Union with Christ

‘Union with Christ’ describes the way believers relate to Jesus Christ and how the blessings of that relationship come to them. The Bible teaches that when we have faith in Jesus we are spiritually united with Him, and therefore with each other too (Philippians 2:1,1 Corinthians 1:10). We are one body, Christ’s body, the church (Romans 12:5). Sometimes this teaching is phrased as believers being ‘in Christ’, or that He is ‘in us’ (e.g. Colossians 1:2, Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 1:27). This union is demonstrated in the picture of baptism, that through faith we are united with Him in His death and burial, and that we have risen with Him from the grave and into new resurrection life – with the power of sin over us broken (Romans 6:1-14). This union is permanent: it cannot be broken and will continue for eternity, because it is safely kept in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:5-7).