Union with Christ In Scripture History and Theology edition by Robert Letham Religion Spirituality eBooks
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Union with Christ is the central truth of the whole biblical teaching about salvation. The entirety of our relationship with God can be summed up in this doctrine.
Yet when people ask what this union actually is, we flounder.
The incarnation shows that God has made us to be united with him, and God has given us his Word to enable us to understand the nature of this union. Set out with Robert Letham to explore this doctrine from Scripture—using help from the church fathers to modern theologians.
Union with Christ In Scripture History and Theology edition by Robert Letham Religion Spirituality eBooks
The central theme in the New Testament is the message of God's desire to unite our lives with Him through faith in His Son. I have not completed the document, but am enjoying the insight of the author.Product details
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Union with Christ In Scripture History and Theology edition by Robert Letham Religion Spirituality eBooks Reviews
In the opening sentences of the Introduction to his book, Robert Letham writes, “Union with Christ is right at the center of the Christian doctrine of salvation. The whole of our relationship with God can be summed up in such terms” (p.1). All of that is certainly true, and yet when was the last time that you recall reading a book or hearing a sermon on this core doctrine of the Christian faith? In his book, The Hole in Our Holiness ), Kevin DeYoung goes so far as to say, “Union with Christ may be the most important doctrine you’ve never heard of” (p.94).
Sadly, for far too many Christians those words ring true. But even for those who have heard of it and are at least somewhat familiar with this vitally important doctrine of the Christian faith, there are just not that many books and other resources on the subject that are both readily available and accessible to help us grow in our understanding of it.
Robert Letham’s book, Union With Christ, is a welcome exception. It is a very helpful, but not overwhelming volume (totaling a mere 141 pages!). It’s brevity adds to its helpfulness. It is a scholarly work, but not so academic as to be inaccessible to the lay person without an advanced theological degree. As the subtitle of the book makes clear, he makes his case plainly from Scripture, history (citing various ecumenical councils and controversies in the early church), and theology (citing a multitude of Reformed theologians from John Calvin to Charles Hodge).
The layout of the book is simple and easy to follow. Letham opens with a chapter showing how the basis of our union with Christ can be found in the opening chapters of the book of Genesis and its account of creation. Man was created in the image of God in order to be compatible with God. He then moves on in the second chapter to show that “[T]he basis of our union with Christ is Christ’s union with us in the incarnation” (p.21). In chapter three he discusses Pentecost and the Holy Spirit’s role in effecting or applying our union with Christ by grace through faith. Letham very helpfully and succinctly sums up the first three (3) chapters at the end of chapter 3 before moving on to the next section of the book.
In the final three (3) chapters of the book, Letham demonstrates the vital relationship that union with Christ has upon our standing before God with regard to our justification (representation – chapter 4), our sanctification (transformation – chapter 5), and, finally, our glorification at Christ’s return (resurrection – chapter 6). As he states on p.137, “Union with Christ is realized in its fullness at the resurrection itself, when we will be like Christ (1 John 31-2).”
If there is a weakness in the book, it may be in the somewhat parenthetical section on the doctrine of “theosis” (on p.91-102). Theosis (also known as deification) is a central tenet of the Eastern church’s doctrine of salvation, but is largely unheard of in the Western church. The terminology used can sometimes sound (especially to Western ears) as if the Creator-creature distinction were being blurred. I found Letham’s treatment of this subject here to be a bit confusing, even distracting. If you are reading through this book, and find this section to be too difficult, you could (in my humble opinion) easily skip over these pages and not miss a beat. It is interesting enough, but not in any way essential to his argument.
And on the very last page of the book, he makes a wonderful evangelistic appeal to the reader, lest anyone read this book and yet still not be united to Christ by faith. As Letham states there, this wonderful doctrine is much “more than an academic question. It is greater than life and death” (p.141).
This book covers a topic that is as important as it is neglected, and (Lord willing) many in our day may find it to be a helpful remedy for that neglect.
Good as far as it goes. It's very much typical Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) stuff union with Christ, union with Christ, union with Christ. This book probably makes the best case that can be made for making union with Christ a center point of one's theology of justification and sanctification, but I still disagree that it is, since God Himself in Scripture doesn't frame the discussion of salvation or sanctification on "union with Christ" or have an explanatory discourse on it like this book does. Wouldn't Scripture really map this out clearly and plainly in a dedicated discourse or two if it were so important? Now obviously, Scripture speaks of the believer being "in Christ" MUCH, but what I mean by the above is that it doesn't ever say anything like "and everything else flows from this; union with Christ is the main thing." Thus, I approach the concept "union with Christ as the central matter in salvation" with suspicion. The book has not made me agree that union with Christ as a concept is as fundamental as is argued in this book.
Certainly, in the New Testament's discussion of sanctification includes and uses this concept. One can't dispute that (nor would he want to do so!), but Scripture does not always go to "union with Christ" to help people--its original readers (and us)--with sanctification issues. Sometimes it goes to the Holy Spirit; sometimes to the example of Jesus, etc. The union-with-Christ argument in Scripture, especially as it's presented here, is highly philosophical and erudite in nature. While Paul may have had a few congregations that had some in their midsts who could follow the highly conceptual argument, I believe the argument for "union with Christ as central" ultimately fails on the "could the average person (then or today) follow this" test. Seminary students and those slightly below can get this, but how about those who today haven't been to college, much less those who didn't finish high school? To say that "union with Christ" is the key concept of justification or sanctification in Scripture is to forget that God talks to the average person in Scripture.
An excellent book for learning all that we have through our union with Christ. I used some quotes in a Bible study I wrote
The most thought provoking book I've read on the topic of the believer's union with Christ. If you keep a collection of books on individual topics, this one must be in your library. This is a very "heady" book from a top-notch theologian. Don't let that scare you off! The encouragement that comes from his work on the believer's union with Christ is worth the effort.
Very well done overview and introduction to this important area of theology.
The central theme in the New Testament is the message of God's desire to unite our lives with Him through faith in His Son. I have not completed the document, but am enjoying the insight of the author.
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