Union with Christ

"I grew up in an environment in which becoming a Christian was of great importance. But I don't remember ever hearing about what it means to be 'in Christ' which is the term and the sought-after reality that pervades the Epis-tles in particular. By working his way through key Scripture passages, drawing out and applying their truths, Sinclair Ferguson serves as a kind and wise guide to orient our understanding and our valuing to the wonders of what is being held out to us-to be in Christ."

"In this book, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson has taken a profoundly theological issue of the first order, which the church has often forgotten, and has brought it to the forefront of the theological discussion of our times. If believers were to understand the significance of their union with the Savior, they would be more naturally inclined to live more sanctified lives and, at the same time, would be joyful and grateful for being permanently united to Christ. We can genuinely say that we live and move and have our being in Christ. For John Calvin, our union with Christ should be given 'the highest degree of importance.' This is precisely what Dr. Ferguson has done and explained with exegetical precision, theological clarity, pastoral care, and mature experience. I must add that Dr. Ferguson has us accustomed to this kind of analysis. I celebrate the publishing of this book for the church of our time and pray that many read it, profit from it, and enjoy it as much as I did.''

"In this hugely readable little book, Sinclair Ferguson provides us with a biblical-theological road map of a truth that lies at the heart of biblical Christianity and that has shaped his own life and ministry for more than fifty years: union with Christ. Dr. Ferguson expounds the key New Testament passages that unpack for us the meaning of union with Christ and draws out their practical implications for living a joy-filled, Christ-loving, God-honoring life. The closing long quote from John Calvin's Institutes (2.16.19) is worth the cost of the book-read it slowly, out loud, and feel the weight of Christ-saturated truth. This is a book to read and reread, a book worthy to be a vade mecum, a book to slip into your pocket and take with you wherever you go."

"It is sometimes said that preachers come to have only one sermon. When kindly expressed, this is far from being a criticism! On the contrary, the meaning is not that the preacher simply says the same thing every time you hear him; it is that he is always saying different things via the same things: his deepest convictions about what it means to know and love the triune God. I know I speak for many in saying that one of the richest blessings of Sinclair Ferguson's ministry is the extent to which he has been captivated and shaped by the doctrine of union with Christ. For him, it is as much a meta-affection as a metanarrative; it is evident in the foundations as much as the structures of his thought; it overflows in his writing as much as in his preaching; it nourishes us in person as much as from the pulpit. So here is a delightful book on a glorious doctrine that Sinclair cannot preach and write about enough. May God use it to grant us all life-changing sight of what it means to belong to Jesus forever."

Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He previously served as senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and he has written numerous books, including The Whole Christ, In Christ Alone, Devoted to God, Some Pastors and Teachers, In the Year of Our Lord, and Maturity.