Facing Grace in the Gospel – Union
One of the prominent recurring memories of my childhood was working in the garden.
Everyone I knew had a garden and a freezer. My mom and Dad had a garden. My grandfather
and grandmother had a garden. It was a daily chore to go out and do something in the garden.
My grandfather had at one time in his life been a farmer. There was a large field behind his
house that stretched back to the creek. A smaller stream ran down the western side of the field
and the two waterways met in one corner of the field. On the other side there was a pond that
was also used to irrigate the gardens. He usually had about three -one was for corn and another
for tomatoes and one with various rows of different vegetables.
I remember once when I was about eight years old, we were standing in the field early in the
morning before it got hot. The dew was still on the ground, and I hated getting my shoes wet but
that was just the nature of working in the garden. The reason I remember this morning in
particular was because my grandfather handed me a knife! At eight years old if I had a knife it
was about to be taken away from me. But here my grandfather was actually putting it in my
hand. He told me we were going to cut okra. I had never done that before, but I had heard about
it. Okra plants have large leaves on stalks that can grow tall for a vegetable plant. My mom
hated cutting okra because if you rubbed against the plant, it would make you itch. But at my
age, having just been entrusted with the responsibility of a knife I was proud to use it doing
anything.
As prominent as gardens were in my childhood I never learned to garden. Despite the fact
that I had spent enough summer mornings shelling peas, as to be called an expert, I couldn't
grow a pea if my life depended on it. When my children were young, I decided that I would start
a garden but quickly figured out that I did not have a clue about gardening. After much
education and several years of practice I was able to produce a tomato.
One thing I learned was that you needed plenty of water to grow anything. In order to
produce a crop, water was necessary to bring the nutrients from the ground into the plant
through the roots. The nutrients are then carried to the branches and crops are produced.
You may be wondering what this all has to do with the gospel and the word Union. Jesus says
in John 15:5
“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing,”
Here Jesus describes the “union” quality of our relationship with Him. In our union with Jesus we
are indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. In the gospel we see the many benefits of being in union with
Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect life while on earth and that righteousness is transferred to us and
our sin is placed on Him. He then goes to the cross and dies for our sin.
Romans 6:5 states,
“For if we have been united with Him in a death like his, we shall certainly be
united with Him in a resurrection like His.”(ESV)
Our sin is taken with Him into death and
Finally Jesus is raised to eternal life and that eternal life is ours through our union with Him.
Romans 6:23 states,
“for the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord” (ESV)
Not only does our union with Jesus deal a final death blow to our past, it also secures our
present and our future. Look in Ephesians 2:4-7,
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He
loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive
together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up
with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”(ESV)
God has created us anew with eternal life; abundant life. He has created us to live life facing
grace, not our sin or shame or failures and regrets, but to a present and a future that is in Jesus
and heading toward Him. That is why it says in Colossians 3:1-4( ESV),
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things
that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life
appears you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Now the truth of the Gospel speaks of such an abundant life. But what is it? Does it mean we
will live forever? Yes it does. It also speaks to the quality of our life.
In Jeremiah 17:7-8 the abundant life is described for us.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a
tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear
when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of
drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
This is eternal life. This is living life facing grace. This is the life God plans for those who
believe in Jesus Christ. Romans 8:32 says,
“He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will he not
also with Him graciously give us all things?”
We have been given eternal life, abundant life. And this eternal life we experience
now, as we send our roots by the stream, that is Jesus. As He said it is the one who
abides in Him who bears much fruit. Abide means to remain in, or to stay in. We are to
consistently be filled with His word, filled with His Holy Spirit and always be in prayer and
always be in relationships with other believers. We often live a dry and arid life when the
stream is within reach. If we cultivate our union with Christ, we will bear fruit abundantly
and eternally. In this temporary world that kind of life will be noticed. The blessed one is
a blessing to all.
I didn’t know much about gardening but I applied myself to learn and produced some fruit. When we push and exert ourselves toward Jesus, when we continually reach for Him, like roots to a stream we will bear fruit in every season. Jesus is faithful to always bring nourishment to our souls.
