THE BELIEVER’S UNION WITH CHRIST

 

Ephesians 1:6

 

            Our everlasting union with the Son of God is the basis of our safety and security. God’s elect are as safe and secure as Christ himself, for we are “accepted in the beloved.” When a sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he begins to enjoy a personal, manifest union with Christ. But our union with Christ began long before we believed on him. Our faith in Christ is not the cause of our union with him, but the manifestation of it (II Tim. 1:9-10). The subject of Ephesians 1:6 is not our manifest union with Christ in time, but our everlasting union with him from eternity.

 

AN ELECTION UNION

 

            Our everlasting union with Christ is an election union. We were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. This election union is the basis of all God’s gracious operations toward and in his people (Eph. 1:4-6). Salvation must begin with someone’s choice. Religion says it begins with your choice. But the Bible declares that it begins with God’s choice. God’s choice of sinners unto salvation is what the Bible calls “the election of grace.” (Rom. 11:5). Election is the basis and first part of God’s salvation. Without election no one would ever be saved. Though election is personal and distinguishing, we were chosen in Christ. There is no election of grace apart from Christ. And there is no union with Christ apart from the election of grace. Christ was chosen to be the Redeemer (Isa. 42:1-4). We were chosen to be the redeemed (II Thess. 2:13-14). Election guarantees our eternal security. Our election and our Savior’s election stand or fall together. The Lamb’s Book of Life, that begins with the inscription of his name, holds our names. Until the pen of hell can scratch out his name, it cannot scratch out ours!

 

A SURETYSHIP UNION

 

            Our everlasting union with Christ is also a legal, suretyship union. As the surety and the debtor represented by him are one before the law, so the Lord Jesus Christ and his people are one before God in a legal sense. He became our Surety in the covenant of grace before the world was made (Heb. 7:22). As the Surety of the covenant, he drew near to the Father in the name of his elect, made himself our Substitute, laid himself under obligation to God to pay our debts, satisfy all the demands of God’s law, justice, and righteousness for us, and procure on the grounds of strict justice all the blessings of grace and glory for us, to the praise of the glory of his grace. When Christ became our Surety, our Sponsor before God, he became totally responsible to God for us, to pay our debts, fulfill our obligations, and bring us to glory (John 10:15-16). Thus, even from eternity, God ceased to look for satisfaction from us. He sought satisfaction from our Surety, and found it (Job 33:24). When Christ became our Surety, our salvation was finished, in so far as the Lord our God is concerned (Rom. 8:28-30; II Tim. 1:9; Rev. 13:8). When Christ became our Surety, our everlasting salvation and security became matters of absolute certainty.

 

Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For Today Radio Message #657

2734 Old Stanford Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438

Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net