A 30-Minute Overview of Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God

By Rankin Wilbourne

You’re busy with work, family, and life; but with the new Faith Blueprints series from David C Cook, there is still time to learn from some of the world’s best thinkers on the subjects of faith and culture. Faith Blueprints are executive summaries, designed to quickly and efficiently provide you with the main concepts and highlights from some of David C Cook’s best books. These blueprints are most effective when used alongside the original book as a quick reference or outline, but they can also be used by themselves.

To experience why the gospel is good news and answer life’s most foundational questions about identity, destiny, and purpose, we must understand what it means to be united to Christ.
 
If you are a Christian, the Bible says Christ has united his life to yours, that you are now in Christ and Christ is in you. This almost unfathomable truth is the central theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Yet few Christians today experience or enjoy this reality. Union with Christ reveals the transformational power of this ancient doctrine while addressing the basic questions of the human heart:
 

• Who Am I?
• Why Am I Here?
• Where Am I Headed?
• How Will I Get There?

 
Nothing is more practical for living the Christian life than union with Christ. The recovery of this reality provides the anchor and engine for your life with God—for your destiny is not only to see Christ, but to actually become like him.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: David C Cook
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780830778492

Book preview

A 30-MINUTE OVERVIEW OF UNION WITH CHRIST

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

Integrity Music Limited, a Division of David C Cook

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain); and NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica, Inc.

All rights reserved. The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

The content included in this overview has been adapted from Rankin Wilbourne, Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God (Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2016).

eISBN 978-0-8307-7849-2

© 2016 J. Rankin Wilbourne

First Edition 2018

A 30-Minute Overview of Union with Christ

The Way to Know and Enjoy God

Contents

Main Idea

Introduction

Part 1. Union with Christ: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?

Chapter 1: Living in the Gap

Chapter 2: Union with Christ

Chapter 3: Why We Need It

Part 2. Union with Christ: Where Did It Come From? Where Did It Go?

Chapter 4: Union with Christ in the Bible

Chapter 5: Union with Christ in the Historic Tradition

Chapter 6: Whatever Happened to Union with Christ?

Part 3. Union with Christ: What Problems Does It Solve?

Chapter 7: A New Identity

Chapter 8: A New Horizon

Chapter 9: A New Purpose

Chapter 10: A New Hope

Where Is Jesus Now?

What Is He Doing There?

Part 4. Union with Christ Day by Day

Chapter 11: The Art of Abiding

Chapter 12: The Means of Abiding

Chapter 13: The Secret of Abiding

Chapter 14: The Necessary Path of Abiding

Chapter 15: Every Day—Union with the Cosmic Christ

Final Word: A Prayer for Union with Christ

Main Idea

The idea that believers are united with Christ, that it is God in us that makes his followers unique and powers the entire Christian life, has been lost in the Western church. Our secular culture has been only too eager to supply an alternative way of defining what makes a person valuable and what constitutes human happiness. Disney movies are among the most compelling mouthpieces of this worldview, telling us that we need to follow our hearts