One Spirit: The Believer's Union with the Lord
Orientation
Christianity is often misunderstood as moral reform or intellectual assent, leaving believers uncertain of their connection to God.
- The natural man, even when impressed by miracles, remains unchanged and separate from God.
- Christ did not entrust Himself to people because He knew what was in man.
- Without a new kind of life, we remain in the realm of the natural, unable to reach God.
And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:25)
— John 2:25
Clarification
Union with God is not a reward for spiritual maturity but the immediate result of God's work of regeneration.
- This union is not a metaphor or a distant hope; it is the present reality for every believer.
- It is established by God joining our spirit to the Lord, not by our effort or improvement.
- This joining makes us one spirit with Him, which is the foundation for all Christian life.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
— 1 Corinthians 6:17
Structure
The Bible contrasts the first Adam, a living soul, with the last Adam, Christ, who is a life-giving spirit.
- The first Adam represents natural, earthly life which is insufficient for union with God.
- The last Adam, Christ, imparts a new, spiritual, and divine life through regeneration.
- Being joined to this quickening Spirit is what brings us into mutual indwelling with God.
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. (1 Corinthians 15:45)
— 1 Corinthians 15:45
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core theological assertion is that through spiritual regeneration—God’s unilateral work—believers are brought into union with the Triune God. This union is not with angels or based on human nature; it is a unique joining of the human spirit to the Lord who is the Spirit. The cause-effect chain is divine and positive: regeneration causes union with God, which causes Christ to dwell in the believer, which establishes the mutual indwelling described by Christ: ‘I in you, and you in me.’ This is the Pauline category of being ‘in Christ’ and Christ being in you. The negative counterpart is the ’natural man’ (what is in man), to whom Christ does not commit Himself, because without regeneration there is no true union. The foundation for righteousness and life in Christ is not our performance but this accomplished union. Knowing Christ is by faith through our spirit, which is now joined to His.
Integration
This union is your present reality. Christ dwells in you. You are in Him. This is not a challenge to achieve but a truth to rest in. Your assurance is not in your ability to feel or understand this perfectly, but in God’s work of regeneration that has joined you to the Lord. The pressure is off. Your righteousness and life are founded on this union, not on your effort. Re-anchor here: you are one spirit with Him. This is the birthright of every believer, the very foundation of your standing before God. Let this truth stabilize you. Christ is in you. You are secure in Him.