How Union with Christ Affects Ecclesiology
/
In Ephesians 1:3, Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places….”[1] God has blessed the Christian with every spiritual blessing in Christ. The spiritual blessings Christians have flow from their union with Christ. Often, discussions regarding these blessings focus on justification and sanctification. While we must highlight these dual benefits that stem from union with Christ, we dare not miss another important one: the blessing of being in the Church, the body of Christ. The reality of this blessing has many practical ramifications for how we view ecclesiology.
Union with Christ Defined
Before we look at these practical ramifications, we must define our terms. What does union with Christ mean? Simply put, it means that the believer is united to, or connected to, Christ. Scripture uses a variety of images to illustrate this concept. Among other analogies, union with Christ is likened to the union of a vine with its branches, a head to its body, and a husband to his wife. All these images denote a vital connection between Christ and his people. This concept is seen throughout the pages of Scripture in the phrase “in Christ.” John Murray writes, “It is that which is meant by ‘in Christ’ that we have in mind when we speak of ‘union with Christ.’”[2]
The bond of this union is the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” By the Spirit, we are united to Christ and his body. Edmund Clowney explains, “…the Spirit [brings Christ] to the church in a union that only the Spirit can accomplish.”[3]
By what means does the Spirit establish this union? It is through faith alone. Ephesians 3:17 states Christ dwells in the believer’s heart “through faith.” R.L. Dabney explains, “The instrumental bond of the union is evidently faith—i.e., when the believer exercises faith, the union begins….”[4] Upon faith in Christ, the Christian enjoys the blessings that flow from union with Christ.
Union with Christ is Union with His Body
Union with Christ means we are united with his body, the Church. Since all true Christians are united to Christ, all true Christians are united to one another. James Bannerman writes, “The close and mysterious union which is constituted by faith between [a man] and his Savior, is a union that connects him through that Saviour with every other Christian.”[5] The books of 1 Corinthians and Ephesians provide several passages illustrating this fact.
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ (1 Cor 12:12).
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Cor 12:27).
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph 4:4-6).
Perhaps most striking is the statement in 1 Corinthians 12:26 when Paul writes, “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.” The union that believers have with one another in Christ is so powerful that, in one sense, what happens to one member happens to the whole Church. All true Christians are bound together in Christ.
Practical Implications
The union that Christians have with each other in Christ has various practical implications regarding church life. The Christians’ unity with one another in their union with Christ should inform our ecclesiology.
Grounds of Christian Unity
First, this doctrine instructs us on the grounds of Christian unity. Many people, out of a good desire for Christian unity, have pursued faulty grounds for Christian unity. Roman Catholicism seeks to establish unity through a hierarchical organization. Fundamentalism sought to establish unity by boiling the Christian faith down to its most essential tenets. Mark Johnston notes, “…the unity of the church is not something we synthetically manufacture, but something that has been created within us and between us by God’s Spirit in Christ.”[6] Furthermore, Andrew Fuller notes, “Every kind of union that has not truth for its bond is of no value in the sight of God, and ought to be of none in ours.”[7] True Christian unity is not founded upon a visible organizational structure, nor is it found through disregarding truth. True Christian unity is founded upon our joint union with the true Christ. Dabney notes, “…every soul that is united truly to Christ, is united to His brethren.”[8]
Understanding this fact gives Christians security amid controversy and a stable footing in disagreements. We may not experience the fullness of our unity in such times, but the unity nevertheless exists in Christ. Though we ought to pursue a greater experience of our unity by seeking the mind of Christ, we don’t have to manufacture a different ground for it. Nothing can take the reality of Christian unity away, for it is an eternal and unshakable union rooted in Christ. Furthermore, the Christian has the hope that they will grow in their enjoyment of that unity, for “Grace will bring the whole body of the elect into a sweet accord with Christ and each other, and harmony of interest and volition….”[9]
Church Membership
Jeffrey Johnson writes, “If the church is God’s united and sanctified people… then it only makes sense that God’s people assemble in local congregations.”[10] Local churches are microcosms of Christ’s Church at large. As such, as much as it depends on us, the local church should reflect the reality of the universal Church. Who is included in Christ’s universal Church? Only those who are united to Christ through faith. Jonathan Leeman states, “… the standard for church membership should be no higher or lower than the standard for being a Christian….”[11] Only those united to Christ are Christians. Only those who are united to Christ are united in Christ’s body. It follows then that only those united to Christ should be admitted when considering local church membership.
How do we know who is in union with Christ? No one can know perfectly. However, there are evidences of said union. Chapter 26.2 of the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LBCF) states, “All persons throughout the world, professing the faith of the gospel, and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation, or unholiness or conversation, are and may be called visible saints; and of such ought all particular congregations to be constituted.” In other words, only those who show evidence of union with Christ should comprise the local church—namely, the evidence of profession of faith in the gospel and evangelical obedience to God.
Church Discipline
Since local churches should be constituted of those in union with Christ, when a member shows evidence that they are not united with Christ, they must be separated from the church. To allow an unbeliever to continue to hold the title of a member of Christ's Church is to proclaim something untrue. This is why if someone continues in unrepentant sin, they must be separated from the church. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” This passage has implications for church discipline. How can those united with Christ through faith be united with the unbeliever? What accord do the children of God have with the children of the Devil? Churches ought to be diligent to cleanse themselves from every defilement of the body (2 Cor 7:1).
Baptism & the Lord’s Supper
The doctrine of the Christian’s union with Christ also has implications for the church’s application of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Paul writes in Romans 6:2-4, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Among other things, baptism pictures the individual's union with Christ in his death and resurrection. The ordinance of baptism pictures the reality of the believer’s union with Christ. As such, only those who show evidence of having the reality of union with Christ should take the symbol of it, baptism. For an unbeliever to be baptized is to profess something untrue.
Furthermore, the Lord’s Supper pictures the believer’s communion with Christ and his body. As such, only those united to Christ should partake in this meal. How can someone who is divided from Christ have communion with him? Only those who have union with Christ can have communion with Christ. Additionally, only those who have union with Christ can have communion with Christ’s body. Just as it is with baptism, for an unbeliever to take communion is to profess something untrue.
Church Attendance
The Christians' unity with one another in Christ means that what happens to one happens to all. As noted earlier, when one suffers, all suffer, and when one is honored, all are honored (1 Cor 12:26). Each Christian in a local church is united to something bigger than himself. Each Christian is a member of Christ’s body. What happens to one part of a body is felt by the whole. This has implications for how we are to view church attendance. When one member neglects the assembly of the saints (Heb 10:24-25), it does not just impact the individual missing; it affects the whole body.
When two people are united together, the neglect of one impacts the other. For instance, if two individuals ride a tandem bicycle, if one neglects to pedal (or worse, steer!), it impacts the other. If a husband comes home grumpy from work, it affects his spouse. If a goalie on a hockey team doesn’t show up for the game, the whole team experiences a negative outcome. Union brings about mutual impact between its united members, and thus, union necessitates greater responsibility. The tandem bicyclists are responsible for pedaling, the husband for his attitude, and the goalie for showing up for the game. Though individuals have responsibility for themselves, when they are united with someone else, the responsibility increases because their behavior impacts another.
As such, since every believer is united to each other in Christ, they have a great responsibility toward one another. The bare minimum of such responsibility is not to neglect the gathering of the body. When an individual misses church, it affects the whole body because of their union with Christ.
Corporate Sanctification
In Ephesians 3:15-16 Paul writes, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” All Christians, being united to Christ, are to grow into Christ, the head of the body. To pursue this growth, Christians are responsible for speaking the truth in love to one another. When each member of Christ’s body works the way it ought to in this regard, the whole body grows. The Christian’s union with Christ and his body means that growth is corporate. As such, Christians are responsible for and dependent on one another for growth.
Sanctification is an individual reality, but it is not merely an individual reality. It is also a corporate reality. As a healthy child grows older and develops, each part of his body grows bigger. However, it is not only the individual parts of his body that grow bigger; it is the whole body that grows bigger. Likewise, the entire body of Christ grows together. Scott Aniol explains, “It is the whole body together, comprised of many members, that grows together in maturity and communion with God.”[12] This is true in the context of the particular bodies of Christ as well as the universal body of Christ.
Corporate Sanctification in the Local Body
The reality of corporate growth should motivate Christians to speak the truth in love to one another in the context of their local church. The development of one part of the body is dependent, in some measure, on another. The body grows together into Christ the head when it works properly. This truth is an antidote for any sort of “lone wolf” Christianity. This reality motivates the Christian to pour into the local body around him, for his own growth depends on theirs. Furthermore, this reality motivates the Christian to pursue his own growth, for the development of the body depends on his own. Our joint union with Christ means that Christian sanctification is corporate in nature; as such, we ought to pursue the good of the local church.
Corporate Sanctification in the Universal Body
The reality of corporate sanctification should also motivate churches to care for other churches. Churches are autonomous in the sense that there is no authority above the elders of the local church.[13] However, churches are not autonomous in the sense that they are unimpacted by what happens in other true churches of Christ. All those who are united to Christ are united together. This reality exists beyond the context of the local church. If the members of one church are languishing, this negatively impacts the members of another. There is a spiritual bond that exists between these members. No church is an island. This means that every church should be interested in the spiritual health of other churches, particularly in those closer geographically. For instance, if a church is struggling to find a pastor, it is in the interest of other churches to help. If a church is working through a difficult matter, it is in the interest of other churches to help. This reality necessitates pastoral fellowship and communication. The 2LBCF 26.14 gives helpful instructions in this regard:
As each church, and all the members of it, are bound to pray continually for the good and prosperity of all the churches of Christ, in all places, and upon all occasions to further it (every one within the bounds of their places and callings, in the exercise of their gifts and graces) so the churches, when planted by the providence of God, so as they may enjoy opportunity and advantage for it, ought to hold communion among themselves, for their peace, increase of love, and mutual edification.
Churches ought to pursue relationships with other churches to further the good and prosperity of these other churches. They ought to do so motivated by an understanding of their joint union with Christ.
Motive to Bless Christ’s Church
In Matthew 25, Jesus discusses two types of people who will appear before him on judgment day. Some evidence themselves to be goats because they did not seek to bless Christ’s brothers. Others demonstrate themselves as Christ’s sheep because they sought to bless Christ’s brothers. Within this passage, Jesus says something striking. In verse 40, he states, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” What one person does to Christ’s brothers (Christians), they do to Christ. Understanding the Christian’s union with Christ makes sense of this reality. Since the Church is Christ’s body, when someone does something to a Christian, it is as if they are doing it to Christ himself. This notion fuels the Christian’s desire to bless Christ’s Church. Does not the Christian long to bless Christ? He has a variety of opportunities to do so within the context of Christ’s Church. When Christians visit widows, give generously to each other, or seek to use their God-given gifts to bless the Church, they get to bless Christ. What wonderful opportunities the Christian has to bless the one who redeemed them!
Church Decisions
Churches are faced with a multitude of decisions to make. What should be taught? How should we order our worship service? How should our finances be spent? What should we prioritize? Since the church is the body of Christ united to Christ as its head, the church should increasingly conform its actions to the mind of Christ. It is unnatural for a body to not respond to the decisions of the head. Something is amiss when the body does not do what the mind tells it to. Sometimes, when people wake up in the morning, they find their arm will not respond to their brain. Why is that? It is often because pressure on a nerve restricts communication from the mind to the arm. This restriction renders the arm useless. When making decisions, churches must make sure they are taking their cues from the mind of Christ if they want to be useful for the kingdom of Christ. Anything other than this is unnatural. Churches pursue the mind of Christ through the Word of Christ. Churches comprised of members who are united to Christ can have the hope that as they pursue Scripture, their actions will increasingly conform to the mind of Christ. The head will direct and move the body.
Conclusion
The Christian’s union with Christ is a glorious reality from which all spiritual blessings flow. These blessings include the blessing of the Christian unity in the body of Christ. This truth has many ecclesiological implications that help us think rightly about Christ’s Church. May Christ be pleased to work in us a greater desire to bless his Church and a greater capacity to enjoy his Church!
[1] All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway, 2001).
[2] John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (1955; repr. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1978), 161.
[3] Edmund P. Clowney, The Church (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995), 52.
[4] R.L. Dabney, Systematic Theology (1871; repr. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), 615.
[5] James Bannerman, The Church of Christ (1869; repr. Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2023), 19.
[6] Mark G. Johnston, The Church: Glorious Body, Radiant Bride (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2020), 63.
[7] Andrew Fuller, The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller, vol. 3 (1841; repr. Harrisonburg, VI: Sprinkle Publication, 1988), 490.
[8] Dabney, 614.
[9] Dabney, 613.
[10] Jeffrey D. Johnson, The Church: Her Nature, Authority, Purpose, and Worship (United States: Media Gratiae, 2020), 30-31.
[11] Jonathan Leeman, Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 85.
[12] Scott Aniol, Biblical Foundations of Corporate Worship (Conway, AR: Free Grace Press, 2022), 75.
[13] Excluding, of course, the authority of Christ and the apostles found in Scripture.