Deeper - Part 4
As I continue to study my way through the book Deeper, I came across a somewhat simple but very profound way to explain how we each view our “union” with Christ. It is truly one of the foundational aspects of our faith and one that is very important to understand. We are united with Christ but, what does that really mean? There are basically four different ways we may look at this union - 1. God then me 2. God not me 3. God plus me & 4. God in me. Each of these mindsets has aspects of truth to them but only one is completely on target.
God then me. This thinking begins with the correct notion that God alone saves us. We then earn out our salvation by living for Him and showing how grateful we are for our salvation. The problem with this is that it doesn’t fully account for the ongoing sin we have in our lives. Yes, we have been saved but we continue to be saved because of Christ’s work on the Cross and not our own.
God not me. This approach wrongly places all of the responsibility of our sanctification upon God. It is a very passive approach to our walk. The mantra of “let go and let God” doesn’t apply to every aspect of our faith journey. There is human responsibility in our sanctification. Our behavior should be a reflection of a saving faith.
God plus me. This philosophy gets closer to the truth but doesn’t quite get there. It correctly assumes the joint responsibility we have in our sanctification but it wrongly gives us too much credit for being able to hold up our end of this partnership. We just aren’t capable of delivering the goods in our own strength.
God in me. “In” is the operative word here for making this the right answer. This mindset rightly acknowledges the presence of God in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that unites us to Christ. He is our “helper” in this life. This relationship binds together the human responsibility and the divine sovereignty of our spiritual growth.
I hope this is helpful to you in understanding this key piece of theology. If we aren’t clear on this, it can be a real hindrance to our growth.
Stay Hungry,
Big E
Matt. 5:6