The doctrine of ‘Union with Christ’ should shape how Christians view their identity. I was so excited when I saw Sam Allberry’s had written a book ‘One with My Lord’ which applies that doctrine. Allberry helps Christians see who they really are now that they are ‘in Christ’.
Who am I?
‘Who am I?’ is a major question we ask during our adolescence. I’m not convinced we ever fully resolve the question during that formative period. I’m a millennial who still regularly faces situations that call into question who I am. One common message in our culture is that ‘I find myself by looking within myself.’ Another common cultural idea is, ‘I am who I say I am.’ But there is a far greater and more reliable source to answer the question ‘Who am I?’
One With My Lord
Sam Allberry
One With My Lord
Sam Allberry
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Followers of Jesus refer to themselves primarily as “Christians,” but the New Testament frequently used a more meaningful term: “in Christ.” Disconnected from this deeper understanding of the gospel, believers today can miss out on the significance of unity with the Lord and its power to enrich every area of their lives.
One
Allberry begins by reminding us that the word “Christian” is found only three times in the New Testament. However, the language of being “in Christ” or “in him” is used over 160 times by Paul alone, let alone the other New Testament writers (Loc 149). One of the primary ways that New Testament believers saw themselves was “in Christ”. I have not come across many short and pastoral books on our Union with Christ, which is surprising given how formative the doctrine is for the Christian life.
In ‘One with My Lord’, Allberry highlights the difference Union with Christ makes to the Christian life. Without this doctrine, the way we see our Christian life is blurry. All the puzzle pieces about who we are, what God has done, and what we now have in him are there, and they are beautiful. But the pieces aren’t fully put together and in focus until we see clearly through the lens of Union with Christ. To help us get clarity on who we are, Allberry shows readers why understanding our Union with Christ transforms everything about life and who we are.
With my Lord
First and foremost, we are ‘Found in Christ’ (Chapter 1). Allberry shows us how being one with our Lord is foundational to how Scripture describes the Christian life. Speaking of the ‘saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi (Phil. 1:1)’, he writes:
These saints are “in” Christ. In fact, (as we’ll see), they can only be saints in the first place – people now set apart for Jesus – because they are in Christ… Being in Christ is not incidental; it defines who they are as believers. It is what is most fundamental to what it means to be a Christian (Loc 221)
Secondly, we are ‘Blessed in Christ (Chapter 2).’ We are shown with stunning grandeur the blessings we have received in Christ through the longest sentence in the New Testament, Ephesians 1:3-14. Through our Union with Christ, we receive these blessings of adoption, redemption, forgiveness, an inheritance, the seal of the Holy Spirit, and more!
We have been ‘Saved in Christ’ (Chapter 3). Before we were ‘in Christ’ we were ‘in Adam.’ We were sinners in desperate need of saving. Nothing matters more than receiving the salvation and new life that Jesus brings. Through our union we are ‘Justified in Christ’ (Chapter 4).
Those who are justified by Christ are made ‘New in Christ’ (Chapter 5). While the presence of sin remains, we are no longer under the reign of sin. We are empowered to say no to sin. I found this chapter to be both a challenge and a comfort. Allberry encourages us to face the reality of remaining sin in our lives, whilst still seeing the radical difference Union with Christ makes in our battle against sin. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20).” I find it really empowering to know that where sin once defined our lives and who we were, sin no longer defines who we are. We are now ‘in Christ.’ If I am who I am in Christ, then I am most truly myself when I am becoming more like him.
As those who are ‘Holy in Christ’ (Chapter 6), we are challenged to abide in Jesus as we seek to live for Him in all we do. ‘Together in Christ’ (Chapter 7) reminds us that we aren’t saved to be individuals, but to be a family. And finally, we are extolled to ‘Continue in Christ’ (Chapter 8).
Who this book is for
Finding myself is exhausting. Instead, I can rest in who I am in Christ. This book is a must read for any Christian of every age, whether you’re a young adult or feeling advanced in your years, new to the faith or never knowing a time you weren’t saved, whether you’re feeling like you’re winning at the Christian life, or like you’re failing at every point. Allberry writes as a brother, communicating biblical truths in ways that will bless all who read it. Union with Christ gives us a solid foundation to stand firm when we come face to face with the pressures of this life. When my greatest temptation is to follow my own desires, there is greater strength that comes from my union with Christ. Allberry helps readers to know that there is no greater need than being found in him.
Game-changer
This paragraph from the book really spoke to me:
Union with Christ has been the game changer in my pursuit of holiness. Rather than seeing obedience to God as science-fiction-level unattainability, I see it as the proper outworking of who I really am in Jesus… Sin might at times, sadly, be what I want, but it will never more be who I am… So whatever else might be true of me in this world, whatever else I might one day find myself to be in – in love, in debt, or (like Paul) in prison – nothing can take away from the surest reality: being in Christ (Loc 2045 – 2068).
Suffering and trials will come, says Allberry, but Jesus promises growth for those who abide in him. Growth in the Christian life looks like trusting Jesus more and more. Growth in the Christian life looks like living from our Union with Christ. Abiding in Christ is the privilege of all who are in him.
