A teaching within the Scriptures that does not get enough attention is the unity of the believer with Christ. It is within this all important doctrine that a believer finds everything that he needs in his Christian life. In the believer’s unity with Christ, he will find his strength there, he will find his assurance of salvation there, he will find his identity there, he will find his courage there, and so much more.
God stresses the fact within the Scriptures that a believer has been united with Christ. All the way back in the garden, the Scriptures declare, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). This Scripture is about more than simply the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. This Scripture is primarily about the relationship that a believer has with Christ. The reason that this is so is because marriage itself is primarily a picture of Christ and the church (rather than Christ’s relationship with a believer being a picture of marriage). This may sound confusing, but what is attempted to be explained is that Christ is not an afterthought in anything, but rather all of creation was designed to display Christ and His work.
Since Christ is first, what logically follows is that everything else takes the backseat to Him and the display of His glory. In the book of Ephesians, chapter 1, Paul unloads the doctrine of unity in Christ upon our hearts, but it flies by somewhat undetected because of the verbiage that is used.
Paul does not come right out and say “You have been united with Christ and are one with Him. Because of this fact, the following is true of you.” Rather, Paul simply uses two words to highlight what may be the most important single truth in all of Scripture. Paul says that the believer is “in Christ.” In one sense, that is all he says. Sure, he unpacks the blessings of being in Christ, but he does not expound on the nature of this relationship. He also does not explain how this relationship can actually take place. In a mysterious way that is beyond the comprehensive abilities of man, a believer is united with Christ.
Nevertheless, Paul pours out his heart to us in the book of Ephesians and informs us of the firm foundation that the saints of the Lord stand upon in Christ.
In Christ, we are blessed (1:3)
In the start of this book, Paul begins by telling of the blessings that are to be had in Christ. This is a proper way to start this epistle as he will unpack this vague topic of blessings in the “in Christ” statements that are to come.
In Christ, we are chosen (1:4)
The first blessing that Paul transitions into is the way that, in Christ, the people of God are chosen. He also tells of how this was done before the foundation of the world. Being chosen is not something to boast about. Being chosen is not something to be prideful about. It is not as though God saw some form of good in some people and therefore chose them, while He saw bad in others and did not choose them.
The Bible emphatically declares in many different ways that all people were living in sin and need the forgiveness of God.
In Christ, we are holy and blameless (1:4)
While the believer is chosen in Christ, he is also holy and blameless in Christ. This teaching can be better understood in an “already but not yet” type of way. In a number of ways, the Scriptures speak of events or situations which are viewed as having already happened while at the same time have not yet happened.
For instance, a believer is seen as righteous while also not being fully righteous yet. Jesus is reigning on His throne while also not yet having everything in submission to Him. The believer is already holy and blameless before God because he is in Christ, yet the believer is also being conformed to Christ’s image at the same time.
In Christ, we are redeemed (1:6)
The word redeemed means to be bought back from slavery. Throughout the Scriptures, there is an overwhelmingly strong fact that is being declared: Due to the sin of Adam, the whole world is born into a state of bondage, and their own sin only further compounds this problem.
In Christ, however, a believer is delivered from his state of bondage and united to the very source of life and freedom, Jesus Himself.
In Christ, we are enlightened (1:9)
The Bible tells us that those who do not know God cannot understand the Scriptures. The very words of Scripture must be spiritually discerned in order to understand them. Yes, unbelievers can read the Bible. Yes, unbelievers can talk about the Bible. They can even memorize the Scriptures – look at the Pharisees.
However, they cannot understand the Scriptures. The book of Hebrews can help us at this point. Scripture says, “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3). This verse informs us that it is faith that leads to an understanding. In Christ, faith is born.
In Christ, we are united to other believers (1:10)
Believers are said to be a part of the body of Christ, with Christ as the head. When the Scriptures speak in this way, they lay out for us a picture of the church of God. In Christ, all believers are united because they are all a part of the same body, the body of Christ.
In Christ, we are rich (1:11)
The fact that the believer is rich in Christ cannot be grasped entirely. It can be a somewhat cliché sort of statement for someone to say he is rich in Christ. The reason for this is that it is hard to fathom what this means for us. Even God in His Word tells His readers, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Nevertheless, in Christ, the believer is rich beyond his comprehension.
In Christ, we are hopeful (1:12)
In biblical counseling, what must take place at the outset is to instill hope in the counselee. When hope dies in the heart of a man, so will his drive to live for Christ and his belief that he can. Hope is more important than some may know. In someone’s battle against sin, hope will keep him fighting. In a challenging marriage, hope will keep people together. During times of affliction, sickness, and financial loss, hope will lift a believer’s drooping head and fill him with joy.
In Christ, Paul tells us that the believer is hopeful. Even more than that, the believer’s hope is constant and steadfast, immovable and unshakable. Christ is the hope of glory, and it is in Christ that a believer finds his hope.
In Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13)
Finally, as if the blessings that were already stated are not enough, Paul seeks to conclude his thorough teaching of the blessings to be had in Christ by highlighting the security of a believer’s eternal state. In Christ, the Bible says that the believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit. Another way of stating this same point is to say that the believer is Christ’s.
A seal would identify a document with its source. If a seal was placed on a letter, you would know whom it came from and whom it was identified with. The believer has been identified with Christ because he is in Christ.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for the many blessings that You have poured out on me in Christ. You are a good God, and Your goodness cannot be overstated. Help me to see Your ways and to think on my union with Christ more. Thank You for sending Jesus to die for me. Thank You for sending Jesus to live for me. Help me to live for You more each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.