God