Paid Subscribing Members | The End Time Chronicles | Dr. Stephen Phinney | Visit DR. FOWLER: Soul Rest (Part 3)Since God dwells in us in Spirit-form, the scriptures employ numerous explanations of how the spirit-union is established and functions. We must be "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5,8), Jesus said.
Dr. James Fowler is one of the leading authors on the believer’s union with Christ. He has written 20+ books on the topic. He is a theologian, Board Member of IOM America, and dear friend of Dr. Stephen Phinney. He is the founder of Christ in You Ministries. We hope you are blessed by his series, “Soul Rest.” The Christian in "spirit-union" has exchanged darkness for light. The risen Lord Jesus told Saul that his mission was to "convert people from darkness to light" (Acts 26:18). To the Colossian Christians, Paul wrote, "He (Jesus) delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). "Called out of darkness into His marvelous light" (II Pet. 2:9), Christians are "saints in light" (Col. 1:12), "sons of light" (I Thess. 5:5), and "children of light" (Eph. 5:8), for "the life was the light of men" (Jn. 1:4).
Spirit-union is such an integral and intimate union that the identity of the Christian is based on the presence of Jesus Christ. Spirit-union is an identity-union. The deepest sense of any person's identity is in the realm of the spirit.Christians are "sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26). We are "children of God" (I Jn. 3:1,2) - no longer "children of the devil," but "children of God" (I Jn. 3:10), for "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Christians are "the people of God" (I Pet. 2:10), intended to "rest" (Heb. 4:9) as God's own possession (Titus 2:14). Christians constitute the new "Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16; cf. Rom. 9:6). We are "members of God's household" (Eph. 2:19), and "citizens of heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Every Christian is a "priest" (I Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6) with access into the Holy of Holies of God's presence (Heb. 10:19). We are "kings" (I Pet. 2:9), who "reign in life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Though our spiritual identity was once that of "sinners" (Rom. 5:19), we are now "saints" (Rom. 8:27; Eph. 1:18; 4:12), having a derived identity as "holy ones" by the presence of the "Holy One" (Acts 3:14; I Jn. 2:1), Jesus Christ, with Whom we have spirit-union. Whereas we were once "ungodly" (Rom. 5:6), we are now identified as "godly" (II Pet. 2:9). Whereas we were once "excluded from the life of God" (Eph. 4:18) and "separate from Christ" (Eph. 2:12), we are now the "chosen ones" of God (Eph. 1:4; Col.3:12), who have been "reconciled to God" (Rom. 5:10,11) and have been "accepted to the glory of God" (Rom. 15:7). Whereas we were once "unrighteous" (I Cor. 6:9), we have now been "made righteous" (Rom. 5:19), for we have been "created in righteousness" (Eph. 4:24), and have "become the righteousness of God in Christ" (II Cor. 5:21), as the "Righteous One" (Acts 7:52; 22:14), Jesus Christ, has become the basis of who we are. We have been made "holy, and blameless and beyond reproach" (Col. 1:22). Christians are even identified as "perfect" (Phil. 3:15; Heb. 12:23) in spiritual condition, because the Perfect One, Jesus Christ, dwells within their spirit in spirit-union. Spiritual NewnessEverything has become "new" for the Christian who is in spirit-union with Christ. The prophet Ezekiel prophesied about the great renewal that would be enacted in Christ when he spoke for God, saying, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you" (Ezek. 36:26). When the Christian receives Christ in regeneration, this "new heart" and "new spirit" become a spiritual reality within. This is not a mechanical replacement whereby we receive a new heart-part, nor is it a heart transplant. Rather, in the "inner man" (II Cor. 4:16) of our spiritual and psychological function we receive the "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4) of the presence and function of Jesus Christ. Jeremiah's comment that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jere. 17:9) is no longer true for a Christian. The Spirit of Christ indwells our hearts (Eph. 3:17), and this constitutes a "new heart" wherein "God has written His laws upon our hearts" (Heb. 8:10; 10:16). "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away and new things have come" (II Cor. 5:17). By spirit-union with Christ, everything has become new spiritually in the Christian. We are a "new creation" (Gal. 6:15). We are a "new man" (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). The "old man" that we were in our unregenerate state has been crucified (Rom. 6:6) and put off (Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:9), and we are a "new man" in Christ. We are not a schizophrenic "old man" and "new man" at the same time, as popular evangelical humanism has often suggested, but the "old man" has been exchanged for the "new man," the completely new identity we have "in Christ." In ChristPerhaps the most frequent phrase used in the New Testament to refer to our spirit-union is the little phrase, "in Christ," and its variant forms of "in Christ Jesus," "in Jesus Christ," "in the Lord Jesus Christ," and "in Him," etc. "By His (God's) doing you are in Christ Jesus (I Cor. 1:30)," Paul writes. "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature" (II Cor. 5:17). Whenever we see that phrase it is quite legitimate to read it as "in union with Christ." For example, "Consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (in union with Christ Jesus)" (Rom. 6:11). And later in the same chapter, "The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (in union with Christ Jesus our Lord)" (Rom. 6:23). The phrase "in the Spirit" can also refer to the spirit-union with the Spirit of Christ. Indwelling TrinitySpirit-union is brought into being by the presence of the entire Trinity within us. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have come to dwell and take up residence in our spirit. When we become "partakers of the divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4), we become partakers of God the Father, "partakers of Christ" (Heb. 3:14), and "partakers of the Holy Spirit" (Heb. 6:4). Jesus explained to the disciples in the upper room discourse, "If anyone loves Me, We (My Father and I) will come and make Our abode with him" (John. 14:23). In his first epistle, John writes, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him and he in God (in union with God)" (I John 4:15,16). It is the apostle Paul who is so clear about Christ indwelling us. This is the mystery of the gospel, Paul states, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20), Paul tells the Galatians. Paul asked the Corinthians, incredulously, "Do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you - unless indeed you fail the test?" (II Cor. 13:5). Likewise the Holy Spirit dwells in us (II Tim. 1:14). "God gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge" (II Cor. 1:22), and has "sent the Spirit into our hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father" (Gal. 4:6). Spirit-union is established by the presence of the entire Trinity. Spirit ActionsSince God dwells in us in Spirit-form, the scriptures employ numerous explanations of how the spirit-union is established and functions. We must be "born of the Spirit" (John 3:5,8), Jesus told Nicodemus. We receive the "gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38), Peter explained in the first sermon of the church. We are "sealed in the Spirit" (Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:22); "sealed in Him (in union with Christ) with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13), as God's own possession. Every Christian is "baptized in the Spirit" (I Cor. 12:13) when our spirits are overwhelmed by the Spirit of Christ, and we become part of the one Body, the Church. Every Christian has an "anointing of the Spirit" (I Jn. 2:20,27), whereby the Spirit of God becomes our inner teacher. To the Romans, Paul explained, "All who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). Notice, he does not say, "Those who are following the leading of the Spirit are sons of God." Nor does he say, "Those who seek the leading of the Spirit are sons of God." No, he says that every Christian, every "son of God," has the inner leading and direction of the Spirit of God - whether, or not, they seek or follow that leading. In like manner, every Christian has an inner vision, whereby with "the eyes of their heart" (Eph. 1:18) they can "look at the things which are not seen, which are eternal" (II Cor. 4:18), and "behold the glory of God" (II Cor. 3:18). In spirit-union, Christians have an inner, spiritual hearing to "hear what the Spirit is saying" (Rev. 2:7,11). Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice" (John 10:3,4,16,27). "If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (Rev. 13:9) and listen to what God is saying. It might even be noted that we have an inner taste whereby we can "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Ps. 34:8).
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